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#1
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"June" wrote in message om... I need some information from people 'in the field'. My husband has his private license and is just starting to work on his IFR for recreational flying. He wants to buy into a plane partnership, saying he will be saving money rather than renting. We have 2 little girls. I worry for his safety as it seems there is another small plane crash every other time you turn on the news. I think he should focus on this hobby when the kids are older, not when he has such a young family. Your opinions would be appreciated. I suggest you read this article: http://www.rodmachado.com/Articles/Danger.htm A pilot has far greater control over his own safety, than does a driver of an automobile. |
#2
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"June" wrote in message om... I need some information from people 'in the field'. My husband has his private license and is just starting to work on his IFR for recreational flying. He wants to buy into a plane partnership, saying he will be saving money rather than renting. We have 2 little girls. I worry for his safety as it seems there is another small plane crash every other time you turn on the news. I think he should focus on this hobby when the kids are older, not when he has such a young family. Your opinions would be appreciated. Just think how you would feel if they told about every car accident on the news. |
#3
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"June" wrote in message We have 2 little girls. I worry for his safety as it seems there is another small plane crash every other time you turn on the news. Meanwhile, there are so many automobile crashes that they're not even newsworthy anymore. |
#4
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While it is true that statistics overall say that flying an airplane is
about as hazardous as riding a motorcycle, the vast majority of flying accidents are due to pilot error. In other words, the pilot made poor choices about when to fly, what to fly, or where. Flying IFR at night in areas of forecast icing over mountains in a light single engine airplane is probably a poor choice. If your husband is in the habit of flying low over the ground, showing off and taking unnecessary risks, then flying is not very safe at all. If he flies "by the book," carefully weighing the risks created by weather, terrain, the condition of the airplane, and his own condition at the time, then he is probably as safe as any airline captain. The reason you hear about small airplane accidents in the news is because they are rare. After all, the vast majority of automobile accidents, even the fatal ones, never make it into the news because there are thousands of automobile accidents every day. So airplane accidents happen rarely enough to get reported, but just often enough to keep up a steady drumbeat of "flying is not safe" in the news. Risk management is an important concept in flying safety. Pilots are taught that they should always have an "out" in case something unexpected happens. For example, flying low in an unfamiliar mountain canyon might seem to be a lot of fun, but it is more risky than flying at 10,000 feet on a cross country over a well travelled route. Risks increase when you are flying low because of the greater chance of encountering obstructions, fewer choices in emergency landing areas in the event of some malfunction, and the possibility of getting trapped by rising terrain or lowering weather. Risks increase at night because of the greater difficulty in choosing an emergency landing area in the event one is needed, more difficulty in navigation, invisible terrain, pilot fatigue, and the need to fly on instruments when the pilot may not be qualified or rusty. No pilot of small airplanes will intentionally fly into a thunderstorm, yet pilots do it with alarming frequency. Why? Well, they thought that thin band of weather up ahead was benign and they decided to just punch through it. They had gotten away with it many times before and were lulled into thinking it was safe. But this time the thin band of weather was not so thin and it concealed a thunderstorm. Your husband's instrument training will make him a better pilot and, arguably, a safer one if he flies regularly. He will learn how to handle the plane better, how to read the weather better, and will be watched much more closely by air traffic control services. You can do a great deal to help him fly more safely. First of all, encourage him to fly often to keep in practice. Discourage him from flying when he is tired or if he is medicated with drugs or alcohol, sick, or emotionally high or low. Encourage him to get weather briefings every time he flies and discuss with him the particular risks involved with each flight. By becoming pro-active, supportive of good flying practices, and helping him to prepare for his flights you can be a big factor in his flying safely. |
#5
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"C J Campbell" wrote in message ... If your husband is in the habit of flying low over the ground, showing off and taking unnecessary risks, then flying is not very safe at all. If he flies "by the book," carefully weighing the risks created by weather, terrain, the condition of the airplane, and his own condition at the time, then he is probably as safe as any airline captain. This is ridiculous. There is no area of GA flying that is even remotely comparable to airline flying in terms of safety. Mike MU-2 |
#6
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I think what he really meant was that there's no reason (when all is said
and done) a private pilot can't end up with the same accident record as an airline captain. Marco Leon "Mike Rapoport" wrote in message ink.net... "C J Campbell" wrote in message ... If your husband is in the habit of flying low over the ground, showing off and taking unnecessary risks, then flying is not very safe at all. If he flies "by the book," carefully weighing the risks created by weather, terrain, the condition of the airplane, and his own condition at the time, then he is probably as safe as any airline captain. This is ridiculous. There is no area of GA flying that is even remotely comparable to airline flying in terms of safety. Mike MU-2 |
#7
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"Marco Leon" mmleon(at)yahoo.com wrote in message ... I think what he really meant was that there's no reason (when all is said and done) a private pilot can't end up with the same accident record as an airline captain. Marco Leon That isn't even remotely true. Mike MU-2 "Mike Rapoport" wrote in message ink.net... "C J Campbell" wrote in message ... If your husband is in the habit of flying low over the ground, showing off and taking unnecessary risks, then flying is not very safe at all. If he flies "by the book," carefully weighing the risks created by weather, terrain, the condition of the airplane, and his own condition at the time, then he is probably as safe as any airline captain. This is ridiculous. There is no area of GA flying that is even remotely comparable to airline flying in terms of safety. Mike MU-2 |
#8
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I don't understand what you're saying here. There are definitely pilots out
there that have flown decades without a reportable accident. Are you saying that it isn't even remotely possible that an active private pilot can go through their entire flying experience without an accident? Please clarify. Marco "Mike Rapoport" wrote in message ink.net... "Marco Leon" mmleon(at)yahoo.com wrote in message ... I think what he really meant was that there's no reason (when all is said and done) a private pilot can't end up with the same accident record as an airline captain. Marco Leon That isn't even remotely true. Mike MU-2 "Mike Rapoport" wrote in message ink.net... "C J Campbell" wrote in message ... If your husband is in the habit of flying low over the ground, showing off and taking unnecessary risks, then flying is not very safe at all. If he flies "by the book," carefully weighing the risks created by weather, terrain, the condition of the airplane, and his own condition at the time, then he is probably as safe as any airline captain. This is ridiculous. There is no area of GA flying that is even remotely comparable to airline flying in terms of safety. Mike MU-2 |
#9
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"Mike Rapoport" writes:
"Marco Leon" mmleon(at)yahoo.com wrote in message ... I think what he really meant was that there's no reason (when all is said and done) a private pilot can't end up with the same accident record as an airline captain. Marco Leon That isn't even remotely true. It's at least remotely true. Look, airline flying is safer because of better training and better equipment. 2 points for them. But, they must fly on schedule and therefore in bad weather. The average PP-ASEL doesn't have the great equipment and training, but *if they choose*, they can decide when they fly and under what conditions. So the VFR rated PP can take a cross country trip and be quite safe, *if they allow for slack time*. If the PP gets into a situation where they must meet a schedule they are inviting disaster, sooner, or later. |
#10
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C J Campbell wrote: While it is true that statistics overall say that flying an airplane is about as hazardous as riding a motorcycle, the vast majority of flying accidents are due to pilot error. In other words, the pilot made poor choices about when to fly, what to fly, or where. Flying IFR at night in areas of forecast icing over mountains in a light single engine airplane is probably a poor choice. Exactly. Take a 182, fly day VFR only, don't buzz anybody and your chance of dying is the same as driving. You self limit when you can fly but that's just another term for risk management. |
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