3 ms·

general aviation is only dangerous because of person between the controls and seat. Modern engines don't fail and the likelihood of exogenous events occurring

general aviation is only dangerous because of person between the controls and seat. Modern engines don't fail and the likelihood of exogenous events occurring are very very remote. Should you properly contain errors caused by pilot error, flying is remarkably safe.

sopooneo 11y ago
Can't we build our own propensity for imperfect decision making into a calculation of safety? Can I not realize that while I consider myself more rational and cautious than my neighbors, they likely feel the same, and X% of them die when they try to fly? I would consider this "second derivative caution". It got cemented into me when I was taking hang gliding lessons and saw one of the most stone cold cautious members of my class become exuberant and act rashly on a landing, and break his arm quite badly.
dionidium 11y ago
You're only restating the problem. Flying is dangerous because user error is common. That's the why of the what.
lutorm 11y ago
That's not quite true. Outright structural failure is not common, but there is a small but non-negligible category of accidents that are originate in improper maintenance, contaminated fuel, and similar non-pilot related causes. And piston aircraft engines have a disturbing tendency to fail compared to turbine engines or even automobile engines. If you draw the line that it's the pilot's responsibility to ensure that the aircraft is airworthy then I guess you can place the proximate blame of that on the pilot, too. By that rationale, however, all car accidents are also your fault, because of the catch-all rule that says you may not drive so fast so as to put "persons or property at risk" or however it's phrased.
- api_or_ipa 11y ago
  improper maintenance, contaminated fuel, and similar non-pilot related causes. Before you ever takeoff, you must check for these things. > maintenance: do a full walk-around of the aircraft, checking for any damage. You can't catch everything, but you should be thorough enough so that if anything sudden did happen, ie: your airplane got clipped by the fuel truck, that you would catch it. > contaminated fuel Aviation fuel is dyed blue. Before every flight we take a small sample of fuel from the bottom of each tank to ensure water hasn't contaminated our fuel. On highwing aircraft we also draw fuel from the fuel lines leading down into the engine. This is sufficient to almost completely rule out fuel contamination. I'm not saying that sudden accidents don't occur, merely that they are extremely remote. Even then, it is the responsibility of the pilot to plan accordingly and to further mitigate the consequences of mechanical breakdowns.

sopooneo 11y ago

Can't we build our own propensity for imperfect decision making into a calculation of safety? Can I not realize that while I consider myself more rational and cautious than my neighbors, they likely feel the same, and X% of them die when they try to fly? I would consider this "second derivative caution". It got cemented into me when I was taking hang gliding lessons and saw one of the most stone cold cautious members of my class become exuberant and act rashly on a landing, and break his arm quite badly.

dionidium 11y ago

You're only restating the problem. Flying is dangerous because user error is common. That's the why of the what.

lutorm 11y ago

That's not quite true. Outright structural failure is not common, but there is a small but non-negligible category of accidents that are originate in improper maintenance, contaminated fuel, and similar non-pilot related causes. And piston aircraft engines have a disturbing tendency to fail compared to turbine engines or even automobile engines. If you draw the line that it's the pilot's responsibility to ensure that the aircraft is airworthy then I guess you can place the proximate blame of that on the pilot, too. By that rationale, however, all car accidents are also your fault, because of the catch-all rule that says you may not drive so fast so as to put "persons or property at risk" or however it's phrased.

api_or_ipa 11y ago
improper maintenance, contaminated fuel, and similar non-pilot related causes. Before you ever takeoff, you must check for these things. > maintenance: do a full walk-around of the aircraft, checking for any damage. You can't catch everything, but you should be thorough enough so that if anything sudden did happen, ie: your airplane got clipped by the fuel truck, that you would catch it. > contaminated fuel Aviation fuel is dyed blue. Before every flight we take a small sample of fuel from the bottom of each tank to ensure water hasn't contaminated our fuel. On highwing aircraft we also draw fuel from the fuel lines leading down into the engine. This is sufficient to almost completely rule out fuel contamination. I'm not saying that sudden accidents don't occur, merely that they are extremely remote. Even then, it is the responsibility of the pilot to plan accordingly and to further mitigate the consequences of mechanical breakdowns.