Statistics! Car versus airplane.
- Thread starter derg
- Start date
[ QUOTE ]
But you have assumed that everyone in the US flies GA aircraft, and does so as much as they drive - - flawed logic like that is the reason we are in Iraq!!
[/ QUOTE ]
Really, and you know I assumed this how? Not sure where that came from. Not everyone flies GA aircraft, and not everyone drives cars. You could pick apart each statistic in there in the same manner. Not everyone drives cars, not everyone drives, truck, rides in boats, etc..., etc....I used the same method that were used in my orginal link.
With that being said, one well researched gov't statistic will show what the person wants, while the same information can be used to show the view that somebody else wants.
My logic has nothing to do with the reason we are in IRAQ. Different topic, different forum.
But you have assumed that everyone in the US flies GA aircraft, and does so as much as they drive - - flawed logic like that is the reason we are in Iraq!!
[/ QUOTE ]
Really, and you know I assumed this how? Not sure where that came from. Not everyone flies GA aircraft, and not everyone drives cars. You could pick apart each statistic in there in the same manner. Not everyone drives cars, not everyone drives, truck, rides in boats, etc..., etc....I used the same method that were used in my orginal link.
With that being said, one well researched gov't statistic will show what the person wants, while the same information can be used to show the view that somebody else wants.
My logic has nothing to do with the reason we are in IRAQ. Different topic, different forum.
I'm too lazy to do more research, so I'll just quote something I wrote in an earlier thread:
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
How safe are small planes anyway? Are we flying In death traps? Sometimes it makes me wonder. Concerned student.
[/ QUOTE ]
Not as safe as driving in your car.
Estimates place the fatality rate for General Aviation aircraft at somewhere around 1.33 fatal accidents per 100,000 flight hours. Automobile fatalities are approximately 1.5 per 100 million miles.
There isn't an easy comparison to make between the two activities, but let's try a couple just to see how they turn out.
1. Assume automobiles average 40 miles per hour, the fatality rate would be 1.5 per 2,500,000 driving hours. This is more than 20 times better than flying.
2. Assume the average GA pilot flies 100 hours per year, and the average motorist drives 25,000 miles. The comparison rates come out to: GA aircraft 1.33 fatal accidents per 1,000 years; automobiles 1.5 fatals per 4,000 years. Still much safer for autos, but now 4:1 instead of 25:1.
There are lots of other ways to look at the stats, but I don't care how you cut it, flying isn't the safest activity in the world. Doesn't make it necessarily unsafe, just not as safe as sitting at home on your couch, or driving your car, or any of thousands of other things.
Flying can be done safely. You just need to know what the potential problem areas are, make wise decisions, and train to proficiency.
Sources:
2003 Nall Report
2002 NHTSA
[/ QUOTE ]
From the "How Safe Is This" thread.
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
How safe are small planes anyway? Are we flying In death traps? Sometimes it makes me wonder. Concerned student.
[/ QUOTE ]
Not as safe as driving in your car.
Estimates place the fatality rate for General Aviation aircraft at somewhere around 1.33 fatal accidents per 100,000 flight hours. Automobile fatalities are approximately 1.5 per 100 million miles.
There isn't an easy comparison to make between the two activities, but let's try a couple just to see how they turn out.
1. Assume automobiles average 40 miles per hour, the fatality rate would be 1.5 per 2,500,000 driving hours. This is more than 20 times better than flying.
2. Assume the average GA pilot flies 100 hours per year, and the average motorist drives 25,000 miles. The comparison rates come out to: GA aircraft 1.33 fatal accidents per 1,000 years; automobiles 1.5 fatals per 4,000 years. Still much safer for autos, but now 4:1 instead of 25:1.
There are lots of other ways to look at the stats, but I don't care how you cut it, flying isn't the safest activity in the world. Doesn't make it necessarily unsafe, just not as safe as sitting at home on your couch, or driving your car, or any of thousands of other things.
Flying can be done safely. You just need to know what the potential problem areas are, make wise decisions, and train to proficiency.
Sources:
2003 Nall Report
2002 NHTSA
[/ QUOTE ]
From the "How Safe Is This" thread.
kellwolf
Piece of Trash
Here's my take on the subject. Pilot know the risks of flying an airplane, so we act accordingly. We pay attention, we weigh our decisions carefully, and if there's any doubt we abort. Can't say the same thing about driving, can we? Often we're driving on a busy highway while changing radio stations, eating McDonald's and talking on the phone. Not exactly the smartest things to do while operating heavy machinery is it? If we drove like we fly, there would be a HUGE reduction in accidents. Then again, if there were as many planes in the air as cars on the street, accidents would be increase in the air.
The other day I read an article in the newspaper where an instructor here on Long Island told the journalist-student on his first flight lesson something like "flying is much safer than driving" to alay the journalist's fears. I wanted to scream. Is this what the instructor was taught in school? This only applies to airlines and probably corporate jets, but some people have used the airline's safety record to apply to all flying.
I good figure that I have heard on more than one occasion is as follows: Airline flying is 7 times safer than driving. Light GA flying is 7 times more DANGEROUS than driving.
What this means is that airline flying is much much safer than driving. And the little bugsmasher flying that we do is much much more dangerous than driving. Of course much of it is relative: Ex: Experienced pilot VFR sightseeing over a cornfield vs. new IFR rated pilot flying in IFR weather. But I hope the point is illustrated.
I good figure that I have heard on more than one occasion is as follows: Airline flying is 7 times safer than driving. Light GA flying is 7 times more DANGEROUS than driving.
What this means is that airline flying is much much safer than driving. And the little bugsmasher flying that we do is much much more dangerous than driving. Of course much of it is relative: Ex: Experienced pilot VFR sightseeing over a cornfield vs. new IFR rated pilot flying in IFR weather. But I hope the point is illustrated.
grassrootsflying
Well-Known Member
[ QUOTE ]
The other day I read an article in the newspaper where an instructor here on Long Island told the journalist-student on his first flight lesson something like "flying is much safer than driving" to alay the journalist's fears. I wanted to scream. Is this what the instructor was taught in school? This only applies to airlines and probably corporate jets, but some people have used the airline's safety record to apply to all flying.
I good figure that I have heard on more than one occasion is as follows: Airline flying is 7 times safer than driving. Light GA flying is 7 times more DANGEROUS than driving.
[/ QUOTE ]
THANK YOU! Like I said, airplane accidents have a fatality rate of about 20%, car accidents are at .67%
I know that it's hard to unteach something that you have heard from lots of people, that makes a good icebreaker, and makes you feel good because it sounds clever. I have also heard from lots of "barroom experts" that navy pilots land airliners harder than AF guys. uh, yeah. So please don't repeat that flying is safer than driving when talking about GA.
The other day I read an article in the newspaper where an instructor here on Long Island told the journalist-student on his first flight lesson something like "flying is much safer than driving" to alay the journalist's fears. I wanted to scream. Is this what the instructor was taught in school? This only applies to airlines and probably corporate jets, but some people have used the airline's safety record to apply to all flying.
I good figure that I have heard on more than one occasion is as follows: Airline flying is 7 times safer than driving. Light GA flying is 7 times more DANGEROUS than driving.
[/ QUOTE ]
THANK YOU! Like I said, airplane accidents have a fatality rate of about 20%, car accidents are at .67%
I know that it's hard to unteach something that you have heard from lots of people, that makes a good icebreaker, and makes you feel good because it sounds clever. I have also heard from lots of "barroom experts" that navy pilots land airliners harder than AF guys. uh, yeah. So please don't repeat that flying is safer than driving when talking about GA.
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
The other day I read an article in the newspaper where an instructor here on Long Island told the journalist-student on his first flight lesson something like "flying is much safer than driving" to alay the journalist's fears. I wanted to scream. Is this what the instructor was taught in school? This only applies to airlines and probably corporate jets, but some people have used the airline's safety record to apply to all flying.
I good figure that I have heard on more than one occasion is as follows: Airline flying is 7 times safer than driving. Light GA flying is 7 times more DANGEROUS than driving.
[/ QUOTE ]
THANK YOU! Like I said, airplane accidents have a fatality rate of about 20%, car accidents are at .67%
I know that it's hard to unteach something that you have heard from lots of people, that makes a good icebreaker, and makes you feel good because it sounds clever. I have also heard from lots of "barroom experts" that navy pilots land airliners harder than AF guys. uh, yeah. So please don't repeat that flying is safer than driving when talking about GA.
[/ QUOTE ]
You can make numbers say whatever you'd like to say. Some will feel that flying is safer, some will not. So far you've said flying is not as safe, then GA flying is not as safe. Then you bring up fatality, so what do you mean by safe? Walk away from the accident. I have yet to see you provide any numbers to backup what you have tried to say.
So I guess we will agree to disagree on this one. Liek it has been said, any two different people can take the same data and make it show three different things.
[ QUOTE ]
The other day I read an article in the newspaper where an instructor here on Long Island told the journalist-student on his first flight lesson something like "flying is much safer than driving" to alay the journalist's fears. I wanted to scream. Is this what the instructor was taught in school? This only applies to airlines and probably corporate jets, but some people have used the airline's safety record to apply to all flying.
I good figure that I have heard on more than one occasion is as follows: Airline flying is 7 times safer than driving. Light GA flying is 7 times more DANGEROUS than driving.
[/ QUOTE ]
THANK YOU! Like I said, airplane accidents have a fatality rate of about 20%, car accidents are at .67%
I know that it's hard to unteach something that you have heard from lots of people, that makes a good icebreaker, and makes you feel good because it sounds clever. I have also heard from lots of "barroom experts" that navy pilots land airliners harder than AF guys. uh, yeah. So please don't repeat that flying is safer than driving when talking about GA.
[/ QUOTE ]
You can make numbers say whatever you'd like to say. Some will feel that flying is safer, some will not. So far you've said flying is not as safe, then GA flying is not as safe. Then you bring up fatality, so what do you mean by safe? Walk away from the accident. I have yet to see you provide any numbers to backup what you have tried to say.
So I guess we will agree to disagree on this one. Liek it has been said, any two different people can take the same data and make it show three different things.
[ QUOTE ]
THANK YOU! Like I said, airplane accidents have a fatality rate of about 20%,
[/ QUOTE ]
Now to show you that I can agree with something you have said, using the same data from the ntsb query I ran earlier here is what I found:
Number of incidents involving GA aircraft: 1623
Number of incidents that resulted in fatalities: 326
Percent of GA accidents that resulted in fatalities: 20.08 %
THANK YOU! Like I said, airplane accidents have a fatality rate of about 20%,
[/ QUOTE ]
Now to show you that I can agree with something you have said, using the same data from the ntsb query I ran earlier here is what I found:
Number of incidents involving GA aircraft: 1623
Number of incidents that resulted in fatalities: 326
Percent of GA accidents that resulted in fatalities: 20.08 %