Just imagine how much safer the roads would be if every driver had to
have 40 hours before being turned loose, and had to pass a biennial
driving review!

Eric Greenwell wrote:

The average is around 12,000 miles per year in the USA. At 50 mph,
that's 240 hours; at 30, that's only 400 hours. Still more than the
usual glider pilot, but nothing like 600-1000.



Eric, when you're caught in L.A. traffic, you average speed drops very
quickly...and many opt for the 45 minute (each way) commute, so the
commute to work adds up to 360 hours on its own...

I believe I've lost more freinds in aircraft accidents than auto
accidents. However, I believe I know FAR more people who've been
INVOLVED in auto accidents that have never been in an AIRCRAFT accident
(myself included). Having an uninsured teen slam into the back of my
car with a good 30+ mph closing velocity really rattled my cage. I
have a scar from a motorcycle accident. I've had elderly drivers clip
me from multiple directions. Yes, I'll admit that two of my auto
accidents are arguably my fault. I hope to never have an aircraft
accident.

What many of us are forgetting here is the old adage that like the sea,
the air is terribly unforgiving of mistakes and carelessness. Much
less tolerant than the (typically) lower speed accidents we experience
in more modern and safe (airbags) autos (drive by shootings excepted,
yeah, I live in L.A.).

As such, with greater risk, we take more action to mitigate or control
the risk. More recurrent training (I do much more than just a BFR).
When it comes to FLIGHT TEST, where we intentionally do stupid things
to prove the aircraft is tolerant of some degree of mishandling, we
examine the hazard, the cause of the hazard and do our best to stack
the deck in our favor. Not really controlling the risk, but managing
it and operating at the right level.

My most recent personal example? Yeah, I'm IFR current, yeah, the
airplane could handle rough air, clouds, etc. When Flight Service said
there was a chance for rhime ice above 5,000 feet, I opted to drive.
So I traded one risk for another (well, some would say one flying risk
for about 50 driving risks).

The other slant on this argument is that the average non-flying person
knows one or two people that perished in auto accidents, but because
they're not pilots, they don't know anybody that's perished in an
aviation accident. Avaition is a smaller, closer community than
"drivers" and non-flyers, so statistically, we're more likely to know
that person killed in an accident.

Last August/September was really hard for me: I lost two friends in a
midair and a week later, a co-worker and her husband perished on the
northeast end of the Grand Canyon.

Fly safely folks. Operate at the right risk level.

-Pete
#309