On Thursday, November 7, 2019 at 10:22:48 PM UTC-5, 2G wrote:

That would be nice if that was the intent of this thread, but it isn't. It is entirely about making you feel anxious about flying. I don't particularly care whether flying is more or less dangerous than motorcycle riding because I don't ride motorcycles. And, even if I did, how would that make me be a safer pilot? I gave up flying in site contests (OLC is different) because I was almost killed in one, and decided the benefit didn't justify the risk. Some pilots become very aggressive while flying in a contest.

Tom

Tom,

I wouldn't ordinarily get involved in tussling with you on something like this but since I used one of your posts as my entree, I'll make an exception..

None of us really knows what the true intent of the thread was because we're not the original poster. But the way I read it, he had two points. First, people tend to ignore the risks of things they want to do so they won't stress about them. Second, the risks of soaring are higher than many of us want to admit.

It doesn't necessarily follow that the OP wanted us to "feel anxious about flying." That's your interpretation. I like to think he wanted us to make intelligent, reasoned choices based on the facts. This thread has helped in that regard. "Anxious" is defined as "experiencing worry, unease, or nervousness." Yup. I'm nervous at times when I fly. Sometimes I'm uneasy. I never take flying for granted. I still fly because I love it even though I know it's more risky than flying Condor or driving to the theater.

It's often easier for us to understand risk using benchmarks and comparisons. As many have said, the least risky thing is to stay home--but even that's not risk-free. Comparing the risk of soaring to other activities and to simply getting older can help us understand and weigh the risk of flying. That's useful.

I disagree that understanding the risks of soaring won't make us better pilots. Knowing I could get killed any number of ways in a glider has helped me be a safer pilot. The risks I'm willing to tolerate might be different than for other pilots and certainly non-pilots.

For example, you've chosen to restrict yourself to certain types of soaring based on your personal knowledge of the risks of contest flying. If you did fly a contest, I suspect you'd be anxious. If someone approached me about flying their first contest, I'd want them to understand the risks, which I agree are higher than just flying cross country and certainly higher than doing rides around the airport.

Chip Bearden
JB