GA _is_ safer than some modes of transport. Was: Tragedy

"Skylune" wrote:
Idiot.

Ad hominem.

Your nonsense is "easily refuted."

My counter-arguments to your refutations follow:

In fact, the graph you attached from BTS compares apples and oranges.

I converted from hours flown to miles flown by assuming a certain average
airspeed. This provides a reasonable order-of-magnitude estimate. As it
happens, the ATSB estimate for Australian GA (17.5 fatalities/100 million
kilometers - 28 fatalities/100 million miles) is very close to my
converted value for U.S. GA (20 fatalities/100 million miles).

The remarkably close correspondence indicates an apples-to-apples
comparison.

I suggest a Stat 101 course from your local community college.

More ad hominem.

Studies that adjust usage rates using the same denominator (i.e.
passenger miles, hours travelled, etc.) all conclude that GA is the
most dangerous form of transportation.

The ATSB begs to differ:

"These comparisons, summarised in table 1, find:
....
c. Motorcycling is the least safe form of transport."

(From: http://www.atsb.gov.au/road/statistics/cross_modal.aspx )

Here is one example:
http://www.planecrashinfo.com/cause.htm

The reference you cite does not include motorcycling, recreational
boating, or bicycling, among other modes of transport. So it does not
contradict the references I cited, which did show motorcycling to have a
higher fatality rate than fixed wing general aviation.

Also, you may want to check the BLS studies of most dangerous
occupations, which can also serve as a proxy. Aircraft associated
professions have the highest mortality rates in the US, behind only
lumbering.

You may also want to check historical BLS studies, since some of them
don't support your "proxy" method. In 1997 water transportation
occupations had more fatalities per worker than aircraft pilots:

http://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/1999/Jan/wk1/art01.htm

Or, the common sense test. You suggest that Bicyclists and
pedestrians are at greater risk by "some measures." That may be true.

Quite. You wrote: "Statistically, GA is the most dangerous of all forms
of transportation."

Now you know it isn't.