Why Soaring's Safety Record Doesn't Improve

To all those interested about safety,

I realize I'll get flamed for this, but I'd like to point out that in the
March 1988 Soaring I proposed that we stop focusing on accident prevention
as our primary safety goal, and instead think about injury prevention. (I
got flamed a bit then, too.)

It changes a lot when you shift your focus that little bit. I won't
re-develop all the points I made then, just go back and read the article.

Once you've made the shift, you're no longer blaming the accident pilot for
being an idiot who didn't listen to their instructor (therefore it's all the
pilot's fault), you're wondering what could have been done differently to
prevent the fatality, or lessen or prevent the injury.

And I don't want to hear from the "prevent the accident and you've prevented
the injury" crowd. That argument is so wrong a 5 year old could see through
it.

We've probably got close to the maximum benefit from improved flight
instruction, so it's now time to improve other things in the safety world.
Famous Professional Flight Instructors who write books and such disagree
with this viewpoint, but you'd expect that, wouldn't you.

Just my two cents, now sinking back into lurkerhood.


On 5/15/04 8:38 AM, in article ,
"JJ Sinclair" wrote:

The
suggestion of a "wing tape sign off", transferring some responsibility to
the tow pilot seems to raise at least a couple of issues. First, it would
create a potential legal liability upon the tow pilot,

Come on Colin, the tow pilot isn't saying the controls are hooked up, he's
just
checking that the sailplane pilot said it was done and a PCC was accomplished.
Just checking paper-work, so to speak, only make that tape-work. BTW, towing a
glider with controls not hooked up is hazardous to the tow pilot. He's just
being prudent in checking on something like this.

I don't want to even think about the number of accidents I know about caused
by
unhooked controls, must be 20 in the last 30 years. At least 2 pilots are no
longer with us and another lives with daily pain in both legs. What are we
doing about it? NOTHING

We could do something, how about insurance companies refusing to insure
organizations (FBO's & clubs) that don't follow a few basic safety rules?

Can't wait to hear the howl and whine coming from the "I have a right to be
negligent" crowd on this proposal.
JJ Sinclair