Next Time Somebody Offers You a Ride In a Small Plane

Readers of "This Blog Title For Sale" are probably aware that I am a certificated private pilot. From time to time people will ask me just how safe is flying small planes, and naturally the answer is, quite safe. Now I can say that it's safer than ever to fly in a small plane, with fatalities reaching a 40-year low in 2007. Why is that? We in the pilot community know that aviation is one of the most intensely scrutinized industries anywhere. When an accident happens, chances are you'll read about it or see it on television. We, as a community, go to great lengths to make this activity as safe as possible.

NTSB Chairman Mark Rosenker commented that pilots cannot afford to become complacent. “We must continue to take the lessons learned from our investigations and use them to create even safer skies for all aircraft operators and their passengers,” he said.

We strive to do exactly that. No operator of a public conveyance is required to complete as much training and assessment as are pilots. When traveling on commercial airliners, the folks in front will have passed at least 5 and likely several more flight examinations to get where they are. Compare that with your bus driver, truck driver or, for that matter, every other driver on the road. And you have our word that we are trying to make 2008 even safer. Read more by clicking on the link below.

AOPA Online: NTSB notes big drop in GA fatalities

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