----- Original Message -----
Sent: Monday, July 24, 2006 10:56
PM
Subject: [LML] Re: response to Terrence
O'Neill's posting...
From: Lancair Mailing
List [mailto:lml@lancaironline.net] On Behalf Of Barry
Hancock
Subject: [LML] Re: response to Terrence O'Neill's
posting...
Anecdotally, think of how many people you know or have heard of dying in
GA accidents and compare that to how many people you know have died in
airliners.
My
grandparents were killed in a car accident (drunk driver hit them) and my
uncle was hit by a train (engineer's blood alcohol not tested), but so
far no relatives have died from a GA aircraft related injury.
So GA must be much safer than cars and trains. Or maybe we need
a different sampling.
A
better comparison for airlines would be commercial bus
transport - the Greyhound. Airliners are essentially buses with
wings (Ralph Cramden PIC) and GA aircraft are automobiles with
wings. Except for the mountains in South America buses are rarely
associated with fatalies whereas we have perhaps 40k to 50k automobile
fatalities per year in the US alone. Buses seem to be safer
than cars but we all choose a car 99% of the time and accept the risk.
We minimize that risk by avoiding alcohol (bus drivers of both types take
note), do not run red lights, travel at a safe speed, etc.
I believe that if we were to sift out all the GA accidents caused by
moronic behavior that the remainder would render a safety record
a whole lot closer to 121 travel.
Robert M. Simon
ES-P
N301ES