Jay Honeck
Member
Having been recently subjected to all sorts of silly name calling, up to and including being accused of being "unsafe", I thought I would start a nice, noncontroversial Thanksgiving holiday subject like "safety". 
In all seriousness, though, if you cut through all the interpersonal middle school crap, "safety" was at the root of the controversy I stirred up by discussing zoom climbs and other, more aggressive flight regimes. Basically, the problem can be condensed down to this: What is "safe enough" in aviation? It's an interesting topic that I (and many others) have devoted countless hours to studying, so let's get the ball rolling, shall we?
The problem with aviation safety is that the very desire that has driven us to fly is probably the single most dangerous trait a human can possess.
It is this paradox that keeps GA in a constant state of tension. We are all adventurers at heart, but even within our little group there are those who never, ever leave the pattern, and those who routinely launch on transcontinental VFR flights. There are also those who never bank more than 30 degrees, and those who routinely fly aerobatics.
All call themselves pilots, and all claim to be "safe". And, relatively speaking, they are -- but clearly there are different levels of risk involved.
As I've progressed through my aviation life, I've moved freely up and down this risk spectrum. Example: We still don't fly at night, simply because of the added risks. Yet (as y'all know) we've recently added aerobatics to our repertoire. To many, this would seem a paradox, but it makes perfect sense for Mary and me.
Why? If you cut through all the BS, at the root our thinking can be summed up like this:
1. The kids are grown.
2. Our genetic responsibilities on this planet are therefore complete.
3. We're still healthy enough to do it.
4. Aerobatics are fun.
Thus, our risk assessment concluded with "Let's sell the family station wagon and buy a Miata!". Or, in this case, an RV-8A. And it was the right choice for us.
Each pilot assesses their risks before every flight. Some cross that very fuzzy line and we end up reading about them. From those NTSB reports that we all morbidly pore over, we try to learn how not to cross that same line.
The trouble is, that line moves on every flight. So, the best we can do is set minimums, guidelines, and rules of thumb, and always try to err on the side of caution.
Just to illustrate, even though Mary and I have flown together for two decades, our comfort with risk is still quite different. She's toned me down some (and probably kept me alive) and I've amped her up some (probably causing a gray hair or two), but even though we fly together all the time, we are still different.
If even we aren't in complete agreement on what constitutes acceptable risk, there is little hope of establishing an industry wide norm that will make general aviation "safe". But that won't stop us from trying -- or from having it imposed on us from above.
What say the group? What is "safe"? Are you safe enough? Are you comfortable with letting pilots decide for themselves, or should the government set and enforce more safety rules?
Let's try to keep it civil -- and have a great Turkey Day!
--
Jay Honeck
Port Aransas, TX
Van's RV-8A N14EG
http://www.ameliaslanding.com
(2013 was our 31st consecutive year at OSH!)
In all seriousness, though, if you cut through all the interpersonal middle school crap, "safety" was at the root of the controversy I stirred up by discussing zoom climbs and other, more aggressive flight regimes. Basically, the problem can be condensed down to this: What is "safe enough" in aviation? It's an interesting topic that I (and many others) have devoted countless hours to studying, so let's get the ball rolling, shall we?
The problem with aviation safety is that the very desire that has driven us to fly is probably the single most dangerous trait a human can possess.
It is this paradox that keeps GA in a constant state of tension. We are all adventurers at heart, but even within our little group there are those who never, ever leave the pattern, and those who routinely launch on transcontinental VFR flights. There are also those who never bank more than 30 degrees, and those who routinely fly aerobatics.
All call themselves pilots, and all claim to be "safe". And, relatively speaking, they are -- but clearly there are different levels of risk involved.
As I've progressed through my aviation life, I've moved freely up and down this risk spectrum. Example: We still don't fly at night, simply because of the added risks. Yet (as y'all know) we've recently added aerobatics to our repertoire. To many, this would seem a paradox, but it makes perfect sense for Mary and me.
Why? If you cut through all the BS, at the root our thinking can be summed up like this:
1. The kids are grown.
2. Our genetic responsibilities on this planet are therefore complete.
3. We're still healthy enough to do it.
4. Aerobatics are fun.
Thus, our risk assessment concluded with "Let's sell the family station wagon and buy a Miata!". Or, in this case, an RV-8A. And it was the right choice for us.
Each pilot assesses their risks before every flight. Some cross that very fuzzy line and we end up reading about them. From those NTSB reports that we all morbidly pore over, we try to learn how not to cross that same line.
The trouble is, that line moves on every flight. So, the best we can do is set minimums, guidelines, and rules of thumb, and always try to err on the side of caution.
Just to illustrate, even though Mary and I have flown together for two decades, our comfort with risk is still quite different. She's toned me down some (and probably kept me alive) and I've amped her up some (probably causing a gray hair or two), but even though we fly together all the time, we are still different.
If even we aren't in complete agreement on what constitutes acceptable risk, there is little hope of establishing an industry wide norm that will make general aviation "safe". But that won't stop us from trying -- or from having it imposed on us from above.
What say the group? What is "safe"? Are you safe enough? Are you comfortable with letting pilots decide for themselves, or should the government set and enforce more safety rules?
Let's try to keep it civil -- and have a great Turkey Day!
--
Jay Honeck
Port Aransas, TX
Van's RV-8A N14EG
http://www.ameliaslanding.com
(2013 was our 31st consecutive year at OSH!)
