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Letter of the Week: Airshow Crashes, Media Sensationalism and Improving Safety

Gemini Sparkle

Key Takeaways:

  • The International Council of Air Shows (ICAS) has proactively enhanced safety since 2007, implementing measures like a full-time safety officer and risk mitigation philosophies, which has reportedly led to a decrease in accident rates and fostered a stronger safety culture among pilots.
  • Airshow accidents receive disproportionately sensational and extensive television coverage compared to their actual news value or print coverage, leading to an exaggerated perception of their frequency among the general public, especially when contrasted with less-sensationalized reporting on more frequent and fatal car racing accidents.
  • Achieving further safety improvements in both the airshow industry and general aviation will require fundamental shifts in pilot behavior and thinking, as the easier safety gains have already been made, but ICAS believes continued progress is achievable despite the challenges.
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After our piece last week on the risky nature of airshow flying and the challenging process of improving safety given all the variables (“Airshow Crashes: The Cost of Doing Business? Going Direct, by Robert Goyer), we received a number of emails from our readers, one of whom is John Cudahy, the president of the International Council of Air Shows, whom we referenced in the blog. Cudahy weighs in with some nuanced views on the subjects that Goyer raised in his blog and sets the bar for safety even higher.

Mr. Goyer:

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