As The Pro Flies

Joseph E. (Jeb) Burnside

Wednesday, February 23, 2022 at 01:26 AM ET

Verified

Piper Meridian G1000

Key Takeaways:

General Aviation (GA) safety has not significantly improved in decades, unlike commercial aviation, primarily due to the absence of public and regulatory pressure and structured safety programs like those that transformed commercial flight.
A major contributor to GA accidents is dangerous pilot attitudes, including overconfidence, a false sense of security, resistance to continuous training, and a lack of attention to detailed flight planning and pre-flight checks.
Improving GA safety requires a collective commitment from the GA community through enhanced communication, training programs, and mentoring initiatives, coupled with a shift in the FAA's role towards more active regulation, enforcement, and policing at airports.

See a mistake? Contact us.

Mike Berry’s article comparing commercial aviation to general aviation (“As the Pro Flies?” January 2022) hits on many important points. I have studied general aviation’s safety record for many years, writing a master’s thesis on comparing these two aviation fields and trying to change this perplexing problem. I have not seen an appreciable change in the number of GA accidents or fatality rates in decades.

Your article investigates how the GA pilot and the whole industry could possibly become safer. The commercial carriers that you and I have flown for were forced to make a commitment to safer air travel. These changes were initiated by an outcry from the traveling public and congressional initiatives, and the carriers themselves. This level of pressure is just not existent in the GA community. We witnessed the safety programs develop, such as FOQA, CRM and many others, resulting in a wholly new attitude toward flying. General aviation will not be able to achieve these goals easily, if at all!