Why flying is so safe

Sidebar TZ. Without experience, my preparation at Sheffield enabled me to become active at the same time after the initial training. Always interesting! It was like drinking from a fire hose, but I have never enjoyed a course more than this one. Sheffield School of Aeronautics should be seen as the standard of how it can be done and how it should be done. I was hired at a major airline with no dispatch experience. Sidebar AZ. From my experience I would rate Sheffield School as outstanding in their field.

The overall consensus was that Sheffield grads were able to hit the ground running as they were better prepared. Sidebar K. Not only has Sheffield provided a top notch education, but they have also instilled in me the confidence to succeed.

Sidebar AZ — Student Testimonial. Just ten years ago, air traffic controllers had to rely heavily on earth-based navigation systems. These systems restricted aircraft to very specific routes and altitudes, which was somewhat inconvenient and not very efficient. Today, advances in GPS technology give controllers more accurate, real-time information on airplane locations.

In addition to avoiding collisions, advanced air traffic control systems make it easier to identify and dodge inclement weather. In addition to protecting the aircraft, this significantly shortens the delays that passengers would otherwise experience. In , a young pilot by the name of Hugh DeHaven had his plane collide with another plane during his final training flight for the Canadian Royal Flying Corps. While he survived the foot free fall to the ground, the pilot of the other plane did not.

He used specially designed crash dummies to advocate for better seat belts and safer cabins to protect passengers in the event of an accident. By the time DeHaven retired in the s, great strides had been taken to improve safety.

And over the past 70 years, even more improvements have been made. Ideas like seat cushions that double as floatation devices, oxygen masks that drop from the ceiling, emergency escapes, inflatable slides and rafts, and other advances all combine to make survival more likely than it was just 20 or 25 years ago. In the aftermath of tragic events in , the FAA put new rules into place that limit the amount of time pilots can spend in the cockpit, as well as the amount of rest they must receive between shifts.

The rules state that pilots must get at least 10 hours off prior to flight duty, with eight of these hours being devoted to sleep. As the name suggests, the rule requires at least two people to always be present in the cockpit at any given time. If one of the two pilots must leave for a period of time, another crewmember — typically a flight attendant — must be summoned. These are just some of the many things we have to consider.

How about on your side of the cockpit door? Capacious or cramped, first-class or economy, all airplane seats meet tough standards for durability and head-impact protection. The modern airliner seat can withstand 16 times the force of gravity. The fabrics and cushions are fire retardant and self-extinguishing, and they will not emit toxic smoke. The insulation in the cabin walls is fire retardant, and, in the case of a fire, emergency lighting is close to the floor.

Most important to remember: Most commercial aviation accidents are not fatal. Of the accidents worldwide in the past 10 years, less than a quarter involved fatalities. Very few people will die in those events. The pilots and the airplanes may be the stars of the show in commercial aviation, but behind the scenes, a new, almost Star Wars—like air traffic system is being built where airplanes guided by GPS will fly self-programmed routes, communicating with each other and with the ground.

This is very different from the days when maps, blackboards and pencil and paper calculations were used to direct airplanes. With more than 28 million flight departures last year, it takes a pretty sophisticated process to safely and efficiently manage a huge—and still growing—number of aircraft. The means if one system is lost it does not affect the ability to control the aircraft.

This same level of redundancy is in the electrical system three sources of power , the pneumatic system two or three sources of air , and the air conditioning system two or three sources of cooling. There is safety equipment on board for passenger medical emergencies such as a heart attack, with kits for medical professionals to use, medical oxygen and more. Additionally, the crew can reach a specially trained doctor via a satphone or radio to help determine the best action to help the passenger.