Improvements in Aviation Safety and the Problem with Alaska

The common knowledge goes that flying in an airplane is much safer than driving in a car on the freeway, and most statistics back up the claim. The common saying also goes that the chances of dying in a plane crash are even less than the chances of being struck by lightning. However, even though flying in an airplane is statistically safe, the federal government and manufacturers are always seeking ways in which to make aviation even safer.

Improvements

About half of accidents with planes occur during the landing, and not in the air, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. In order to combat this, higher safety regulations on landing gear and a higher number of landing gear inspections before and after takeoff have become stricter over the last few years. Technology has allowed in-flight inspections to be done with machines and computers doing all the work, which has increased the accuracy and frequency of the inspections. The utilization of Global Positioning System software has also increased the overall safety of aviation. Not only has GPS technology been more prevalent in aviation, it has also improved drastically in its reliability.

But, there is one aspect of aviation safety that cannot be controlled by technology: the human aspect. Planes still need human pilots. In order to make pilots more safety minded, the FAA has tightened eligibility rules.

Case Study Alaska

Alaska is one state which has made many safety improvements over the years. In 2011, the state, which sees a higher than average amount of plane crashes due to its weather and geography, stated a list of new aviation improvements to the state system. The result has been pretty good, as the instances of plane crashes have seemingly plateaued over the last couple years.

Another reason for the high instance of plane crashes has to do with the fact that more people fly in Alaska. When compared to other states, Alaska has far fewer roads, and thanks to the rugged terrain there are many places in the state that are only able to be reached through air travel. This means that there are also higher than average numbers of small planes and amateur pilots in the air in Alaska, which will naturally result in a higher amount of plane crashes.

There are some towns and other places in Alaska in which oil and gas needs to be flown in during the winter because the cars cannot drive on the road, and the distances to get oil and gas are too far away to take snowmobiles. The same goes for people that live in these remote areas and need medical assistance. These people may not have access to hospitals, and must be flown to one.

The improvements in weather forecasting and satellite technology also play a huge role in the effectiveness of aviation safety provisions. The good news is that aviation technology and safety will only get better as time goes by because technology in those fields has improved at a steady rate over the last couple decades. And hopefully the technology will benefit Alaska’s flight improvements.

Crafted by Jen Carrigan for the team at limousineservices.org who know that flying is a hassle, but when on the ground, why not travel in style?

Improvements in Aviation Safety and the Problem with Alaska is a post from: Aviation news – Planegrazy

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