Angus Fox

A member of the Philip Greenspun's Homepage community since January 28, 2015

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January 28, 2015, on General Aviation Safety:
Flying aircraft with reciprocating engines is far more dangerous than the general aviation data indicates. I am familiar with the risks of small aircraft. I have flown some 350 hours in a Mooney and another 150 hours in a variety of aircraft, including Cessna singles (172, 182, 206), Pipers (PA-22, PA-28, PA38), Aercoupes, Pitts S2 and gliders. The overwhelming majority of general aviation hours are logged by corporate jets, which have most of the equipment that airliners have. My educated guess is that those who fly aircraft powered by reciprocating engines have a fatality rate of about 0.1 for each 1,000 hours flown. In other words, a plane that flies 1000 hours has a 90 percent chance of making it to the next 1,000 hours without a fatal crash. I have personally flown in five different aircraft that were subsequently involved in fatal crashes. My father (C-172), five cousins (Beechcraft 35), an uncle, my next-door neighbors (Beechcraft 33), several friends, and four polygamists to who...