With near-hits on the rise do you feel safe flying?

[marylander1940]

OP: is not just a matter of fatigue, defunding, exhaustion, lack of computers... do folks now have the attention span to do the job? 

as we all know we're safer up in the air compared to crossing the streets. 

‘Near misses’ add urgency to FAA reauthorization efforts - Roll Call

ROLLCALL.COM

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A report questioning the safety of the air traffic control system is creating urgency for the reauthorization of the Federal Aviation Administration.

 

FAA panel calls for ‘urgent action’ after near-misses at US airports - GPS World

WWW.GPSWORLD.COM

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An expert safety review team assembled by the FAA addressed several near-misses at U.S. airports in recent months. The group has called for “urgent action” to be...

 

Edited November 30, 2023 by marylander1940

[jeezifonly]

Being in the air, takeoff and landing - the very least of reasons for me to stay home. 

I loathe everything about it, from the moment the decision to go is made - all the arrangements, planning house sitter, packing, ground transport, the airport, the hotel… aside from seeing people I love, I hate it all, until I am back home having a hot shower. But never have I felt fearful of flying. 

[+ BenjaminNicholas]

Flying is still statistically safer than most forms of transportation.  

Certainly much more safe than the ride from your house to the airport.

A near-miss still isn't a crash and many of the most recent reports have been from small private jets with pilots who didn't follow ATC instructions.

That said, the tech the industry uses is INSANELY outdated and the cost to upgrade will be in the billions.  Who's footing that bill?

[+ azdr0710]

we all really mean "near-hit", of course!.......a near-miss would be an actual hit, right??!!

 

 

[MikeThomas]

2 hours ago, BenjaminNicholas said:

Flying is still statistically safer than most forms of transportation.  

Certainly much more safe than the ride from your house to the airport.

A near-miss still isn't a crash and many of the most recent reports have been from small private jets with pilots who didn't follow ATC instructions.

That said, the tech the industry uses is INSANELY outdated and the cost to upgrade will be in the billions.  Who's footing that bill?

The government credit card will foot the bill.  God forbid users of the system pay.

[+ Vegas_Millennial]

As long as there are no roundabout on the way to the airport, then I feel safe flying.  There are way too many near-hits on some roundabouts.

Edited December 1, 2023 by Vegas_Millennial
Grammar

[marylander1940]

5 hours ago, azdr0710 said:

we all really mean "near-hit", of course!.......a near-miss would be an actual hit, right??!!

 

 

I edited the name of the thread, Sir! 

[RadioRob]

I fly several times a month and feel safer in a plane than I do on a car, bus, train, etc. 

I do dislike needing to devote a good chunk of the day to flying (getting to the airport, TSA, being there early enough to not be worried, boarding, waiting, air time, getting through destination airport and travel to destination). 

BUT… while it may burn most of my day, I absolutely feel safe. While a control may fail, there are many various layered controls that make those near misses stay as near misses. 

[maninsoma]

With respect to near miss versus near hit, here's Merriam-Webster's take on it:

https://www.merriam-webster.com/grammar/near-miss-near-hit-word-history-usage

[+ Pensant]

It is a worrying trend.

[maninsoma]

19 hours ago, azdr0710 said:

we all really mean "near-hit", of course!.......a near-miss would be an actual hit, right??!!

 

 

Actually, I don't think a near miss means a hit.  There can be a near miss and a miss that's so far away that it cannot be considered a near miss.  To my ears and brain, near miss means that there was almost a hit, but a small distance or small amount of time prevented a hit from happening.  If the miss is farther way, it's just a miss or, if it's really far away, one might say, "You missed it by a mile."  Near hit, if you think about it, doesn't really make any sense in this case.  You could say, "You nearly hit me" but not "you near hit me," and people would understand that there was no hit but it was a close call.  

Back to the actual subject of this thread, I don't feel any more unsafe flying now than I ever did.  I do get anxious while flying, especially if the takeoff or landing is rough, but generally have faith that the pilot is well trained and the plane has been well maintained.  It certainly feels safer than riding in someone else's car.

[+ Vegas_Millennial]

 

2 hours ago, maninsoma said:

I do get anxious while flying, especially if the takeoff or landing is rough, ...

I find it helps to be sitting in business class with a glass of champagne in hand before takeoff to help calm the nerves 🍾

[KrisParr]

On 12/1/2023 at 11:14 AM, Vegas_Millennial said:

 

I find it helps to be sitting in business class with a glass of champagne in hand before takeoff to help calm the nerves 🍾

That’s why they invented Ativan. Lasts about 4 hours which is plenty to get you through O’Hare.

[SouthOfTheBorder]

the US air-traffic control system is in crisis- according to air-traffic controllers

its not about near-misses 

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/02/business/air-traffic-controllers-safety.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare
Drunk and Asleep on the Job: Air Traffic Controllers Pushed to the Brink

Edited December 4, 2023 by SouthOfTheBorder

[+ azdr0710]

well, I really, really hope it doesn't take a tragic accident to get anything done.....or, highly unlikely of course, a deliberate "mistake".......

some here know about the Grand Canyon mid-air collision in 1956......at the time, it was the worst accident in US history (measured in deaths).......it led to significant upgrades (after the fact, unfortunately) in monitoring air traffic.....(you don't want to know what air traffic monitoring was like before that accident!!).......by the way, airline pilots don't take the passengers on a scenic detour over the Grand Canyon anymore

 

[+ WilliamM]

I have been lucky in plane flights, but not always in helicopters while in the United States army in the 1960s

[Luv2play]

That was a riveting story of those death  flights over the Grand Canyon. Showed why pilots must stick to the paths they are given by the air traffic controllers. 

[+ DynamicUno]

While commercial air travel has achieved a fantastic safety record over the past couple decades, the infrastructure and workforce needed to maintain it are not getting the necessary investment.  Unfortunately I believe it will take a failure with loss of life to spur the changes needed.

Knowing that is a factor, I still feel very safe on any individual flight and don't have any hesitation to travel by air. It's still the safest mode of travel by far.

[Act25]

When I was younger (60's now) one or two major plane accidents in the states per year was sort of expected.  Big accidents seemed to become much less frequent entering the 21st century (I'm not including the terrorist attacks).  The last incident in the US with a major passenger carrier was the Southwest uncontained engine failure (one person died) in 2018.  And Asiana at SFO was 5 years before that.  

It's still a big deal when an accident happens but they're obviously happening with much less frequency than a few decades ago. 

And I'm not saying the FAA doesn't have issues - it does and they need to be addressed.   

[+ DynamicUno]

The recent issue with counterfeit airplane parts being sold by a supplier with forged certifications has me much more concerned.  So far all of the affected airlines say they have containment for this incident, but it's worrisome that the aerospace supply chain could be compromised by a single middleman company.