Safety Spotlight: The future of safety

Pilots in the 1940s and 1950s thought flying was about as safe as it could possibly be. It’s pretty clear that wasn’t the case then, just as it isn’t today. As long as accidents occur, there’s room for improvement. It’s also important to keep GA safety in perspective. The past 20 years have seen a decrease of more than 50 percent in GA accidents, and the last three years are the safest on record—and that’s while FAA data has shown an increase in GA flying.

If GA were to judge itself against the gold standard for aviation safety, the airlines, it’s fair to say there’s room for improvement. In fact, U.S. passenger airlines have an incredible safety record; there hasn’t been a fatal accident since 2009. However, compared to other forms of recreational transportation, such as boating, bicycles, or motorcycles, GA flying is far safer—both per seat mile and in raw numbers. In fact, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation, from 2008 to 2014, 277,310 died in automobile accidents; 38,343 died on motorcycles; 5,561 on bicycles; and 5,831 in recreational boating accidents. The lowest is almost twice as many as in GA.

So why do flying accidents get so much attention? The answer is simple: TV ratings. Given the millions of flight hours each year, it is understandable that aviation accidents receive significant media attention, because they are so rare. We can’t change what the press and public find interesting, but it’s not all bad news. In September 2016 the NTSB acknowledged the positive trends that have occurred in GA safety. In the release of its latest aviation accident statistics, the NTSB noted that Part 91 accidents and fatalities continued a downward trend in 2015. “The fatality rate in 2015 was the lowest it has been in many years,” NTSB Chairman Christopher Hart said. “While lower, these numbers are still too high.”

Given the millions of flight hours each year, it is understandable that aviation accidents receive significant media attention, because they are so rare.I agree. GA is very safe, but we can always do better. How? Technology is one answer. We’ve already seen the FAA take some encouraging steps toward allowing proven safety-enhancing equipment to replace outdated, failure-prone certified systems, and the new Part 23 rules will be another step in the right direction. But what about a major breakthrough? Are we ever going to get there? Perhaps, but it will likely take a completely new type of airplane.

If you’ve been paying attention to the latest aircraft development trends you’ve probably seen a few start-ups developing electric aircraft. With them could come enormous potential safety benefits. Take the Sun Flyer, for example. This two-place trainer is equipped with an electric motor designed to run for three hours on a single charge. That might not seem all that significant, but think about what an electric airplane doesn’t have. Its motor doesn’t have hundreds of moving parts—it has one. The motor doesn’t have a 2,000-hour TBO (it has a 10,000-hour replacement interval) and doesn’t require oil changes. It doesn’t carry flammable leaded fuel in tanks that can rupture in a crash. It doesn’t suffer from traditional fuel exhaustion. If the Sun Flyer runs out of energy at altitude, the batteries recharge themselves in the descent to provide emergency power for landing. It doesn’t come with the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning, because the motor doesn’t produce any. Lastly, it’s projected to cost about $1 and take 20 to 30 minutes to recharge, so it doesn’t put your wallet into a state of emergency, either.

If we think about “the art of the possible,” it’s amazing how much safety and cost efficiencies are gained by getting rid of things traditional airplanes “need” to fly. Electric vehicles are becoming mainstream and if you’ve ever driven a Tesla automobile, you understand why. Electric-powered vehicles are quickly becoming more cost effective, and the infrastructure to support this emerging technology is rapidly being built across the country. It won’t be too much longer before burning fuel refined from fossilized dinosaurs is outdated thinking.

For GA to grow, be cost effective, and be safer, we should enthusiastically support disruptive technologies like the electric aircraft. This sort of advancement has the potential to be real game changer for general aviation. So when I am asked if GA safety can get any better, it’s easy for me to answer with a resounding yes.

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