Ease family concerns of flying small aircraft

jesse said:
Just say "yeah, it is dangerous, but it's what I do".
Click to expand...

Aviation brings out the worry warts.


I road motorcycles to high school (15 miles) as long as I was able to get them out of the muddy driveway on the farm and the OAT was over 45 degrees. Then stopped at the clinic for CBC's, covered in bruises from a bleeding disorder. I dumped one bike, a 1981 KZ750LTD Kawasaki on a gravel road going about 40. Ruined my pants, the bleeding disorder proved its point with black ugly bruising but I recovered without treatment.

I've never even hit a bird flying. Never had an impaired driver run me off the road when flying either. But I have cut myself pretty damn good getting snagged on something during a preflight.
 
Last edited:
Henning said:
Lol, there is a reason that Equine Events have a liability free status, no one could afford the insurance and they don't want to clog the courts.
Click to expand...

Old guy here (55< ish) got bucked off one of his own horses, broke about a dozen ribs and ended up in surgery with a big plate around like a third of his back, under the skin.
 
I try to keep things in perspective: In the USA, over 26,000 people die per year because of falls, and about 9 million go to emergency rooms each year because of falls. Danger = changing a light bulb while on a chair or ladder, or putting up Christmas decorations!
 
Last edited:
CT4ME said:
I try to keep things in perspective: In the USA, over 25,000 people die per year because of falls, and about 9 million go to emergency rooms each year because of falls. Danger = changing a light bulb while on a chair or ladder, or putting up Christmas decorations!
Click to expand...

Taking a shower is dangerous
 
Been said already but the most dangerous thing Americans do is get(or stay) fat.
 
CT4ME said:
I try to keep things in perspective: In the USA, over 26,000 people die per year because of falls, and about 9 million go to emergency rooms each year because of falls. Danger = changing a light bulb while on a chair or ladder, or putting up Christmas decorations!
Click to expand...

Kind of goofy logic though. A lot of people fall and go to the hospital, or die. I have never fallen and then gone to the hospital, or died, so it's safe to fly an airplane.

:dunno:
 
I never quite understood why people fear the evitable. We are ALL going to die sooner or later if you are in a plane or rolled up in a ball scared to do anything. Might as well enjoy the time you have left.

Fear is an emotional thing and like many who have posted you can't solve it with plain logic. Continue to do what you love and find someone to go up with you and take pictures and show all of the scared folks what they are missing out on!
 
FloridaPilot said:
We are ALL going to die sooner or later if you are in a plane or rolled up in a ball scared to do anything.
Click to expand...

Well... true but there is a big difference in how you go. Being trapped inside a crashed plane and burning alive is a little more traumatic than passing away in your sleep.
 
Well... a sudden impact into terrain at 150kts is probably less traumatic than laying in a hospital bed in pain for a month before dying...
 
ClimbnSink said:
Been said already but the most dangerous thing Americans do is get(or stay) fat.
Click to expand...

:yeahthat:

Heart Disease kills more Americans per year then any flight activity (2.5M a year)

But people are afraid of Sharks and Airplanes, (Even commercial).
 
Lord Muck said:
Well... true but there is a big difference in how you go. Being trapped inside a crashed plane and burning alive is a little more traumatic than passing away in your sleep.
Click to expand...

That is something that can possibly happen to you among thousands of others, (Burning Alive in a car accident, getting struck by lightning is a few others).

One of my favorite movies is Shawshank Redemption which this quote is appropriate here:

"It really comes down to a simple choice really, Get busy living or Get busy dying"
 
Dr. O said:
Flying is not safe - period
Click to expand...

I think I disagree ... Yep, I do. Flying is "less safe" than many activities. But I don't think it's so dangerous that it is "not safe." It's all matters of degree. When do you cross over from "less safe" to "unsafe"? Good question, who knows. Here's a sample spectrum: playing "Call of Duty" on your couch = SAFE; live ammo shooting range = LESS SAFE; live ammo Russian Roulette = UNSAFE. Splitting hairs maybe, but what else is an Internet forum for.
 
bnt83 said:
Old guy here (55< ish) got bucked off one of his own horses, broke about a dozen ribs and ended up in surgery with a big plate around like a third of his back, under the skin.
Click to expand...

Youch, mine never got me off his back even though he tried lol. Most the colts were really gentle by breaking time, my ex spent a lot of time with them and were already used to a saddle and cinch. I'd pop up across their back to see how they react, if they were calm (most were, we used a great stud) I'd climb on. If they tried to buck, I'd walk em into the stock tank and get on, at least if I went off I wasn't hitting hard pan.:lol:
 
Dav8or said:
Kind of goofy logic though. A lot of people fall and go to the hospital, or die. I have never fallen and then gone to the hospital, or died, so it's safe to fly an airplane.

:dunno:
Click to expand...

No, it means it's safe for you to change light bulbs and likely you'll die in an airplane.:rofl:;)
 
Lord Muck said:
Well... true but there is a big difference in how you go. Being trapped inside a crashed plane and burning alive is a little more traumatic than passing away in your sleep.
Click to expand...

I don't believe so. Looking at death in the face has always been a very calm experience for me and everyone I've ever discussed it with whether they 'time warp' or 'disassociate' during the event. My bet is death is a very calm thing. Remember, all sensation is a product of your mind, not your body, you don't necessarily feel or deal with anything your mind doesn't want to.
 
Irish_Armada said:
I think I disagree ... Yep, I do. Flying is "less safe" than many activities. But I don't think it's so dangerous that it is "not safe." It's all matters of degree. When do you cross over from "less safe" to "unsafe"? Good question, who knows. Here's a sample spectrum: playing "Call of Duty" on your couch = SAFE; live ammo shooting range = LESS SAFE; live ammo Russian Roulette = UNSAFE. Splitting hairs maybe, but what else is an Internet forum for.
Click to expand...

Nothing is safe, you can die while doing anything at all, safety is an illusion for people who are afraid to die.
 
Henning said:
I don't believe so. Looking at death in the face has always been a very calm experience for me and everyone I've ever discussed it with whether they 'time warp' or 'disassociate' during the event. My bet is death is a very calm thing. Remember, all sensation is a product of your mind, not your body, you don't necessarily feel or deal with anything your mind doesn't want to.
Click to expand...

This is best read with "Join me in death" playing softly in the background.

:lol:
 
I'm terrified of death and am a giant chicken yet I still do dangerous stuff all the time... just more carefully.
 
cowman said:
I'm terrified of death and am a giant chicken yet I still do dangerous stuff all the time... just more carefully.
Click to expand...

The great Santini had it right. Allow me to paraphrase. " Of course I'm somewhat afraid of flight. I'd be nuts if I wasn't. If your not a little afraid and respectful you'll have a corporal playing taps for you at government expense." Unquote. As for me, there's never been a take off that I have not thought....." Don't fail me now you mother......! Landings I really enjoy although it took about 500 hours to really get with it in various conditions. Landings are where it's at for me. Can't wait to do one.
 
My wife loves to fly. I've flown with her since we were very young. However some people think light aircraft are very dangerous and of course some aircraft and some pilots are in fact dangerous. I never have pressured anyone to fly with me nor have I made fun of them in any way. I respect their wishes. If you look at the monthly faa accident reports, they may have a point! The recent crash in Colorado is a case in point. The Malibu I think it was. Killed 5. Avoidable?
 
CT4ME said:
I try to keep things in perspective: In the USA, over 26,000 people die per year because of falls, and about 9 million go to emergency rooms each year because of falls. Danger = changing a light bulb while on a chair or ladder, or putting up Christmas decorations!
Click to expand...

In 2011 according to the center for Disease Control people in the USA died in these ways
11,101 died in homicides
801 accidentally shot
280 mass shootings
33,554 poisoned
34,677 car crash
38,285 suicide
26,631 falling down
750 drowned
75,000 alcohol related and was just third worse as compared to tobacco and poor eating and lack of exercise.
Heck I think I read something like over 300,000 die per yer from medical malpractice (please no offence Doctors and Nurses, you are treating them for problems they already have)

400 listed as dying in GA was not mentioned but by the list of other ways to go my chances are pretty good I'll make it flying over Lk Michigan as I am sometimes criticized in doing(.i.e. flying+ drowning)
Seriously , I have no death wish, but I prefer not to be so afraid of dying that I never really live. I don't want to live to be a ripe old age just to drool in my rocking chair not knowing family or who I am or someone changing my diaper. Looks like many of our wives look at it differently than we do.
My wife got extremely better about it when she got training on landing the plane. She's not afraid of much as she shoot guns, drives cars fast, rides snowmobiles, road bikes ,trail bikes and ATV,s. She still remains uncomfortable in a small aircraft on a bumpy day or medium crosswinds on landing.
We just minimize what we can on choice of conditions when she wants to go along. I'm 63 she's 60, kids are on their own. We sometimes have to admit flying is not for everybody, if it were we'd have 34,677 dying every year in GA like they do in cars:dunno:.
 
Last edited:
Lord Muck said:
Well... true but there is a big difference in how you go. Being trapped inside a crashed plane and burning alive is a little more traumatic than passing away in your sleep.
Click to expand...

AS the old joke goes:
I want to die in my sleep, peacefully, like my Grandfather-- not like the screaming passengers in the back seat of his car.:hairraise::lol:
 
Fat person munching on candy bar with a lit cigar "My god skydiving dangerous, I'd never do something like that"
 
Something is bothering me that was mentioned in this thread. Not sure what Post it was but I will try to quote as much as I remember.

"If you GA fly the same amount of hours you drive you would be dead already"

Can someone elaborate on that some. What facts do you have to make comments like that.
 
evapilotaz said:
Something is bothering me that was mentioned in this thread. Not sure what Post it was but I will try to quote as much as I remember.

"If you GA fly the same amount of hours you drive you would be dead already"

Can someone elaborate on that some. What facts do you have to make comments like that.
Click to expand...
Most of us are alive because we can't afford to fly as much as we want to. :lol: If we all had the dream hangar and the fuel card to go with it we'd all be smokin holes.
Dunno know the numbers but at the Robinson factory course the guy said if everyone in the room flies 2,000 hours in GA aircraft two of us will be dead. There was about 20 of us in the room. Like I said everyone is trying to convince themselves more then their families.
 
Thanks for starting this thread. I have struggled with the same thing. My wife does not even like to fly in the big birds. She also does not want the kids to fly.

So normally I go alone, which I am good with. My issue is that I just want to expose the kids to GA. Let them decide for themselves if flying is something they wish to do.

I have purchased what I believe is a stastically safe plane, and have shown her those stats. In time, it will all work out or it won't.

Funny enought, my first wife was good with flying but hated me racing. This one is good with racing but does not want to fly.
 
ryoung99 said:
Thanks for starting this thread. I have struggled with the same thing. My wife does not even like to fly in the big birds. She also does not want the kids to fly.

So normally I go alone, which I am good with. My issue is that I just want to expose the kids to GA. Let them decide for themselves if flying is something they wish to do.

I have purchased what I believe is a stastically safe plane, and have shown her those stats. In time, it will all work out or it won't.

Funny enought, my first wife was good with flying but hated me racing. This one is good with racing but does not want to fly.
Click to expand...

Maybe "Three's a charm"
 
My wife doesn't care much for flying although she appreciates the convenience of just deciding at the last minute to just go somewhere and not dealing with airport security, etc. She gets that it is not as safe as flying commercial and probably less safe than driving.

Her bigger problem is the money side. She thinks it is a waste of money, which let's face it IS a waste of money if you analyze the economics of it. My most recent plane purchase I made when she was away on a trip :lol: I was in BIG trouble when she got home ("you bought WHAT?!?!")... until I bought her a new track toy which she enjoys tracking often. And I like to point out to her, that is probably more dangerous than flying! :D Especially the way she drives (way too aggressively).

So my advice is get your wives doing something dangerous and fun too and that will get them off your back. ;)
 
evapilotaz said:
Something is bothering me that was mentioned in this thread. Not sure what Post it was but I will try to quote as much as I remember.

"If you GA fly the same amount of hours you drive you would be dead already"

Can someone elaborate on that some. What facts do you have to make comments like that.
Click to expand...

I don't think it's true. AOPA's Nall Report for 2010 seems to show a little over one fatal accident per 100,000 hours for non-commercial flights. (See Figure 2 on page 7.) If you drove 30 miles an hour for 100,000 hours, that would be three million miles. If you spread that out over 60 years, it would be 50,000 miles a year. I doubt that the average motorist drives 50,000 miles a year.

http://www.aopa.org/-/media/Files/A...ency/Accident Analysis/Nall Report/11nall.pdf
 
That's something that always bugged me. As I mentioned earlier my wife rides horses... not only rides with them but works with them in various capacities quite a bit. I know exactly how dangerous that is and what can happen. I do actually worry about her and in all honesty I wish she'd find a safer(also cheaper) obsession.

But it's what makes her happy and it's important to her and we can afford it. Pressuring her to quit or saying "horses or me" or anything like that isn't how you treat someone you care about IMO. I don't feel I even have the right anyway... maybe if we were hurting for money or something but we're fine.

She extends me the same sort of respect and love with all the dangerous and expensive stuff I do. We've both acknowledged we worry about each other but we don't want to change a thing.

I cannot believe people are in these relationships where they worry about their spouse "letting" them do stuff. Like your wife/husband is your parent or something. I can't imagine living that way either. Now, if it's over the budget and what the family can afford, that's one thing, but just because "I don't want you doing x".... seriously?
 
ClimbnSink said:
Most of us are alive because we can't afford to fly as much as we want to. :lol: If we all had the dream hangar and the fuel card to go with it we'd all be smokin holes.
Dunno know the numbers but at the Robinson factory course the guy said if everyone in the room flies 2,000 hours in GA aircraft two of us will be dead. There was about 20 of us in the room. Like I said everyone is trying to convince themselves more then their families.
Click to expand...
Last time I checked the fatality rate was around 2 per 100,000 hours but a significant portion of basis for that number comes from homebuilt AC (let's not get into the whys of that), running out of gas with no mechanical issue like a leak, low level maneuvering (i.e. buzzing the neighbors), and VFR into IMC and several high-risk airborne activities like flying to offshore platforms and cropdusting. All of those risks can be eliminated if you want to.

Taking a SWAG and the percentage of remaining causes more likely to befall a careful aviator I'd go with something between 10% and 25%. If that's a reasonable number and you're chances are the same as everyone else, you should expect the "low risk group" fatality rate would be between 2 and 5 per 1,000,000 hours. On that basis the expected # of fatalities for 20 people @ 2000 hrs each would be between 2 * 0.04 = 0.08 and 5 * .04 = 0.2 (20*2000 = .04 million). That's a long ways from all 20. Even if you put everyone in the same group WRT risk factors with an average fatality rate of 20 per million hours (assume everyone is going to buzz neighbors, fly VFR into IMC, run out of fuel, etc) the fatalities for the group of 20 shouldn't average more than 20 * .04 = .8 so you'd still only lose most of one statistically.

Let's try another scenario. Maybe you win the lottery tomorrow and are able to retire with all the money and time necessary to fly as much as you want. How many hours would that amount to? Maybe 10-20 hours per week? At 20 hours per week and 50 weeks per year you'd be flying about 1000 hours per year. At that rate (again assuming you gave up stupid pilot tricks for Lent) you'd need to fly for 200 to 500 years (200,000 hrs to 500,000 - hrs) before your number came up statistically to a 1 to 1 chance.
 
Palmpilot said:
I don't think it's true. AOPA's Nall Report for 2010 seems to show a little over one fatal accident per 100,000 hours for non-commercial flights. (See Figure 2 on page 7.) If you drove 30 miles an hour for 100,000 hours, that would be three million miles. If you spread that out over 60 years, it would be 50,000 miles a year. I doubt that the average motorist drives 50,000 miles a year.
Click to expand...

There was a time when I was much younger that I was putting close to 100,000 miles on my car plus rentals (flew the airlines a lot then) each year. Of course I was usually going a lot faster than 30 mph. I did have a couple close calls (some involving stupidity on my part) but I never even got a minor injury. These days my commute to work is 15 mile round trip plus with an airplane available I hardly ever take long road trips and the miles on my latest car are piling up at about 6000 miles per year
 
So take your career CFI who fly with Students everyday. The CFI certainly flies more hours than he drives.

Lets take this in another prospective. If you stopped flying today and guaranteed you will live to be 100 yr, but if you continue to fly, you are guaranteed to live to 85 yr, what would you do?
 
Last edited:
Fossett died just through repeated exposure to regular GA. And you can't opt out of dead stupid pilot trick odds, we are all stupid enough to do those things. Some of us just haven't yet.
 
Have you ever considered that perhaps her fears and concerns are well founded? Do you drive around in your car like you're an idiot? Are you one of those guys that gets on their crotch rocket and screams down the highway weaving in and out of traffic like a jackass? When you fly, are you compelled to demonstrate steep turns, stalls, and zero G? In other words do you fly like that jackass on the crotch rocket?

Like has been said, some people will never enjoy flying and there's nothing you will be able to do about that. However, if there's a chance that she just doesn't enjoy flying with you, then there's hope, but you're going to have to change your ways and that's likely going to take some time.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top