Roger Long wrote:
"News f2s" wrote
Per hour that makes planes three times more likely to kill.
I looked into this quite a bit in my early flying years. You have to
take into account that the boating we are talking about is strictly
recreational where as GA flying includes a lot of business use. A
huge pie chart section of the aviation fatalities is doctors, lawyers,
and salesmen pressing on to get to meetings in weather they have no
business continuing to fly in.
In other words, they were in a hurry to get to where the big fish
were? Hmmmmm ...
The weather that kills pilots is a lot more common than the weather
that is equally dangerous to boats. If boating was a year round
activity and being used by 60% of boaters to get to places they really
needed to be, I am sure that the statistics would look very different.
Its true that weather seems to be a bigger factor in planes, but its
still under 40% of the accidents. I don't think removing that makes
that big of a change. And fair weather brings out the stupid boaters
that cause the vast majority of boating accidents.
When you look at just the aviation segment that is analogous to most
boating, duffing around in nice weather and returning to your home
port, the fatality rates get a lot closer.
Sure, but what if pilots drank as much as boaters?
BTW, a new annual ritual for my 10 y/o daughter and I has been taking
a flight with these guys:
http://www.biplanemv.com/index.shtml
Great Fun!