I have to fly tomorrow, and I'm terrified. I really don't like it. I don't enjoy the "full" feeling that builds in my head during take-off. The whole experience makes me lightheaded and nauseous. However, flying is a necessary "evil," for it's much easier to endure 2 hours in a plane than drive 12-14 hours on American highways. I figured, what better way to ease my mind than to write an article about the safety (or lack thereof (more to be determined)) of flying? 

I often hear people throw around the idea that flying is safer than driving a car, so I decided to look into it. 

According to a recent Harvard Study, "Your odds of being in an accident during a flight is one in 1.2 million, and the chances of that accident being fatal are one in 11 million. Your chances of dying in a car crash, conversely, are one in 5,000".*1

That begs the question: how many cars are on the road every day compared to the number of planes in the sky? 

Well, some estimates figure there are at least 115 million cars and trucks driving on American roads every day.*2

When it comes to planes, however, that number is drastically lower at around 100,000 planes flying in US airspace per day, including passenger, cargo, and military aircraft.*3

It makes me think of the argument some people make about "dangerous cities." It's often spouted by people who have never, themselves, lived in a city. When it comes to areas with a higher population density and higher population in general, more crimes are going to be committed because that's just basic statistics. But, to say that crime is exclusive to cities is laughable because it happens everywhere. It just so happens that places with lower populations, experience less crime due to environmental factors such as density and resources. So, obviously, accidents are not exclusive to automobiles and they could happen in an airplane, but is it less frequent due to the number of daily flights compared to daily drivers, or are there other things going on? 

In most states, teenagers have to be at least 16 years old before they receive a driver's license. Most of us have been there, done that, and at the time, the process probably felt like it took forever. We had to take a driver's education course, do a certain number of hours of driving time, then go to the dreaded DMV to pass an exam proving we knew what we were doing. On top of all that, new drivers have to have a learner's permit for at least 6 months before they can even test for full licensure, so there is certainly regulation in terms of getting behind the wheel. 

According to the Federal Aviation Administration, there are 1.5 to 2.3 million pilots in the world; only 103,879 of them are licensed to fly commercially in the United States.*4 That seems much more selective than the approximately 233 million licensed drivers free to roam American roads.*5

According to numerous sources, there are around 7 steps that people need to take in order to become licensed to fly privately. Those steps include enrolling in flight school, taking ground classes, passing a medical certification, gaining a student pilot certificate (similar to a learner's permit), taking flight lessons (both in a simulator and with an instructor), and passing a written exam.*4

In order to fly commercially, privately licensed pilots will need to pass a second medical certification, gain additional instrument rating instruction and certification, earn a commercial single-engine aircraft license, and then earn a commercial multi-engine aircraft license. All pilots need, at minimum, 250 hours of flight time.*4

Now, if you want to fly for an airline, there are even more steps, including an additional 1,500 hours of flight time in the United States and another 250 hours of flight time in other countries.*4

All in all, from the information I've gathered it seems to take most pilots three to four years to become licensed to fly, and an additional 2 years of work to fly for airlines. 

Needless to say, after learning all of this, I do feel safer with the idea of flying with a newly licensed airline pilot than driving a newly licensed teenager. 

Still, how do these behemoths of metal stay in the sky? 

I'll leave that explanation to the experts:

Key takeaways for those who didn't feel like watching the video:

To be frank, I still don't get it. Hunks of metal floating in the air still feels unnatural to me, but I respect it. Seems there is a lot of math and regulation going into airplane design to make them work, but I wonder, how much? What does the FAA do to certify aircraft for commercial flying? 

In order for a plane to become certified by the FAA the designs of the plane need to be approved for compliance with FAA regulations. From there, ground tests and flight tests need to guarantee the aircraft's safety. The airplane must then be evaluated for required maintenance before being introduced to service. Then the manufacturers of the plane need to collaborate with other civil aviation authorities for their individual approval. To put that all into perspective, "the certification of a new aircraft type can take between 5 and 9 years." *6

I have a three-hour layover tomorrow, and for that reason, I'm actually flying on two different plane models: a Bombardier CRJ700 and an Airbus A319. How safe are these models? 

A breath of fresh air for me as I learned the Bombardier CRJ700 has never been involved in any crash or aviation incident. It's actually one of the safest airplanes to use for travel.*7

Unfortunately, the Airbus 319 has been involved in 23 aviation incidents from 2000 to 2022. However, none of these incidents have been fatal. It also seems that none of the incidents are tied to the airline I will be flying, so that's good to know.*8

There is a lot that goes into airline travel, and it's one of the most heavily regulated industries in the world. The pilots flying planes for airlines are highly trained, and it's a comfort knowing they don't want to die as much as I don't want to. The planes that have been approved to fly commercially have undergone rigorous testing and engineering to ensure their stability. Flying is safer than ever before thanks to the hard work of engineers, pilots, and regulators ensuring that people can be comfortable (not literally thanks to those tight-knit airline seats) and secure while flying. 

Wish my luck as I take to the skies! I'll try not to pass out from the cabin pressure, but no promises. If you're also afraid of flying, I see you, and I hope this information is helpful in you getting over your fear. Don't let it stop you from seeing the world if that's something you want to do. Sometimes we have to learn how to spread our wings, even when it's scary to us. 

Emiel Molenaar

Is Flying Really The Safest Mode Of Transportation?

From someone who suffers from a dramatic fear of flying. 

I have to fly tomorrow, and I'm terrified. I really don't like it. I don't enjoy the "full" feeling that builds in my head during take-off. The whole experience makes me lightheaded and nauseous. However, flying is a necessary "evil," for it's much easier to endure 2 hours in a plane than drive 12-14 hours on American highways. I figured, what better way to ease my mind than to write an article about the safety (or lack thereof (more to be determined)) of flying? 



Is Flying Really The Safest Mode Of Transportation?

From someone who suffers from a dramatic fear of flying.

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Is Flying Really The Safest Mode Of Transportation?

From someone who suffers from a dramatic fear of flying.

This is an Exclusive Story for supporters of .css-13w9qce-Text{display:inline-block;color:var(--text-accent);}Ashley Lima

About the Creator

Ashley Lima

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Minimalism is Crap

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