Blog Comments

As may be apparent I wrote this in Microsoft Word and copy pasted.. Twice it would seem. Whoopsadaisy.

Definitely Cesar. I'm discovering a lot about Australian history, which I'd never really paid that much attention to at school/college/uni because we never really did much on it. It's a fascinating country - and in the same sphere of interest to me as American history which I majored in, thanks to the parallels between the US and Aus. (Youth, English foundations etc.) I feel like I'm peaking a bit, which is really good

How's your new horizon treating you in this regard? Learning all kinds of new things down under, I assume!

I SEE WHAT YOU DID THERE.

Thanks Cesar, I appreciate it buddy.

Best of luck finding some... fruitful work! Okay, my pun was intentional. But the sentiment is there all the same.

I wouldn't fly if I didn't think it was safe. ^_^

Looking up reported General Aviation incidents is an interesting search indeed. They are all regulated by ICAO, and they are quite sparing with their information. They might be on the rise, but things definitely aren't as bad as they used to be.

Here is a quick graph from the world of Wikipedia. Although this data is from 2000 and from the states, it shows that accidents are decreasing. I can't find the global stats other than something like this from ICAO. However, we are getting back into the commercial accidents rather than General Aviation. Since GA accidents and incidents are mostly reported in the media, facts can be twisted and all you really hear about is the negative ones. Unfortunately for you, I can't find anything that suits your own fancy. I'll have you know that in these cases, ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization) looks after all General Aviation incidents. IATA (International Air Transport Association) looks at airlines mostly. Both focus on commercial aviation. Both are worldwide organizations and are working to get more members that are not so aviation savvy to be members of these organizations to make flying safe.

I used to watch Mayday all the time. It was enlightening to see what they do behind the scenes.

I just find them exceptionally interesting myself. I think it's funny how many people don't want to hear about stuff like that because then they'll be too freaked out to get on an airplane or a cruise liner or whatever. I'm the type of person who prefers to know about it. I don't think of it as jinxing myself--obviously, as I'm still alive, lol. Somehow I actually feel safer seeing what's going on with all these sorts of things. And for historical value as well.

ACI is one of the shows that got me into researching in the first place funnily enough. See I think accident and disaster investigation shows are crucial - not just for anyone interested but so that the people responsible are brought to light and they do provide educational material. If one airline had a crash every year, you'd want to know about it. And I reckon that these shows do a great job of desensitizing and helping someone like myself to come to a rational conclusion about what caused an incident and what could be done to prevent another one in the future.

Have you ever seen Air Crash Investigation? I am horribly addicted to that show. Not because it's morbid, which it is, but because I am also fascinated by airplane disasters and disasters in general. They have episodes on all the incidents you've referred to and many more besides. I watch a lot of them on Youtube these days since I don't really watch cable anymore.

No rush, we all need rest! I figured it might be out of IATA jurisdiction somewhat, but I'm just curious I suppose. Especially as helicopters come into it and there's been some noticeable 'copter crashes over the years. Thanks!

I'll have to do more research on this myself, but informtion on private aircraft is not regurarly and readily available. I do know where to look though, but my eyes are straining and I need sleep. I'll give a clear answer on this when I'm on next .

IATA mostly regulates commercial airliners. The private sector is something else entirely and you are correct that more accidents have been happening to privately owned aircraft. I'll do some research and get back to you on this.

I've had a quick look at the PDF and it's a clear improvement. I'm glad we both agree on that!
I'm very much an outsider looking in, and this is all based on my analysis of the information I've read. Now discerning the utility of that info is always hard but there seemed to be some clear stand out markers - I think broadly what I've read and inferred is correct. And we both agree that air travel is these days remarkably safe. I have a question though - does these figures that the IATA use take into account private aircraft? From what I've seen/read, it appears that there is a larger percentage of crashes involving private flights than commercial.

IATA is working hard to get those countries up to the standard that the US and Canada are at now. Further studies show that Incidents and accidents in third world countries are decreasing with the help of IATA. Just look at this detailed presentation briefing. This is why I take pride in being in the aviation industry. Although things can change with the flip of a coin, things are getting better in the aviation world. It just takes a bit of research to see how clear that is. I love planes =D

Which is the point I wanted to make, really. Whilst major westernised countries are constantly revising and improving upon their safety records it would appear to my untrained eye, which is just what it is that the countries who seem to be behind are the ones unregulated internationally. Governments seem to be more than happy to compromise on safety at the expense of cost, at least that's what seems to have happened in the case of Bhoja Air. It's nice to see IATA make a commitment to African aviation though, a good read. Thanks

If you're taking about this, you have to realize that some countries are not regulated like Canada, the US, the UK and Australia are. Some countries do not follow ICAO and IATA standards. They do not have a government that regulates safety standards. However, don't think that these things go unnoticed in the aviation industry. Although each incident cannot be examined by the TSA, all reported incidents and accidents are investigated thoroughly and revisions are constantly being made. I have not researched what goes on in countries that don't follow regulations, but they are not overlooked by those who are a part of the organizations mentioned. If you feel like reading more into this, please take a look at this press release from September 3rd. I hope this helps with your ongoing search.