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From: doug@terak.UUCP (Doug Pardee)
Newsgroups: net.aviation
Subject: Re: Employee flying on company business
Message-ID: <589@terak.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 3-Jun-85 13:01:46 EDT
Article-I.D.: terak.589
Posted: Mon Jun  3 13:01:46 1985
Date-Received: Thu, 6-Jun-85 05:24:50 EDT
References: <574@terak.UUCP> <3775@alice.UUCP> <104@ulose.UUCP>
Organization: Terak Corporation, Scottsdale, AZ, USA
Lines: 43

> Restricting an employee's mode of transport does not generate a good
> atmosphere. Generally, if someone is a pilot they would be more likely
> to kill themselves while flying for their own enjoyment...

I disagree strongly.  Pilots do not fly in thunderstorms "for their
own enjoyment."  Pilots do not fly planes with known problems in the
landing gear "for their own enjoyment".

The FAA and the press muddy the waters considerably when they refer to
"personal pleasure" flying.  In most cases, this does *not* mean flying
"for their own enjoyment".  It usually means "making a vacation trip by
plane."  There is a huge difference, because vacation trips are often
accompanied by the same pressures of having schedules to meet that
business trips are.

Going up on a nice day to bore holes in the sky just doesn't have that
kind of pressure to "fly regardless of the situation".

> In any case, there is more risk to an employee driving somewhere on
> business than flying themselves somewhere if you look at the accident
> statistics

I suggest you actually *look* at those accident statistics, my friend.

For each mile you cover, you are about 20 (yes, twenty) times more
likely to die in a private plane crash than in a traffic accident.

Private planes are more dangerous than motorcycles (which are "only" 16
times as dangerous per mile as cars).

Figures from Aviation Consumer magazine.

The relative figures for *occupants* of the vehicle are even worse,
because non-occupants are seldom injured in private plane crashes, while
here in the Phoenix area about half of all traffic deaths are
pedestrians.

Isn't it about time we quit sweeping the unpleasant facts under the rug
while muttering made-up claims of "safer than cars", and instead face up
to reality?
-- 
Doug Pardee -- Terak Corp. -- !{ihnp4,seismo,decvax}!noao!terak!doug
               ^^^^^--- soon to be CalComp