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From: thompson@oberon.UUCP (mark thompson)
Newsgroups: net.aviation
Subject: Re: Employee flying on company business
Message-ID: <40@oberon.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 17-Jun-85 21:06:09 EDT
Article-I.D.: oberon.40
Posted: Mon Jun 17 21:06:09 1985
Date-Received: Sun, 23-Jun-85 15:24:01 EDT
References: <574@terak.UUCP> <3775@alice.UUCP> <104@ulose.UUCP> <589@terak.UUCP>
Organization: U. of So. Calif., Los Angeles
Lines: 39

> Doug Pardee -- Terak Corp. -- !{ihnp4,seismo,decvax}!noao!terak!doug
>                ^^^^^--- soon to be CalComp
> 
> 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.
> 
> 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?
> -- 
Being a motorcyclist, I have developed quite an interest in how statistics
like this really work. It turns out that that '16 times' figure is true
(if ever) only when you look at the data just right. In particular, it 
lumps together a vast range of activities under one heading. As it
turns out, the kind of riding I do is (after much hand waving) 'ONLY'
about 5 times as dangerous as driving.

I have lately become very interested in learning to fly, so I am curious
as to how this risk figure is calculated. What activities are included in
this figure, how is 'mileage' calculated (ie. point-point milage .vs. 
speed times time-in-air would could be vastly different), are some types
of flying (eg. aerobatics, experimental, gyrocopter) vastly more dangerous
than others?

Any further light you can shed on this issue would help me, and  probably 
be of some interest to the rest of the group. I hardly need to make my 
lifestyle any riskier.

-mark
-- 
mark thompson		is  THOMPSON@USC-ECLC.ARPA
or { ihnp4 | hplabs | akgua | sdcsvax} !sdcrdcf!uscvax!oberon!thompson
	"Benson, Arizona, the same stars in the sky,
The world seemed so much kinder when we watched them you and I..."