Essay Example on People has been skeptical about the safety of Aviation

People has been skeptical about the safety of aviation ever since the crash of the Wright Model A A manned powered aircraft in 1908 The flight resulted in the death of the passenger Lt Thomas Selfridge who was an officer in the Signal Corp that was sent by his Supervisors to examine the aircraft for potential use in the military and injuring Orville Wright who was the inventor and pilot Dezeen 2015 Another major Aircraft accident that instill fear in flyers is when TWA Flight 2 collided with United Airlines Flight 718 over the Grand Canyon that accident prompted a major upgrade to Air Traffic Control System and the establishment of the Federal Aviation Agency in 1958 In the last decade there has only been five major Aircraft accident involving U S airliners Despite these two examples of major Aircraft accidents flying is known to be the safest mode of transportation in fatality rate per distance travelled Between the years 1959 through 2016 there has been 623 Fatal accidents which resulted in 32 total loss and 1325 Non fatal accident resulting in 68 total loss In the years 2007 through 2016 there has been 62 Fatal accident resulting in 16 total loss and 326 Non fatal accidents resulting in 84 total loss Boeing 2016 Catastrophic airline accident has been on a decline since the early 1950s a notable accomplishment considering the enormous headway in airline travel in that specific era There was a total of 40 fatal accidents for every one million airlines departure throughout the United States in 1959 inside a 10 year period the numbers were decreased drastically to two fatalities for every one million departed flights 

The numbers are even lower today with 0 1 for every million Hansen 2015 The advancement in Aviation safety is even more spectacular when you factor in the growth in air traffic According the IATA International Air Transport Association there are a reported 3 3 billion passengers flown in 2014 with a staggering 641 casualties out of the 12 deadly accident in contrast to the 57 casualties in 19 deadly accident per year in a five year duration from 2009 2013 IATA 2015 The jet engine is one of the biggest contributing factor in the advancement to Aviation safety It was launched into the aviation industry in the 1950s and yields a higher safety rating and more trustworthy when compared to the primitive piston engines used Some of the current jet engine manufacturers like Boeing makes quieter and more fuel economic engines which results in less engine failures Avionics and electronics are also contributing factors or aviation safety In 1970s the introduction of glass cockpit together with the fly by wire in the 1980s was great achievements in the aviation community New and improved AM and FM radios SATCOM Navigation systems and ATC control equipment Congress also passed the Aviation Safety Commission Act in 1986 to perform in depth studies on aviation safety and advice congress and the President Skybrary 2016 Another contributing factor in aviation safety is human factors error The introduction of flight training simulators made it more accessible for pilots to get more flight training so that they will remain refreshed on their skills and prepare for emergency situations while in a supervised and professional environment opposed to sharpening their skill on a 1 million dollar airplane Safety management systems have completely change our perspective on how we affect human factor in the aviation world 

The use of the cockpit data monitoring systems like the black box digital audio and visual recording equipment are used to help investigators find the cause of on an airplane accident and later use that information as a training guide for pilots manufacturers and maintainer which will improve safety on future flights FAA 2017 Increase in aviation safety is a direct image on how the industry is prepared to mitigate serious issue before it becomes fatal Investigations inspections manufacturing technologies and quality control have become more effective in ensuring aviation safety NextGen innovative designs of aircrafts make them lighter and faster while introducing such technologies like electric hybrid and solar power contribute to saving fuel and the ecosystem from pollution A major achievement was made in 2015 when the FAA completed an upgrade of their automated system known as En Route Automation Modernization ERAM it was developed to assist NextGen technologies which will make the U S air traffic system more robust FAA 2017 Currently Boeing and the FAA is working hand in hand to develop training facilities to help pilots and flight crew recognize respond and avoid situations that could have a disastrous outcome Boeing and Embraer is also working on ways to helps pilots prevent runway excursions by developing the flight deck guiding and alert tools together with new strategies and pilot training Boeing 2016 Reference Boeing 2016 Statistical Summary of Commercial Jet Airplane Accidents Worldwide Operations 1956 2016 Retrieved from http www boeing com resources boeingdotcom company about_bca pdf statsum pdf Deezen E 2015 The First Person to Die in an Airplane Crash Retrieved from http www todayifoundout com index php 2015 12 the first person to die in an airplane crash FAA 2017 Fact Sheet General Aviation Safety Retrieved from https www faa gov news fact_sheets news_story cfm newsId 21274 IATA 2015 2014 Safety by the numbers Retrieved from http www iata org pressroom pr Pages 2015 03 09 01 aspx Skybrary 2016 Introduction of Glass Cockpit Avionics into Light Aircraft Retrieved from https www skybrary aero index php Introduction_of_Glass_Cockpit_Avionics_into_Light_Aircraft