Airplane is the safest mode of transport on Earth, even cars and trains are significantly inferior in safety to airplanes. Despite this, with each new disaster, there are more and more aerophobes. Many people in the world are afraid of airplanes, mistakenly believing that other modes of transport are much safer. Is it true that the chance of an accident is high? And is the plane the safest mode of transport? Gotta figure it out.
Statistics and odds
To determine that the plane is the safest mode of transport, you should read the statistics. On average, seventeen disasters are officially recorded per year. It is important to understand that these sad events took place not only in Russia, but throughout the world. Over the hundred years of the existence of civil aviation, one hundred thousand people have become victims of air crashes during flights. That's less than a year in car accidents.
It is worth noting: there are no less cargo flights than passenger flights, which is another argument in favor of choosing the aircraft. The chance of falling sosmall that a person is more likely to die as a result of a lightning strike than after a plane crash. Statistical analysis led to the conclusion that public opinion regarding transport safety is based on fears and superstitions.
Flight safety
It is worth mentioning the positive qualities of flying. This is the fastest mode of transport. It can also be said that the safest mode of transport is an airplane. To agree with this statement, you should study all the history of flights. As you can see, the list of air crashes is small.
Engine failure
Flights are the safest type of travel. This has been proven over the centuries since the beginning of aviation. The aircraft flies thanks to the wings, during landing, takeoff and flight, its movements are controlled by engines. But what happens if they refuse?
If one engine fails, the passenger will not feel it, because the plane can be controlled by the second engine. And even if both break down, the plane will not fall at a right angle down, but will indefinitely glide in the air for about two hundred kilometers.
Turbulence
It is not often that you meet such a person who did not get into the turbulence zone during flights. Everyone describes it as pitching. What is it? Turbulence is when, during the acceleration of liquids or gases in the external environment, vortices are formed that irritate the external environment.
Many passengers wonder: can turbulence cause a tragedy? This cannot happen. The aircraft is designed in such a way thatin order for it to fall due to turbulence, you need a force that can only be found in the atmosphere of the planet Jupiter.
Pilots try to avoid turbulence, and planes can endure incredible shaking, so on Earth the chance of falling from turbulence tends to zero. Only once in the history of mankind has a plane crashed due to turbulence, when the pilot decided to fly over a volcano. Therefore, turbulence is only a comfort issue, not a safety issue.
Flying in bad weather
Pilots are well versed in weather conditions. For a certain time before departure, they look at the forecast for the route, so as not to get into a storm. If the weather forecast does not comply with safety regulations, the flight is canceled or rescheduled for another day. Before starting their career, pilots undergo many tests on simulators, learn to act decisively and calmly in any situation.
How much wind shear affects flight
Wind shear is a sudden change in the movement and/or speed of air over a small distance in the atmosphere. This is an important factor affecting the aircraft during takeoff and landing. It applies not only to aircraft, but also to other types of aircraft.
Wind shear occurs in the lowest layers of the atmosphere (up to a hundred meters in height). Modern aircraft have a large mass, which makes them more inert. High inertia prevents the aircraft from changing its speed quickly. Keeping the aircraft at this speed while flying through different levels of wind leads to a change in speed in the air. This causes the plane to fly on a lower trajectory than intended, making it dangerous to land.
What is really dangerous?
Icing is when the outside of the aircraft is covered with ice. Occurs when flying in the sky with supercooled water droplets. This is very dangerous, because icing worsens the controllability of the aircraft, making it heavier. The result can be an accident or even a plane crash. Even at the airport, the plane can freeze at sub-zero temperatures. Before the flight, the ship is treated with a special fluid that stops the formation of ice. They pour over every external part of the aircraft: from the wings to the stabilizer. Icing in the atmosphere is unlikely but possible.
Reasons
There are three main causes of air crashes:
- Staff error.
- Technical problems.
- Terrorist attacks.
Let's consider each of them separately.
Staff error
It must be understood that personnel error means not only the wrong step of pilots during the flight, but also the unprofessional work of maintenance and operation specialists, technicians, dispatchers, operators. After all, it is impossible to predict human actions, and flight is a complex sequence of technical processes that requires strict control.
Most air crashes are due to the human factor, saysofficial statistics. However, technology is advancing rapidly. Every year, aircraft engineers develop new automatic systems, design new generation aircraft, which reduces the role of a person in flight to a minimum.
Technical issues
Bad and cheap equipment can easily fail at any inconvenient moment, but even high-quality automation fails. Equipment failure is a common cause of air crashes, about a third of crashes happen because of this.
The main causes of malfunctions are malfunctions of the on-board computer and navigation systems. It is very difficult to find out the exact cause of these breakdowns. With this in mind, airlines are acquiring new and safer aircraft while abandoning obsolete models.
Terrorist attacks
Since the middle of the last century, terrorist attacks have become a big problem affecting flight safety. Most often, terrorists hijack a ship or plant explosives on an aircraft. Such catastrophes, unfortunately, take many lives.
Is it dangerous to fly on planes? As you can see, the statistics of falls are low, and their causes are rare situations, from which no one on earth is immune.
