SANTO DOMINGO - Getting on a plane can be one of the most terrifying experiences a person can have, but that fear has nothing to do with the safety it provides, since it is among the safest means of transport that exist, even safer than traveling by car, experts say.
“Aviation is a regulated industry; I believe only the nuclear industry surpasses it. Furthermore, air accidents are unlikely to occur; the number of accidents worldwide is minimal,” stated Francisco Díaz, president of the Dominican Association of General Aviation (ADAG).
According to official data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) from 2017 to 2021, an airplane accident occurs approximately every 2.27 million trips, equivalent to 0.44 percent.
The reason is mainly due to the care and quality that the airplanes must have.
Protection systems
Although flying in an airplane may seem like “an act of faith”, there are countless systems that protect passengers “in the air”: weather radar, Air Traffic Control (ATC), data exchange, the Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance System (TACS), to name a few, according to pilot Díaz, and all of this falls under what is known in aviation as “operational safety”, which he described as “a whole science”.
Most airplanes have radars that can track storms at 55,000 feet altitude.
Likewise, Air Traffic Control, which has the function of dictating arrivals and departures to ensure they are made via different routes and establishes the position of aircraft in the airspace, their altitude and distance, prevents accidents from occurring.
“Although they appear close on the map, the planes aren’t actually that close. Twelve million flights can be made daily without problems, simultaneously, and it’s all quantified. The minimum horizontal separation between one plane and another is three miles, and the vertical separation is 100 feet, and three miles is only maintained in very controlled areas,” Díaz explained.
Highly qualified
“Pilots are trained for most of the most common emergencies,” Díaz explained, indicating that the pilots are, for the most part, well-trained and prepared.
Apart from the extensive studies they must complete, when they are in service, pilots are subjected to periodic training.
“To be a private pilot, an average of 35 to 50 flight hours are required, a commercial pilot an average of 200 to 250 flight hours, and an airline pilot a minimum of 1,500 hours,” explains Díaz.
Off the market
Among the best on the market are Airbus and Boeing aircraft, according to Spanish aeronautical columnist Pedro Fernández, considered "supersonic passenger planes", with large size and extreme safety.
How many will remember that airplane that would disrupt the market, for being the safest, called Concorde? It was an airplane that could break the speed of light and take its passengers to their destinations in a very short time.
In 2002, due to an accident that occurred, just one in 27 years of service, they decided to stop the service and not use them anymore.
Pilot Díaz stated that in aviation, past incidents and accidents are analyzed, along with their causes, "to reduce future occurrences." He acknowledged the existence of both accidents and incidents. An incident is something that puts the aircraft at risk but doesn't necessarily result in a crash.
And what about aerophobia?
However, “aerophobia” is very common in people who do not fly often, a type of anxiety disorder that is related to the fear of flying. The World Health Organization (WHO) defines it as “an intense and irrational fear of flying or airplanes.”.
Pilot Díaz said there is no reason to be afraid, because "aviation is the best-calculated subject," but he specified that it is normal for a part of the population to suffer from "aerophobia," because "the human body is not designed to fly.".
Phobias appear for different reasons, but according to Francesca Román, director of the Center of Psychologists of Madrid, the most common causes are usually related to traumas or insecurities.
Sometimes, the fear of flying stems from a very negative previous flight experience or an accident, but this isn't always the case. Often, the root of this fear lies in a traumatic experience unrelated to flying itself.
The Spanish specialist recommended trying to choose a seat without a window, thus avoiding a possible feeling of vertigo, going to the airport to familiarize yourself with the surroundings, distracting yourself inside the plane, avoiding excesses when eating or drinking, traveling in company and finding out about the operation of the plane and the situation surrounding the flight in general.
Source: Listín Diario
