Charlotte Observer article on freight pilots......

[belchfire]

First, I am not flaming anyone and I don't ever like to see a fellow pilot lost for any cause-been to too many services...


If you only have one AH or ADI or vacuum source it would be wise to be proficient on partial panel operations...you guys be careful out there. I know that I wouldn't be any good at it anymore. They fail in bigger equipment too but less frequently and there are more redundancies and often another qualified pilot.

Notice that they don't compare the accident rate to the auto fatality rate. What these statistics point out is that in general less experienced pilots in less capable equipment have a higher rate of fatalities. I wouldn't want to blast off single pilot IFR right now...too long in a crew environment.

And yeah, some places really need to spend more on maintenance...

 

[AerroMatt]

What with all that's been posted here, the biggest point brought out in this article is that the freight business is having one fatal accident per MONTH. That will get the attention of the media and John Q Public. I would not be surprised if the media begins a campaign that will attempt to force the FAA into more oversight of the freight operators. This will drive up the cost of operation for all, but hopefully it will improve what is an otherwise dismal safety record.