I am often asked, particularly by friends and acquaintances outside of aviation, about the industry’s stellar safety record. Most people want to know if the industry is as safe as is commonly believed. When I say “yes,” they then want to know how it got to be so safe. As many of you probably do, I have a canned response that mentions learning from past accidents, technological advancements and the dedication of career aviation people, among other points. If my wife happens to be within earshot, I usually don’t get to too many of the other points because she will swoop in and change the subject, fearing that I’m about to bore some poor, unsuspecting civilian into a coma.
The truly curious, however, eventually will circle back to ask another, more difficult-to-answer question: How is the commercial aviation industry going to maintain its safety record? Of course, the industry spends a lot of time contemplating this same question. Data sharing, analysis and protection is at o…
