Look All Ways Before You Cross the Street |
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September 12, 2005
By Austin Brentley
Technical Programs Columnist
They say that flying is safer than driving. It's easy to have doubts about that though. After all, it seems like every other week there is a new headline about some airline tragedy. But when you really think about the sheer number of car accidents, it starts to make little more sense. For whereas driving school is somewhat of a joke, aviation school is fairly serious.
Aviation Training: No Cakewalk
How many people do you know who have a pilot's license? Now, how many people do you know who shouldn't be driving? A lot more, correct? That's because aviation training takes a lot of dedication, money, free time, and access to a plane. A driver's license only requires your ability to stand in line at the DMV for incredibly long spans of time. Even the longest of waits will not successfully deter more than 90% of drivers-to-be. Simply put, there is no way that a long queue will be able to weed out more people than the loops you have to jump for aviation school.
Aviation Training at 13: License at 14
Ironically, whereas students must wait until they're 15 or 16 to attend driving school, they need only be 13 for aviation school. And they can apply for a student pilot's license at 14. Given this odd scenario, it seems even less likely that the Great Blue Yonder would be safer than our nation's interstates, but attending aviation school for large chunks of time instills a certain degree of maturity not found in most high schoolers.
Fortunately for you, even student pilot licenses are relatively rare. The vast majority of pilots who fly commercial planes are retired military. They have gone through extensive aviation training and accumulated a tremendous amount of experience (sometimes in combat situations). So take your chances. You can put your life in the hands of some celebrated war hero, or you can put your life in the hands of some overeager adolescent motorist.
About the Author
A freelance writer and researcher, Austin Brentley is an English teacher currently living and working in Yamaguchi, Japan. His previous experience includes working for a lobbying firm in his native Washington, DC and working for various record and television studios in New York. Austin holds a B.A. in history
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