With aircraft incidents being highlighted in the press after the tragic Potomac River mid-air collision in Washington, D.C. on Jan. 29, there has been a rise of uncertainty and fear regarding commercial flights in the last few months. 

Over mid-winter break, science teacher Liz Michaels flew with her two children and husband into Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport where the tragedy happened. When she heard about the incident, she was doubtful about whether she should carry on with the flight.

“I was nervous just because you don’t want anything to go wrong when you’re flying, especially when you’re flying with your whole family,”  Michaels said.

While there has been doubt among civilian passengers about flight safety, aspiring pilot and senior Claire Swiatkowski believes that as aviation continues to evolve, it will only prove to be more efficient and safe with time.

  “I’d say the crash definitely made me think about pursuing aviation, but I know that the people behind the scenes are working to make aviation safer every single day, so I’m not nervous about it at all,” Swiatkowski said. “You’ve never even thought of the many different professions that help it just get safer and safer every day. And as time goes on, it’ll get more and more safe.”

Building hours to one day become an airline pilot, Flight Instructor Tyler Gibbs believes that the morale of other instructors and students are still high.

“As far as morale, morale is still pretty high,” Gibbs said. “I mean it’s, it’s just something that, without being insensitive, it’s a part of life, we shouldn’t act like it never happens.”

Gibbs encourages those who are hesitant to remain confident in pilots and aviators, reminding them that this is a rarity. Accidents of this degree are devastating, but Gibbs reminds young pilots and others that this is a very uncommon thing and passengers shouldn’t be discouraged.

“I would say don’t let this accident shake your faith,” Gibbs said. “Yes, this is unfortunate, but the likelihood of this happening again is very low.”

 With over 32 years of flight experience, Greg Caldwell is a former U.S. fighter pilot who now flies as a first officer for United Airlines. Caldwell can see certain similarities and differences between flying for the Air Force and flying for United Airlines.  

“It can be substantially different. It depends on the type of aircraft you fly, but the military in general is there to execute a mission, flying is a part of it, but flying from point A to point B is just a small portion of flying in the military,” Caldwell said. “Flying in the military is about a mission not necessarily going from point A to point B.”

Caldwell compares the risks of flying to that of driving. Identifying that regardless of the risks those who are still willing to take on a day-to-day basis for a drive should also still be open to flying. 

“They don’t stop driving their car because there’s a car accident,” Caldwell said. “Generally speaking, people won’t stop flying because of aircraft accidents, unless there’s something specifically wrong with an airplane in general, and the FAA is responsible for making sure that airplanes are airwo no hi rthy, and airlines are maintaining their airplanes appropriately.”

Shifting her view, Michaels pointed out that despite the recent event, her family actually felt more secure, highlighting the fact that since the incident, workers may tend to overcorrect to promote safety.    

“My friend pointed out that to fly right after an incident like that, you’re probably actually flying at the safest moment because they’ll overcorrect for everything, ” Michaels said. “So then I felt better.”

 Pilots continue to persevere
By Donell James

As someone who is encapsulated by aviation, I have been in flight training, building experience and soaring through the sky, for a bit over 3 years. On one particular occasion, I was supposed to fly restricted to ground instruction after my flight instructor deemed it unsafe for practice.  I was upset and disappointed, but safety is always the first priority. That same evening, a small airplane crashed into a Detroit home in the inner city. This was the first time I truly understood the danger of flying airplanes. 

Flying has always come with many risks. But as a student pilot, I can speak for a large majority of aviators when I say that we all have a very deep appreciation for the craft. Everytime we step into the cockpit we are fully aware of the risks that they entail and work tirelessly to improve and perfect skills To be as safe as possible across all aspects of aviation.

Rest assured, anytime passengers step foot on a commercial flight, that first officer and captain have combined thousands of hours worth of flying experience that doesn’t include the years of studying and license accumulation that have been done to earn the responsibility to get passengers from point A to point B.

All pilots young and old will go through the same extensive and rigorous training, as well as practical exams, with rigor comparable to that of a doctor or lawyer. They also go through medical examinations written out by the FAA to ensure that pilots are medically fit to operate aircraft as well.

Pilots will work for years to build thousands of hours in airplanes in order to be eligible to become commercial pilots. Furthermore, there are also air traffic controllers, dispatchers and mechanics that are also behind the scenes to organize flight management, direct pilots and upkeep aircraft. All these things not only make flying something that is safe and secure for passengers, but also build pilot skill over many years with passion, perseverance and love.

I have always known the risks that come with flying airplanes, all pilots do, but we love what we do and we are prepared and work each day to improve skills, grow knowledge and prevent accidents as much as possible.

What would you say to those still skeptical of flying airplanes?

Greg Caldwell

“Usually when I hear someone say something like that, I just ask them what they think about a car accident that happened. The number of lives that were lost in car accidents for the year. And they go look that up, and it’s 1000s. But yet they still drive their car on a day to day basis.”

Liz Michaels

“Statistics are on your side, so if you look at planes that take off and land successfully each day compared to the few accidents we’ve had in the last 20 years, we’re on the safe side.”

Tyler Gibbs

“I would just remind them that while this is a tragedy, the likelihood of this happening is extremely low.”

Claire Swiatkowski

“There are so many people working behind the scenes that you’ve never even thought of, so many different professions, it’ll just get safer and safer every day as time goes on.”