by Jason Samatas
I’ve been an airline pilot for almost four years. Not a day goes by where I don’t take a moment to recognize what an incredible system the aviation community is built around. In airplanes, airports, FAA procedures, policies, and so on, the top priority and overriding theme is safety. In airplanes, major systems have redundancy upon redundancy. For example, on my particular airplane, it takes the loss of four different sources of electrical power before the airplane is considered to be in an “electrical emergency”. And even then, the airplane still flies and has enough residual electrical power to land safely (not that I’d ever want to be in that kind of situation). I can’t move my airplane one single inch on the ground without getting prior authorization from ground control. It’s a very controlled system with backups upon backups, all in the interest of safety.
Here are more examples of safety; air traffic controllers are highly trained professionals who work on short-shifts to reduce burnout (for example, controllers will typically work 15 minutes before taking a ten minute break before getting back to work). All airplanes are required to emit a signal from their airplane noting their exact position to assist in the avoidance of mid-air collisions. Pilots go through years of building hours and intense training to be able to fly passengers commercially. The skies are crowded with airplanes, no doubt, but the sophisticated flow systems help manage the traffic in and out of busy airspaces. Most airplanes have radars on board for weather, as well as traffic collision avoidance systems to avoid other airplanes. These are just a few of the examples how just how much goes into making the industry safe.
I could go on, but I think you get the picture. Despite some very tragic accidents to start the year, aviation is still an extremely safe mode of transportation. Prior to the accident in Washington DC, there had been one fatality – one! – in the past 15 years on domestic commercial flights. And yes, that’s one too many, but in reality, that’s an almost unbelievable record of safety. More people die on roller-coasters, from shark attacks or from political violence than on a commercial aircraft. I didn’t create the system, but I am extremely proud to be a small cog in the big wheel of transporting people all over the world safely; to weddings, funerals, reunions, girls’ weekends, MenLiving Advances (haha), family vacations, job interviews, and so on. It’s an incredible responsibility we bear and all the professionals I encounter – other pilots, air traffic controllers, ground crews, flight attendants, maintenance personnel, and more – undoubtedly make safety their top priority. Safety and vigilance is constantly promoted from all angles and at all levels. Do mistakes happen? Of course. It’s a system and machines designed and managed by humans. But it is by far the most sophisticated and fundamentally sound system I have ever experienced.
So just in case you had some doubts, doubt no more. The skies are safe and will continue to get safer as technology continues to advance and the training of aviation employees evolves. So like I tell my passengers on each flight, sit back, relax, and enjoy that flight!
Blue skies ahead.
Meet Jason Samatas
jason@menliving.org
A long-time Chicagoan, Jason now lives in a part of the country he’s always dreamed of living: near the mountains. Just outside of Boulder, CO, Jason now enjoys all that living in the West provides, although he will always have Chicago in his blood.
Jason is a part of MenLiving because of how much it has been a part of his personal development over the past number of years. Having gone through a difficult divorce and a number of family and career challenges, Jason reevaluated aspects of his life that were no longer serving him with the love and support of MenLiving members behind him. As he went through the process (and still is!), he realized how many men were there to support his journey. Now, in any way he can, he tries to give back that same support which was so critical to his own well-being.
What inspires Jason most is seeing men open up, be vulnerable, and take chances. Jason took the “safe path” in so many ways for much of his life, and now gets pumped to see men take the “edgier path” in any aspect of one’s circumstances. He’s eternally grateful to all that have supported him in his journey and seeks to reciprocate that same support to other men as they embark on their own journeys.
