FAA Official Stresses Safety in Bustling Skies
Air travel is on the rebound, the number of business jets in service is up significantly and a new class of jets now under development will all put added demand on air space, an FAA official said Wednesday in Wichita.
As a result, the skies will get more crowded in the next decade, and everyone must work together to keep them safe, said Nicholas Sabatini, the Federal Aviation Administration's associate administrator for aviation safety.
Some experts estimate that by the year 2016, about 4,000 very light jets -- small corporate jets with five or six seats -- will be in service, Sabatini said.
Sabatini spoke to 435 pilots, crew members, safety specialists and industry officials at Bombardier Aerospace's annual Safety Standdown at the Hyatt Regency Wichita.
The free program concentrates on the human component in safety training. About 78 percent of all aviation accidents are caused by human error, officials said.
Sabatini said the U.S. is proud of its air transportation system. Commercial air travel has never been safer, he added.
But "we in aviation are never satisfied with the status quo," Sabatini said.
There are three major ways to improve safety, he said.
One is through technological advances in planes. Another is through joint partnerships, such as the General Aviation Steering Committee, which is analyzing safety data and trends to find the causes of accidents and the best way to improve safety.
The third method is to create a culture of safety in the flight departments and organizations that employ pilots. That includes supporting pilots who refuse to take off when weather conditions are not favorable, despite passenger complaints.
"Safety begins with the pilot," Sabatini said.
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