Don't get scared ... for the wrong reason. First, statistically air plane crashes are "bumpy" risks ... meaning the number of crashes and accidents is extremely low, but when they happen they severely affect a high number of people. Second, and more importantly, the number of passengers has increased dramatically. The roughly 1000 deaths in 2010 need to be compared to "only" 2.7 million passengers, while the roughly 500 deaths in 2018 need to be compared to 4.3 million passengers ... quite a difference. So, no reason to get concerned? There are some risk factors that are not that obvious. For example, more flights and more complex and technology loaded planes mean a much higher demand for highly qualified pilots, maintenance workers, flight controllers, and so on. Every single one of them is a potential risk factor for severe risk. Only one of them needs to screw up and a catastrophe may be the consequence. Also, what happens to these highly complex modern planes when they are 7-10 years old (in the past some planes flew 30+ years). Can we guarantee perfect maintenance of all hardware and software? I gave up on expecting today's consumer electronics to last as long as they did a generation ago. What about expensive planes? #criticalthinking #successthroughcriticalthinking
