HSLD

Driving a car, eating poorly, and climbing ladders all present more risk than what you've outlined as "potentially dangerous" activities.

As mentioned, a little fear is good, but what you're looking at as a pro pilot is managing risk. You'll see a lot of discussion about safety and proficiency with the underlying intent being - risk management. Yes, airplanes can crash and when they do it's often not pretty. Although with training and some attention to detail it's not as dangerous as you might think.

dlevanchuk

I see it not that activity that is dangerous, but the training/exerience or lack of it. I do have tendency to go after more dangerous activities rather than sitting at the movie theater, or just hanging out in the bars. I am a rock climbing instructor and see lots of time when simple stuff such as a climb at 10 feet can be waaaay more dangerous for some people (new kids usually don't fasten their climbing harness right), rather than for someone with 20 year experience at 8,000 feet.

I was frightened on doing steep 180 approaches, and hoped that tower will not call me to do short final, so i just told my instructor to come fly with me and we did nothing but short approaches. Now I fly everytime with a hope that tower will ask me to do a short final :-D

HercDriver130

Higher I think... for midairs.

Fear is a good thing, it keeps the edge on. Maybe not true fear like scared out of your wits but enough to keep your SA. I would also say this, you have to manage it, you have to deal with and be OK with the fact that this is a dangerous profession and things can get out of control very vast. And that every time you go up it just could be... ( statistically NIL of a chance ) that you may not come back... and you and your family MUST be okay with that fact. If you and your family or wife or GF or whomever wont or cant deal with the dangers involved it will lead to problems and or a fear that cant be overcome.

Fear may be to strong of a word... RESPECT what aviation is and its dangers and you will be fine.

WmuGrad07

It's okay to have the fear as long as you know your training and knowledge are stong enough for whatever situation you are in. During all my training I never flew solo at night and I had to finally before I could get my commercial. i was nervous even though I had many hours at night in the specific plane, in other planes also, but as soon as I was in the air it was just another flight. If you've got the training you will be able to get yourself around in an airplane just fine.

I knew a guy who was working for a 135 company who had bad maintenance, he was flying a twin, lost an engine and had an uneventful landing. Pretty much the next day he turned in his license because it scared the crap out of him... He did just fine on the one engine but i guess that experience was enough. It's all about what you want to do and think you can handle.

sschlesinger

All though I haven't officially started my flight training I must say i'm more worried about getting into a car accident then an airplane incident. I live in Tucson AZ and the people here are horrible drivers university kids getting drunk and driving, old people crashing into buildings etc. I do know I have more of a chance surviving a car crash then an airplane crash but for some reason flying does not bother me. Check this web site and it will make you feel like flying is a lot safer. http://www.weitzlux.com/carcrash/mot...dent_2515.html

rickair7777

I forgot to mention before...airline flying is VASTLY safer than driving (by a factor of at least 1000). Unfortunately this very valid statistic often gets incorrectly applied to General Aviation. GA is definately NOT safer than driving a modern car...and if you fool yourself into thinking it is you could become dangerously complacent about flying.

rickair7777

Yes, there are very basic and relatively cheap TCAS-style receivers which key on other aircraft's transponders. They DO NOT provide all the features of a real TCAS, but can tell you if another aircraft is getting close to you (some provide azimuth info too). Some are portable dash-top models, so you can use them in rental planes.

FlyNSail

Thanks Rickair; I'm going to research the trafiic advisory systems for GA. I agree with you on commercial flight being safer than driving. Big difference with GA though as you state. IMHO, the notion that flying around in your light aircraft is safer than driving a modern car with respect to having a fatal accident (even on the Long Island Expressway ) is inconceivable.

jsfBoat

If you had no fear, then you wouldn't have a healthy respect for av8n. If you had no respect then you'd be a cowboy, which is even more dangerous. This is the type of job that is unforgiving. if you screw up, you'll wind up killing your self and maybe others. I have a healthy respect, stick to my gut instincts when it's saying no more, and as they say in the Army: "Stay alert, stay alive!" I've had the same questions. besides, you can go to work wearing your shades, and not have to sit in a cubicle. what is better than that? NOTHING!