Illustrations by Finbar Kelly (Year 12)
prevent the pilot from committing an error. If the wrong button is pushed, or a switch flicked that could put the aircraft at risk, it will simply not react and sound a (very) loud siren instead. Thus pilot error is extremely unlikely. But there are other potential dangers: what about hijacking? Here, too, precautionary measures are well developed. In addition to extensive airport security, American pilots flying domestically carry firearms and there are approximately three separate locks on the cockpit door. There are now also hidden CCTV cameras in the cabin that feed footage to the cockpit, so that the captain is able to view what is happening behind the cockpit door. It is true that in March 2015, Andreas Lubitz, a co-pilot flying for the Germanwings airline, used this to lock his colleague out of the cockpit and crash the airplane, killing himself, all 144 passengers and the six crew. It emerged that Lubitz suffered from suicidal tendencies that he had concealed from his employer; since then, airlines have stepped up tests to ensure pilots cope with the mental strain that flying can put upon them. A final cause worth considering is less controllable: flying is constantly at the mercy of the weather.
Again, preparation and procedures are key to combat the unforeseen. Flight deck crew will always plan diversion airfields and will constantly monitor the weather. Pilots have weather radars on board and are always in contact with air traffic control to negotiate alternative routes if necessary. Furthermore, as mentioned earlier, pilots are trained to fly using the plane’s instruments and land in zero visibility. Air traffic control work with the pilots to provide a safe and smooth landing – newer aircraft can touch down in anything from snowstorms to monsoons without any difficulty. Feeling reassured? Despite high profile crashes in the past twelve months, including that of the still unlocated MH370 or the more recent EgyptAirMS804, when the casualties are added up, the year has been a relatively safe one. In 2014 there were 1,021 casualties, So, although the amount of losses is still too high, it is decreasing thanks to modern technology. Finally, if you do feel a little jittery as your flight taxis up the runway, just remind yourself that the probability of dying in a plane crash is a consoling 1 in 5,371,369. thankfully considerably fewer than the 2,370 deaths in 1972, still the worst year in aviation.
Mitchell is President of the Dulwich College Aviation Society
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