And when it does, the media plays it up. Meanwhile, the 14 car crashes that ALSO happened are given 10 seconds on the evening news, if mentioned at all.
Let me tell you what was going through my head yesterday as I drove to Michigan:
Departing the homestead under a bright, sunny sky, I’m thinking… gee, I wish I had reserved a rental plane. Two hours and I’m there, sure beats 6 hours of driving or {{{{shudder}}}} the commercial airlines.
Crossing the border into Michigan, I’m thinking… where did this wet, sloppy half-frozen crap falling out the sky come from? I am SO GLAD I did not fly because this mess is nothing for a lil’ airplane pilot like me to mess with. Ugh. Hope I don’t hear about any idiots going down in this on the evening news.
Between Ann Arbor and Detroit, bumper-to-bumper at 70 mph (which, just for the record, is faster than my airplane is going when it touches down), with Darwin Award Wannabees weaving in and out of traffic, and narrowly missing becoming the filling in an SUV sandwhich several times, Death By Icing in the air is starting to look attractive.
In other words, in what context are we discussing travel?
If it’s good weather with a good pilot… I actually do feel safer in the air. Certainly safer than on the average freeway!
If there’s a thunderstorm or sleet or fog or other weather I have neither the equipment nor training to fly in… driving is unquestionably safer.
NoClueBoy, the vast majority of the time you hear about a small plane crash there is also a weather factor.
Here’s some well-known examples:
Buddy Holly, Richie Valens, and “The Big Bopper” climb into a small airplane and the pilot takes off into a snowstorm. Crash!
The Joe Meier incident - an 8 year old, at the instigation of her father, Mr. Dubroff, is trying a stupid stunt - trying to fly from the Pacific to the Atlantic in three days in a Cessna Cardinal. The take off into strong winds and freezing rain in an overloaded airplane. Crash!
JFK, Jr. - untrained for flying on instruments alone, wanders into low-visibility weather off Martha’s Vineyard. Plunk! (sound of airplane going into water, ya know?)
Governor Carnahan of Missouri - flying with an experienced and thoroughly trained pilot in bad weather, when they experience instrument failure. I don’t care how well trained you are, you can’t fly through clouds without instruments, and while they didn’t lose them all, they lost most of them.
Senator Wellstone of Minnesota - King Air went down in low visibility in an area reporting icing conditions. Not sure exactly why yet (investigation still on-going)
Notice a common thread here? If the weather’s bad - drive.
Notice another common thread here? It’s called “get-there-itis”. The musicians have to make their next gig. The little girl has to get across the continent. JFK,Jr. has to make his counsins wedding. Governor Carnahan had some politcal thing to go to. Wellstone was (ironically enough) going to a funeral. To be fair, this is an impulse that leads people to doing 90 on the freeway and cut others off, it’s just that the consequences in a car are less likely to be fatal (still could be, though. Or maybe you’ll just be maimed).
If you want to safely enjoy small aircraft, stay on the ground when it’s crappy weather, don’t fly through clouds or fog unless the pilot has the proper training and equipment, and whatever you do, do NOT get into a small plane with a pilot muttering “Gotta get there, gotta get there, I’m running late, gotta get there…”
If you want to safely enjoy driving a car, slow down when roads are slick, try to avoid rush hour, let the idiots pass you by rather than challenge them, and do NOT get into a car with someone who reeks of alcohol.
Sorry that wasn’t a neat and tidy answer, but the truth is, sometimes cars are safer, sometimes small planes are safer. It all depends.
By the way - you didn’t mention your state. Was this the 6-seater that went down in Iowa? I didn’t hear much about it… but how was the weather that day…? Snow? Freezing rain?