Says Business Flying Less Dangerous Than Driving A Car

NBAA president and CEO Ed Bolen has written a letter to the Wall Street Journal responding to a March 14th article focusing on corporate CEOs and other high-level executives who fly their own airplanes. In the article, the author focuses largely on CEOs who fly as a "hobby," but also some who commute by private airplane or use it to visit business locations separated by long distances. It's thrust is on corporate boards

 which are concerned about their top executives engaging in what they often consider a "risky" pastime.

"A story on businesspeople who are also pilots (“Executive No-Fly Zone?” March 14) did a disservice to your readers by suggesting that all personal flying is the same and equally dangerous," Bolen wrote. "Suggesting that flying in stunt planes, ex-military jets or in wilderness areas is the same as flying a certified airplane on a business mission is the equivalent to trying to convince us that all automobile driving is the same. People recognize that driving a family sedan to work every day is fundamentally different than off-road driving or participating in a Formula One race.

"The fact is, most forms of flying are safer than driving a car every day on city streets. In fact, business aviation (the use of a general aviation airplane for business purposes) has a safety record that approximates that for commercial air travel. Lastly, at the risk of stating the obvious, directors of U.S. companies are fully engaged in managing many types of risks associated with business operations, including the activities of key personnel."

FMI: www.nbaa.org