How Safe is “Safe Enough?”

Abstract

A fair question, is it not? When it comes to aviation safety, just how & is safe enough? And, by the way, who gets to make this decision? Most of the time those of us in the aviation professions are involved in daily operational decisions that impact safety, but our view tends to be narrow and focused on a particular problem or situation, thus we lose sight of the "big picture." So let's step back for a moment and take a broad look at how and why policies, rules, and laws are made that affect aviation safety.

Author

• Howell, Cass D Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University