The details of the tragedy that happened to the Airbus A320 of the German airline Germanwings made even those who were never afraid to fly doubt the safety of flights. But what about those who have suffered from aerophobia before? Emotional commentary by a pilot with 20 years of experience Alexei Gervash.
The story with the German board looms disgusting. Especially for people of anxious and suspicious psychotype. When such terrible (albeit rare) incidents occur, it immediately “confirms” all their erroneous beliefs such as “danger is everywhere”, “you can only trust yourself”, “I must always control everyone” … When they find themselves in a situation where there is no illusion of control (which is, for example, behind the wheel), and there is no illusion of the possibility of escaping from them (for example, on a train), they have even more panic.
Anxious people need absolute security guarantees. Often, aerophobes choose airlines on the basis of “they seem more reliable”, “I don’t trust Russian airlines”, etc. The crash of a German (that is, very reliable!) Aircraft shows that there are no such guarantees. Even the «daughter» of Lufthansa. Anxious and suspicious people perceive this fact with difficulty. Which is easy to explain: they build the concept of security on the wrong foundation (the choice of airline and aircraft), and one day it inevitably collapses.
However, there are no guarantees anywhere. If one particular mental patient decides to kill 150 people along with him, he will do it. On land, at sea or in an airplane, it doesn’t matter. There is no defense against people who have gone mad. And yes, we have no control over them. Even if it’s hard for some to come to terms with it. Attempts to achieve 100% security are doomed — it simply does not exist. For example, in this case, it was attempts to exclude by 100% the likelihood of terrorists entering the cockpit that led to the creation of indestructible doors. And they gave the pilot the opportunity to block the door from the inside. And any other solution will again create a loophole for potential terrorists.
Aviation cannot be the only absolutely safe environment. Security is relative, not absolute. But in aviation it is relatively high. Rest assured, if something can be improved or invented to make flying even more secure and safe, aviation will do it. As well as conclusions from this monstrous case. Although, I repeat, absolute security does not exist in nature.
Read more in Alexey Gervash’s blog