And what they do not reveal in terms of net hazard

Aviation safety has never been better, claimed Nicholas Sabatini at a 10 April 2008 hearing of the U.S. Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Aviation. The essence of Sabatini’s argument is presented below, followed by a few comments about the potentially misleading aspect of his remarks:

By James Crouse, Esq.

The recent reports of coziness between the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the airlines is nothing new to those of us in aviation. These reports have existed for years, and it is time that Congress and its investigative arms, such as the Government Accountability Office (GAO), do a thorough job of seeing if, and to what extent, these allegations are true. But this should only be the start of a wholesale review of the way aviation regulations and safety are handled in this country.