Originally Posted by
Charlie
Interesting.
According to a recent
report by the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, there are 11.3 pilots per aircraft among the 37 passenger airlines who reported data in 2009. That's a 10 percent decline from the previous year (12.6). In 2007, there were 12.1 pilots/aircraft (among 36 reporting airlines). The report lists just one other year, 2000, which was 13.3 pilots/aircraft (30 airlines).
What do those numbers mean to you? More aircraft? Less pilots?
Go to
USBLS for the details of their data. I will venture a guess they are looking at the number of pilots employed in two basic segments of the flying industry, airlines and commercial, and not the number of pilots per aircraft. You could have, say 49 pilots per aircraft or none at all and the data would be the same as long as they call themselves "pilots". USBLS says the airline segment is going to contract somewhat over the next ten years from 12% of what it is now, down to 8%. That's what they say, don't shoot the messenger.
In college I was forced to take a class on how to interpret data presentations. Charts, graphs... that kind of thing. The course was kind of silly, but it was required and it was 2 easy credits so I took it. The only good thing I took away from that course was the fact that by misusing statistical data, anyone can show just about anything.
An example. I am reading a slogan from a bottle in front of me- "4 out of 5 steakhouses serve A-1 steak sauce." Well... hmmm. Do those steak houses also serve the opposing brand? If so wouldn't that kind of make the idea the first 4 steak houses prefer A-1 kind of null?
Or perhaps A-1 defines a "steak house" as something they prefer, any place who happens to serve A-1. Do they simply gerrymander out the ones who do not serve A-1 and include only those who do? If so, why can't they achieve a higher score, say 5 out of 5?
Many places serve steaks but choose not to call themselves steak houses. And who is doing the determination of what is a "steakhouse" anyway, let me guess.... Heinz A-1 ad department?
Oh, and what portion of those steakhouses who serve A-1 are given free cases of A-1 steak sauce before any tally was taken at all? Again, that 4-out-of-5 claim is far more suspect when you look into the details of how it was made than before. I happen to like A-1 steak sauce on my meat, but it also burns holes in my stomach lining about 4 out of 5 times.
I hope you see how silly the statistics game can be. This does mean that statistics are not useful? No, but you need to look at an issue from several sides before making a conclusion.