Quote:
Originally Posted by mike734
The FAA is not in the business of keeping pilots safe. They are concerned with passengers and property.
Passengers, maybe, property, not so much.
The FAA's purpose is to promote commerce, and that boils down to making it possible for airlines to make money. If passengers are too scared to fly, airlines don't make money. Therefore, the FAA will do what it takes to make the public FEEL safe enough to buy tickets.
IF it's cheaper to crash a cargo jet and kill 2 pilots (life may seem precious to you and me, but it represents a cold dollar value to an actuary) than it is to comply with Part 117 Flight and Duty Time Restrictions and Rest Requirements, then it's not in the financial interest of the operator, and therefore it doesn't fit the "promote commerce" purpose of the FAA.
If you can stomach it, take a gander at their "official" Mission, Vision, and Values
here. I really like the bit about ethics.
Perhaps the calculus would change if the "little cargo plane" (that's how I heard it described on a major news network since it only carried 2 pilots) had passed through a living room instead of 20 feet above it, or into a shopping center or apartment complex. Until it does, we all know that safety is paramount only in our minds and in our actions -- to them, it's just another item on the big spreadsheet.
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