how safe are jet airplanes?

Answer 1

By far more then the automobile ever will be.
Read on for some reasoning as to why.
More people have been killed in car accidents in a single state in a period of a month then there ever has been killed in not just jet airplanes, but all of aviation incidents combined in a period of a year.
To get your driver's license most anywhere in the U.S., you take a drivers ed course where you are only required to pass (60%+) This is for the whole course, all test writen and practical (driving), and it can all be earned a period roughly less then 6 months or roughly 40 hours drive time with an instuctor (depending on location and requirements).
Pilots that fly jet aircraft have flown over 2,000 hours easily to obtain their license and the ratings and all requirement to be able to operate the machines. They can't miss more then 10% of time from the total time of any individual class room course without having to repeat the course. They have to pass all their written exams in these courses with 70% or better and only get one retake if they fail the test the first time. Aside from these test, they have to still take the test with the FAA to get their license and ratings, all of which must have 70% or better to pass.
It takes extensive test and flight test for airfames and their power plants to receiving their Airworthyness Certificate (one reason jets cost so much). These countinuous test stress the airframe and the engines to the max and on some test to the point of failure on purpose. All to ensure that normal and emergency situations won't compromoise the total safety of the craft.
The individuals who perform (or in some cases buy off (okay) the work) the maintenance on these machines go through much of the same test procedure as the pilots do to get their license with the same requirement of time spent in the course, all test passed with 70% or better (This is FAA certified A&P mechanics, after school, they still have a total of nine test with the FAA, three writtens, and with a FAA certified DME (Designated Mechanics Examiner), three orals and three practicals to receive their full A&P).
The professionalism that goes into a jet airplane from the time of production through the life of its service is much greater and detailed then the automobile has ever been.
It not just for the pilots or maintenance technician in the field but all the professionals working on and operating go through intense trainning to ensure the safety of these machines.

Answer 2

Commercial airliners these days are "state of the art" when it comes to safety. Take-off performance is designed with the chance of an engine failure. Electrical systems can be isolated in the event of a problem (buss tie relays, etc). Pressurization pneumatics electrically fail in a position that still pressurizes the cabin/cockpit. Most heavy jets have at least two a/c packs. In the event of a fuel boost pump failure, the engines can still suck feed from the tanks. Flight controls are actually paired systems that work together. One can work in the event the other fails. Hydraulic systems are independant but work together (left, center, right with their own pcas', pressure supplied by engine and electrical pumps). The landing gear can free fall if the hydraulics fail. Flaps and slats are hydraulically driven with an electric motor back-up. Many flight controls can revert to manual (cable). Some aircraft are equipped with a RAT (ram air turbine). This is a device that has a propeller that (windmilling) turns a hydraulic pump (and generator if equipped) for emergency systems. Airspeed and altitude sensing can work independantly and without electrical power (pitot/static). Engine driven hydraulic pumps electrically fail to the high pressure position, etc. Even the APU can be started to help supply pneumatics and electrical power. I could keep going, but I think that you may see my point by now. If something in a system fails, there are alternatives. I haven't even touched the areas of part evaluation, repetative inspection, NDT, or structural analysis. Aircraft are designed for safety, with "what if" scenarios in mind.

Answer 3

As safe as they can be with the people who maintain them to the best of their ability and traing (and trust me the training that goes into being an AM, AME, LAME, is huge) Also whilst the engineers still hold responsibilty in the safety of the aircraft and all that fly it, they will ensure for their own livelyhood & freedom (because they can & have been jailed for not maintining an aircraft to the specifications from the manufacturer and the laws that govern flight operations -which differ from country to country).
Also you have back up systems all the way through the aircraft systems so if 1 part fails than there is another to switch to that as a passenger you never knew that a failure had occured.
So you are more than safe.

Answer 4

As long as they are maintained properly they are generally safe and reliable. Just a thought though that if just one tenth of one percent of parts on a large commercial jet failed during flight then over one hundred parts would break. These usually however are the buttons you need to call a hostess when you are stuck on a window seat next to a sleeping sumo wrestler and dying of thirst on a 14 hour flight.

Answer 5

Air holiday one hundred and one - Lesson a million: All jets are airplanes, no longer all airplanes are jets. some airplanes have propellers and/or different different styles of engines. Jet engines usually have somewhat safer checklist in straight forward terms because of fact they have fewer shifting components. Lesson 2: the bigger the plane the fewer you sense the "bumps" additionally hassle-free as turbulence. A small prop-plane gets bounced around a lot together as a huge commercial plane takes an excellent variety of turbulence in the past passengers sense something. Air holiday 102 - Lesson a million: An "show jet" is a smaller version of a jet plane. no longer as massive as a typical commercial airliner yet greater than your customary prop-plane. Lesson 2: Any substantial airline alongside with Continental takes severe measures to make helpful that their planes are risk-free. almost all of plane injuries ensue with planes operated via small businesses that usually "shape" or hire out the full plane to one guy or woman or team vs substantial airways that sell individual tickets. final analysis: vacationing on a substantial airline like Continental in any variety of plane is the absolute maximum secure thank you to holiday. it is safer than using, using a bus or perhaps taking a practice. relax and luxuriate interior the holiday!

Answer 6

They are very very safe. Think about how many airplanes fly every day... how many planes are in the air every second. Thousands times about 150 people per plane. You're more likely to get hit crossing the street than die in a plane.

Answer 7

Hi. Traveling in commercial aeroplanes is very safe .As others have pointed out you are more likely to die in a car crash or even crossing the road than in an aircraft accident.Most accidents are due to pilot error (for example,Tenerife 1977) rather than aircraft fatigue .
I live in Australia where our safety record is one of the best in the world. To my knowledge Qantas Airways has never had a fatal accident yet.with one of its commercial planes.
Cheers.

Answer 8

They are a whole lot safer than prop jobs. A heavy jet, can get above turbulence and thunder storms. They are also faster, so they don't messed up in cross wind, quite as easy.

Answer 9

If you mean jet airplanes as in commercial airlines, then they are orders of magnitude safer than driving to your grocery store. You are more likely to be KILLED (not just be) in a car accident driving around town than you are to be killed in an airline crash.... you just have a much more drawn out and freaky death in the airline... so people are more afraid of it.

Answer 10

I love it when people say "it's safer than a car". Sorry, but at least with MY CAR, I KNOW...1) what my equipment looks like before I head out, 2) I'm not blitzed outta my mind or short on sleep, 3) I'm paying attention to what I'm doing, what's going on around me, and I am familiar with my equipment, controls, and gauges, 4) that my belongings won't "end up in Guam" when I'm going to Virginia, 5) I don't have a political agenda to try to accomplish by driving my car into anything, (and I won't have to stand in some ridiculously long line to get into my car), 6) if the engine dies, I won't have to do a 33,000 foot drop and meet my maker, etc, etc, etc... Let's put it this way, planes are safe when everything goes right, but really, there's nothing safe about some piece of junk flying around in the air.