Nervous Flyer? Here Are The Reasons You Shouldn’t Be!

Approximately one billion U.S. men and women fly privately or commercially in any given year, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

That means–every year–one billion Americans trust airlines and aircraft workers to safely get them from point A to point B. Airline travel is extraordinarily safe. In fact, it is the safest mode of travel, and the facts back that up. Let’s take a look at a few:

• • Turbulence is Nothing to Fear!

Although turbulence may make passengers nervous, it’s a perfectly normal occurrence and does not indicate that anything is awry. Planes have systems in place to keep them level. They will not flip over or go into a tailspin during turbulence. “Think of turbulence the same way you would think of bumps in the road on a long drive,” Life Hacker writes. “The main reason pilots do their best to avoid turbulence is because it’s annoying. They want to be able to sip their coffee without spilling the same as you do.”

Moreover, of the one billion passengers mentioned earlier, just 34 people on average are injured due to turbulence each year.

• • Air Travel is Much Safer Than Driving.

To briefly break out the numbers, driving is the most dangerous form of transportation–by far! Drivers have a 1 in 114 chance of being in a fatal accident. Comparatively, only one in two million flights involve fatalities, or individual risk of dying in a plane crash amounts to about 1 in approximately 10,000, according to the National Safety Council (NSC).

We drive every day and feel safe doing it. Air travel is much, much safer, so it makes sense to feel just as safe–or safer!–when flying!

• • Planes Are Tested–And Tested Again!–Prior to Sale.

Aerospace manufacturers choose from thin metal strips, brass and copper, stainless steel, combined metals, and copper sheet metal for sale, and begin putting together the frame of the plane. (Aluminum in all its forms–in bar shapes or cold-rolled–and stainless steel are most frequently purchased.) At completion, planes undergo several tests to ensure that they are safe and air-ready.

For example, the wings and the materials companies use to build the wings such as aluminum and copper sheet metal, are bent and put under stress. This simulates extreme situations. Manufacturers design wings to withstand stress, bouncing, and bending.

• • Aircrafts Go Through Regular, Ongoing Inspections.

Cars require a single annual inspection, and that’s it. Some states, like Florida, don’t even require that much. Aircraft, on the other hand, require annual inspections plus 100-hour or progressive inspections. Both 100-hour and progressive inspections are frequent and ongoing inspections. Safety features and structures undergo tests before every flight.

Planes are extremely safe. Manufacturers don’t just simply purchase metals, such as copper sheet metal for sale, throw it together, and call it a day. The same copper sheet metal for sale, once crafted into a plane, undergoes regular inspections. Tests are required prior to sale, planes are built to withstand turbulence, and statistics show that these measures add up to flying being one of the safest possible means of travel.