Jeff Wise

Well, that's a great question. It's rare and it's not rare in the sense that there hasn't been a collision, a mid-air collision between a U.S. commercial airliner and another aircraft in flight. The most recent one I could find was in the 80s. And so in that sense, it's really rare. But there have been all of these near misses reported in recent years, and there's been a lot of concern

Well, that's a great question. It's rare and it's not rare in the sense that there hasn't been a collision, a mid-air collision between a U.S. commercial airliner and another aircraft in flight. The most recent one I could find was in the 80s. And so in that sense, it's really rare. But there have been all of these near misses reported in recent years, and there's been a lot of concern

You know, if you go into the pilot forums, a lot of foreign pilots think that we're crazy, that we're just cowboys and we're just very reckless with aircraft separation. So it's been a long standing issue and people have been calling out for changes for a number of years now. And so in that sense, it's not unexpected in a sense.

You know, if you go into the pilot forums, a lot of foreign pilots think that we're crazy, that we're just cowboys and we're just very reckless with aircraft separation. So it's been a long standing issue and people have been calling out for changes for a number of years now. And so in that sense, it's not unexpected in a sense.

Well, safety is really boring. You know, it's all about being meticulous, crossing your T's and dotting your I's and doing and going through checklists and like meticulously recording where every part of every aircraft comes from. And what you get at the end of all that hard work is nothing. Nothing happens.

Well, safety is really boring. You know, it's all about being meticulous, crossing your T's and dotting your I's and doing and going through checklists and like meticulously recording where every part of every aircraft comes from. And what you get at the end of all that hard work is nothing. Nothing happens.

And so people will just take for granted that I'm gonna get on the plane, I'm gonna get to where I'm going. And it's so easy when you take things for granted to say, well, maybe I'll save a little bit of money. Maybe I'll cut a corner here. Maybe I'll push the boundaries a little bit there. And you can whittle away and whittle away at a system until it breaks.

And so people will just take for granted that I'm gonna get on the plane, I'm gonna get to where I'm going. And it's so easy when you take things for granted to say, well, maybe I'll save a little bit of money. Maybe I'll cut a corner here. Maybe I'll push the boundaries a little bit there. And you can whittle away and whittle away at a system until it breaks.

So you go from complacency to sheer terror very quickly, as we've seen here. So who to blame? Who should we get angry at? Well, you know, I'll just make one observation. It's really easy to say that the US government doesn't do anything for me. I give you all my tax money and I don't get anything.

So you go from complacency to sheer terror very quickly, as we've seen here. So who to blame? Who should we get angry at? Well, you know, I'll just make one observation. It's really easy to say that the US government doesn't do anything for me. I give you all my tax money and I don't get anything.

and you just take for granted that there's roads under the wheels of your car and you take for granted that you're safe one of the things that the us government is to provide air traffic control and the main original purpose for air traffic control was to prevent aircraft from running into each other the whole system was was spawned by this actually mid-air collision that took place in 1956 over the grand canyon and people started to think maybe we should find a way to have planes not run into each other

and you just take for granted that there's roads under the wheels of your car and you take for granted that you're safe one of the things that the us government is to provide air traffic control and the main original purpose for air traffic control was to prevent aircraft from running into each other the whole system was was spawned by this actually mid-air collision that took place in 1956 over the grand canyon and people started to think maybe we should find a way to have planes not run into each other

That happens, as I said, through a result of really boring hard work. And so maybe this idea that regulation is bad, government is bad, we can just, I'll just cowboy it myself. I'll just get on that plane and just through my own hard work and cowboyness, I will make this plane get to where it's going on its own. That's not how it works. And we all have to play together nicely.

That happens, as I said, through a result of really boring hard work. And so maybe this idea that regulation is bad, government is bad, we can just, I'll just cowboy it myself. I'll just get on that plane and just through my own hard work and cowboyness, I will make this plane get to where it's going on its own. That's not how it works. And we all have to play together nicely.

And you basically have to pay somebody that knows what they're doing to tell you how these planes can go their separate ways.

And you basically have to pay somebody that knows what they're doing to tell you how these planes can go their separate ways.

You know, nothing. I mean, frankly, really. I mean, listen, I'm not happy about it. I think I don't think the government should be run this way by just sort of throwing people out the window, as it were. But safety takes time. And it's the years, years of accumulation, years of experience. You know, and it's I'll tell you this. It's always tempting to get rid of the expensive people first.

You know, nothing. I mean, frankly, really. I mean, listen, I'm not happy about it. I think I don't think the government should be run this way by just sort of throwing people out the window, as it were. But safety takes time. And it's the years, years of accumulation, years of experience. You know, and it's I'll tell you this. It's always tempting to get rid of the expensive people first.

And who are the expensive people? People with seniority, the people who've been doing it for a year and then you're out. You're really good. You talk about false economy, right? The idea that maybe you're saving a penny here and there, but what's it costing you? And so getting rid of the head of the FAA a couple of days ago, did that have a direct impact on what happened last night?

And who are the expensive people? People with seniority, the people who've been doing it for a year and then you're out. You're really good. You talk about false economy, right? The idea that maybe you're saving a penny here and there, but what's it costing you? And so getting rid of the head of the FAA a couple of days ago, did that have a direct impact on what happened last night?