Past imperfect

There’s a reality behind those rose-tinted glasses

It’s easy to get sentimental and long for the days of old. The constant outpouring of tributes on social media for the rapidly disappearing Boeing 747 is testament to that. However, time marches on and just as records were made to be broken, aircraft designs were created to be superseded. There is no doubt that new technologies have brought enhanced safety over the decades, albeit with teething problems at times.

One wonders how many lives have been saved by the advent of Ground Proximity Warning Systems (GPWS) and how many accidents have been prevented from lessons gleaned from Flight Data Recorders (FDR). Automation has brought with it precision and efficiency, shifting the emphasis from stick and rudder to mindpower and management. All the while, designs have become increasingly economical, employing new materials, powerplants and philosophies. Yes, the skies today are a very different place.