Of Aviation and Morality an Essay by Esteban Erik Stipnieks
I was enjoying www.airliners.net when I read an article about a flight from Venezuela to Iran. The trip report got my dander and then I started thinking, is there a moral code that can be applied to all aspects of aviation? Or does aviation exist without a moral compass? It is very easy to disassociate the world for flight from the metaphysical world of right and wrong but it does not take much of an examination to realize that without a basis in greater truth....there is no aviation. This essay will look at the general impact if a moral code in aviation safety and then delve into the morality for the aviation from military, commercial, general and finally being an aviation aficionado .
The notion of a safe flight is built upon a fundamental respect for human life. NASA has been sarcastically referred to as Need Another Seven Astronauts the sarcasm hiding a moral offense a wrath stirred up by the visceral hatred of the needless loss of life. Apollo 1, Challenger, and Colombia all have attached to them what is considered a moral failing. The 747 is such a beloved airplane because at its engineering core a conscience was applied. Clive Irving's book Wide Body Triumph Of The 747 was the first to describe how the tragic loss of a B-29 prototype into a Seattle meatpacking plant witnessed by a Joe Sutter impacted the 747. Aviation safety has been fired up by the words "Never again." Every aviation accident has spawned a post mortem and the moralistic desire not to repeat it. The loss of Jessica Dubroff hit pilot's lounges around the world with a visceral hateful reaction as the feeling was that fools took the life of an innocent person.
Those Christians in uniform ad here to Romans 13. Christians within the diverse world of military aviation take seriously their duty to protect the innocent and weak from corrupt who desire to harm innocents. My father, a Vietnam vet wanted to participate in Desert Shield/Desert Storm so that someone who had never tasted war would endure war. After 9/11 the US military felt a moral obligation to show the most profound intolerance to the Taliban which harbored Al Qaeda. The underlying moral conviction of many who dropped bombs on Taliban and Al Qaeda targets was: you aim to kill civilians good riddance. The F-15 pilots which killed Al Zarqowie effectively killed a mass murderer. The AC-130 crew which hunted down Al Quada in Africa brought to final justice those who killed thousands. The Christian mind has no qualms with killing those sought to kill innocents or has killed innocents. The mythic Army warrant officer is driven my a moral sense of mission he now possibly she has a distaste of those who will fudge the truth and avoid making a decision for the sake of a career...aviation is a dangerous business and war is about death. The Army warrant officer of lore will give an honest answer even if they know full well that is the last thing the CO wants. The underlying moral principal in the Western world is to bring an end to war as rapidly as possible. The development of smart ordinance was out of the desire to reduce losses of pilots. Robert McNamera is loathed because he lengthened the horror of war and his actions cost greater number of lives on both sides.
I was watching a TV special and a executive for British Airways admitted a moral demand to provide good service deep within his being was the belief that the servant who put other's needs above his own and provided comfort to travelers was a person to be commended. This is a Christian ethic from when Christ washed his disciples feet. There is also the concept of stewardship airplane the commercial pilot flies is not his. The fuel that is burned is not his. The pilot has the moral responsibility of the safety of his passengers and Christian pilots have the scripture that ultimately they are not flying for Southwest, British Airways, Qantas, etc they are flying for Christ. In short a safe flight an economical flight a flight with good service is a moral imperative. The story of the Continental Airline flight that continued across the Atlantic despite raw sewage down the isles has a visceral disgust attached to it.
As a student pilot and pilot I loved flying into ERV. Kerrville CTAF had a feel of cooperation in the air. Between words there was an unsaid feeling of cooperation. DTO at times had a feeling of hostility latent in the voices on CTAF a rush a threat. It does not take a genius to figure out which airport was a bit safer. The rules of the air like the rules of the road that focus on cooperation contain a moral guide. The idea of doing unto others the way you would have others do unto you creates a degree of safety.
Iran has vintage aircraft because they have declared war on the USA. Iran as a nation imports technology it does not create its own. Hugo Chavez follows in the mold of Santa Anna. A flight from Tehran to Caracas is a publicity stunt generating publicity value to both countries involved. One of them has sworn an oath against the world that created the world of aviation. The underlying belief that that world is understandable an can be replicated has its roots in Newton who wrote more theology then science the Western World is built upon the work of Newton. Soviet and American aviation share a common heritage.
Aviation can not exist without a moral code. The world of flight is morality coupled to technology. The technology of the 747 is first about safety then about economy. The smart bomb the stealth fighter while being instruments of war spring from the desire to minimize collateral damage while reducing loss of life related to war. The safe pleasurable airline flight can not be separated from a greater set of moral ideals of providing comfort along with the belief in sacred life. General aviation works best when pilots cooperate with each other.