Do Pilots "Flash Headlights" to Warn About Speed Traps?
This post was inspired by a humorous question in my stories: "why do pilots flash their headlights at each other" with two options - to greet each other, or to warn about an oncoming point of speed control by air traffic control service.
I could not imagine that half of the respondents would fully seriously choose the second option. But since thousands of people actually chose it, I think I need to explain.
No Traffic Cops in the Sky
Of course in the sky, there are no "traffic cops", tracking speed violations or anything else. Air traffic controllers also do not perform the function of monitoring compliance of rules or punishments for their violation. Their tasks are quite different.
A Self-Regulating System
Aviation is a self-regulating structure that does not require external control over speed, for example. Simply put, the pilots do not need to be monitored — no one of them will ever think of exceeding the speed limit or any other limits.
There is a cult of safety in aviation, and if someone who could exceed the speed limit or refuse to comply with other rules could get in the captain's seat, the entire aviation security system would be worthless. They simply could not be trusted with hundreds of millions of euros and the lives of 100-500 people.
Aviation, unlike life on the ground, does not require police officers. In this system, the rules are carefully followed without any kind of external control, because the price of breaking them can be very high.
What This Reveals About Anxious Thinking
Such a high percentage of people who chose the second option indicates how strong distrust is in anxious people. "I don't believe that someone will follow the rules without supervision."
Therefore, the idea of a "speed control" in the sky seems quite logical to them.
The basis of working with fear of flying in our courses is primarily to reduce that general distrust of life. Peaceful flights are just a pleasant bonus to the big changes brought by the newfound ability to trust.
