Before examining the Airline Pilot's views on Flight Safety, a brief look at this Airline Pilot will be taken to get a rough idea of the viewpoint from which he speaks.

The Chairman, in his opening remarks, referred to pioneering. In the early days of aviation the pilot was a pioneer, and as such he had to take risks. At the present time, and in some parts of the world many years ago, the pioneering adventure of flying has grown up into a serious transport industry, and the airline pilot has grown up with it. Today, the airline pilot is an executive of that transport industry; a highly skilled employee or a highly specialised manager depending on the way you look at him.