Article November 16, 1987 Issue

We don't need to be afraid to fly

Air travel obviously has an important role to play in meeting today's transportation needs. And we can count on God's being with us when we need to use the airways.

Steven R. Ryf

These days more people than ever before are traveling by air. With airline deregulation in the United States, many new carriers have entered the market, providing more flights and often cheaper fares. The large increase in the number of flights has not only caused air traffic delays but raised serious questions about air safety.

In the media and the air transport industry, concern has focused on the increased workload for air traffic controllers, on maintenance and pilot-training procedures, and on the fear of midair collisions. The public has been informed that efforts are being made in these areas to ensure the safety of passengers. But how can the person who travels by air feel secure when it seems he is subject to so many factors beyond his control? More to the point, is safety itself an illusive condition—being constantly subject to chance, affected by the environment, or vulnerable to human error?

Safety is often thought of as freedom from danger or from injury. If we want to have this freedom when we fly, or at any other time for that matter, there is a proven guidebook that is immensely practical. It's the Bible, and in it we find numerous instances of God's protecting care and power. This God-provided safety is as much ours to demonstrate today as it was for the individuals we read about in the Bible who relied on God's care centuries ago.

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