Flying is even safer than you think

The last fatal crash involving a commercial airliner in the U.S. was two years ago when a Colgan Air turboprop stalled out and slammed into a house in Buffalo, N.Y. The disaster claimed 50 lives. This month, federal regulators finally released draft recommendations on ways to prevent airline pilots from flying aircraft too slowly. From the WSJ:

The Colgan cockpit crew lost track of the plane's speed as it approached the airport, prompting the captain to yank sharply on the controls to raise the nose of the slow-moving Bombardier Q400. The proper response is to push forward on the yoke to recover from a stall. An aerodynamic stall occurs when a plane's speed drops, allowing the wings to lose lift. Under those circumstances, pilots can't maintain controlled flight.

What's stunning about the Colgan case, as well as other safety initiatives, is how long it takes to issue actual directives. We're talking years - and if the matter is complicated or controversial, many years. Paradoxically, this lack of urgency might be the result of the industry's safety record.