Pilots' right to privacy needs waiving

Line-drawing decision-makers need to consider requiring certain categories of employees to waive their right to privacy as a precondition of employment. And they need to compel physicians who believe their patient could cause serious carnage to report the matter to the police and/or the employer, with appropriate legal protections.

Maybe more psychological testing of pilots would help, but after the EgyptAir crash, airlines balked at the cost. Remote controlling planes from the ground? It would be expensive and not foolproof. What if a deranged ground pilot took control of a commercial airliner?

Airlines, many losing money, are severely challenged and not merely financially. With demand soaring, each week more than two dozen newly-built planes require 10 to 12 new pilots. One has to wonder if corners are being cut to meet the need.

Perhaps the best alternative is requiring co-pilots to have 2,000 hours of flight experience as in China, or at least 1,500 hours as in US. Lubitz had a scant 630. Requiring more experience is not only good on-the-job training but allows medical examiners and professional colleagues more opportunity to observe behavior. However, pilots are human and a divorce or sudden demotion can trigger psychological problems.

The good news and bottom line is: Flying is safe and getting safer, both in China and abroad. Last year 3 billion passengers flew safely on 38 million flights. Western airlines, for example, had one accident for every 4.4 million flights - the lowest rate in aviation history.

Give me a ticket for Germanwings and I'm outta here. I'd much rather be flying over Beijing than trying to cross its streets on foot.

The author is a senior adviser to Tsinghua University and former director and vice-president of ABC Television in New York.