Anna Koiman, a Fox News host caused a stir by speculating that the disappearance, and presumed crash, of an AirAsia flight could have been caused by usage of the metric system. Koiman spoke to Scott Brenner, a former spokesman with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
She asked him if he believes that international air travel was safe. Should American be worried about flying in international airplanes? Koiman stated, “It’s kilometers or miles. You know, everything about their (international pilots) training could be similar, but different.”
She also speculated that non-American pilots did not receive the high level of training that American pilots receive. Brenner stated that American pilots do more manual flying than their international counterparts.
Many international pilots are legally restricted from manually controlling their planes. The autopilot system is expected to perform virtually all of the flying. Fox News is known for its staunchly conservative, pro American viewpoints, and Koiman’s remarks have been viewed through that lense.
Her comments have been interpreted as an indictment of the metric system, which is used by most of the world’s nations but is not commonly utilized in the United States. Brenner responded to her remarks by stating that air travel is “incredibly safe”, both in the United States and around the world. He did not blame the metric system for the plane’s disappearance.