Learning to fly. (Letters).In his recent column, Charles Peters ("Tilting at Windmills," September) took a couple of uninformed swipes at private pilots. He says we receive "gentler" treatment from "Congress and the FAA." Gentler than what? Private pilot training is bootcamp compared with training for private drivers and private boaters. We are also required to submit to biennial flight reviews The flight review (previously the Federal Aviation Administration referred to this as a biennial flight review, usually abbreviated BFR) is a review required of every active holder of a U.S. pilot certificate at least every two years. with a qualified instructor, and many of us get booted out of the cockpit due to medical conditions See carpal tunnel syndrome, computer vision syndrome, dry eyes and deep vein thrombosis. that would not affect the privileges of the driver of a 700-hp speed boat on a public lake. Mr. Peters apparently believes that private pilots as a group are cavalier toward aviation risks. I suppose there are a few jerks in every crowd, but on the whole we're a pretty conscientious bunch, especially those of us who fly with family or friends. We know that flying an airplane is more dangerous than driving a car. As private pilots we learn to think in terms of risk management. If we go on to more demanding ratings and more complex aircraft, risk management takes on more and more significance. I don't think anyone in aviation is satisfied with the status quo [Latin, The existing state of things at any given date.] Status quo ante bellum means the state of things before the war. The status quo to be preserved by a preliminary injunction is the last actual, peaceable, uncontested status which preceded the pending controversy. , but as a group we are anything but cavalier about it. DAVID M. SMITH David M. Smith (November 10 1926 - May 20 1951) was a soldier in the U.S. Army during the Korean War. He was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions on September 1, 1950. Medal of Honor citation Rank and organization: Private First Class, U.S. Plano, Texas Plano (IPA: /ˈpleɪnoʊ/) is a wealthy suburb of Dallas, Texas, located to the north, mainly within Collin County, but also extending into Denton County. According to the 2000 U.S. |
|
||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion