On Thu, Jun 27, 2002 at 08:41:06AM +1000, Mike Borgelt wrote:
> I can just see it now. A pilot in an oxygen equipped glider on a good day
> breaks off his climb at 12000 feet because his high altitude rating isn't
> current any more. A little later he lands out because his ridge soaring
> rating has lapsed and he doesn't use the working ridge that was available.
> Get real.
The GA world is replete with examples of pilots being required to land
rather than to continue to fly in situations which they're not trained
and/or rated for. That's life -- If you don't have the right rating,
you don't do the activity which you're not rated for, even if you know
you can do it safely.
... or are you proposing that pilots with lapsed night-VFR ratings are
perfectly justified in arriving home after last light because, "Get Real",
they can't be late for work the next morning? I'll defer to you to advance
that point of view with CASA, ok?
We could take your implied objection to currency tests a step further:
"I can just see it now: A pilot refuses to launch on a good day because
his license isn't current anymore. A little later he plays a game of
golf because his glider rating has lapsed and he doesn't use the working
12000' thermals that were available. Get real."
Ahem.
You're always bleating about training standards, but now you're advocating
that it's ok that pilots put themselves into "risk-enhanced" situations
without any training at all, or with ancient training and no demonstration
of currency. How is that supposed to assist safety in our sport?
For what it's worth, Redmond's proposal -was- a new way of doing things.
In the current GFA system there's very little emphasis on high-altitude
and ridge flying: pilots are just turned loose to do whatever they see
fit, which leads to gliders crashing into ridges (do you still read A-G?
Check out the issue a few months ago for a recent example of precisely
that. There have been lots of other examples over the last few years too).
So tell us what you want, Mike: Do you want improved standards of training
for glider pilots, or do you want the current limitations on training
preserved in the interests of, ahem, taking the opportunity to do things
the right way?
- mark
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I tried an internal modem, [EMAIL PROTECTED]
but it hurt when I walked. Mark Newton
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