At 10:30 AM 27/03/04 +1030, you wrote: >Hey Mike, >Did you hear about the jazz guitarist who won a million dollar lottery. When >aked what he would do with the money he replied "I'll keep playing jazz till >the money runs out"...(-: > >Regards all > >Dav >
Just mouthing off, Dav? Or do you have anything useful to add? Mike >----- Original Message ----- >From: "Mike Borgelt" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >To: "Discussion of issues relating to Soaring inAustralia." ><[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >Sent: Wednesday, March 10, 2004 9:57 AM >Subject: Re: [Aus-soaring] Re:accident ABC news report > > >> At 11:39 PM 9/03/04 +1100, you wrote: >> > >> >>Mike Borgelt wrote: I'd prefer "we will expedite a full report so others >> >>may learn" to >> >>"there will be a full report in the fullness of time." >> > >> >While I agree that we can all learn from a detailed understanding of what >> >happened in a gliding accident, particularly a tragic one, there's >another >> >reason why I value early details. >> > >> >Lots of my friends and colleagues know I'm a glider pilot. For many of >> >them, perhaps the majority, I'm the only pilot they know. When something >> >like this happens they ask me about it. On the one hand I feel a certain >> >pressure to defend the sport. On the other hand I feel that my friends >and >> >colleagues expect me to be "in the know". >> > >> >Whenever there's a gliding related incident in the media I rely on this >> >list, and RAS to get some facts that maybe aren't in the news reports (or >> >are misreported) while it's still fresh in people's minds. It's not much >> >use (in the particular situation I'm thinking of in the photocopier room >at >> >work or at the pub) to say "I'll get back to you in a few months when >we've >> >got the whole story." >> > >> >I'm proud of the sense achievement I feel when I reflect that I AM a >glider >> >pilot, but it's a heavy responsibility when so many friends and >colleagues >> >see it as a wacky, dangerous thing to do, about which they know next to >> >nothing. "What if there's no wind?", "Aren't you scared with no engine?", >> >"What about that guy who got killed?" >> > >> >I've been off work today (coincidentally to attend a funeral of a friend >> >from my other [dangerous?] life as a jazz musician) but the questions >will >> >start around nine o'clock tomorrow morning at my day gig. >> >> >> Well, gliding is certainly dangerous as is all of aviation but with proper >> training and operational philosophies the risks can be managed as has been >> shown by most of the rest of aviation. >> >> It just requires the will to do it from those who place themselves in the >> position of "controlling" the sport. >> >> Safety is everyone's responsibility, not the province of a few GFA ops >> people and instructors. Unfortunately while the latter philosophy prevails >> (as it does in Australia) we will go on needlessly breaking gliders and >> killing and injuring people. >> >> Keeping all pilots "in the loop" on accident investigations and producing >> timely preliminary reports is a good first step. >> >> At present the "keep the information for a select few" policy has resulted >> in many gliding club members being unable to appreciate the hazards of >> their day to day operations due at least partly to this enforced >ignorance. >> >> At one club of my acquaintance a couple of power instructors I know (who >> used to to both fly gliders years ago) looked at the operation and came >> away horrified. One of them actually rang me to ask if this was normal. >> Unfortunately the answer is yes. >> >> So if you want to change this you will have to convince the GFA grand >> poohbahs to stop telling each other what a great job they are doing and do >> something useful with the several hundred thousand dollars a year they >> collect. >> >> If you are a new student why don't you ask the next instructor you fly >with >> how many hours he or she has over how many years and how many gliders he >or >> she has broken? I guarantee some of you will get a nasty surprise. I'd >> suggest you choose an instructor with at least 500 accident free hours. >> Read all the books you can. Piggott and Reichmann are a good start. Ask >> your instructor if he or she has read them. >> >> If you are on your club's management committee it might be a good idea to >> take control of your instructors and weed out the unsuitable ones. The >> students should not have to do it for you. >> >> Don't then have enough instructors to maintain a training operation? >> Consider not being one. I had an interesting conversation a month ago with >> a CASA gentleman who was quite surprised to learn that the GFA required >all >> clubs to be training operations. His question was why? Interestingly he is >> the sponsor for the writing of part 103(sport aviation operations). >> >> Mike >> >> >> Borgelt Instruments - manufacturers of quality soaring instruments >> phone Int'l + 61 746 355784 >> fax Int'l + 61 746 358796 >> cellphone Int'l + 61 428 355784 >> Int'l + 61 429 355784 >> email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >> website: www.borgeltinstruments.com >> >> _______________________________________________ >> Aus-soaring mailing list >> [EMAIL PROTECTED] >> http://lists.internode.on.net/mailman/listinfo/aus-soaring >> >_______________________________________________ >Aus-soaring mailing list >[EMAIL PROTECTED] >http://lists.internode.on.net/mailman/listinfo/aus-soaring > Borgelt Instruments - manufacturers of quality soaring instruments phone Int'l + 61 746 355784 fax Int'l + 61 746 358796 cellphone Int'l + 61 428 355784 Int'l + 61 429 355784 email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] website: www.borgeltinstruments.com _______________________________________________ Aus-soaring mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://lists.internode.on.net/mailman/listinfo/aus-soaring
