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Glen.
I understand your concerns and I am totally with you.
But I ask why, if someone breaks the rule, are all that are not breaking the
rule have to be punished?
This makes no sense and is totally unfair. That is the same if some one
steals something somewhere we all have to be put in chains. Not right I
think. And not helpful either.
One example from the weird world in Europe, Germany.
Last summer one Ultralight pilot lost his mind in an argument with his wife
and killed her.
The wife was missed by many folks and the police started searching and
questioning the Ultralight pilot. He realized that it is just a matter of
time until they get him.
He decided to leave this world with a bang. He flew his son for the last
time around an airport close to Berlin, Germany, landed, sent him home and
took off again toward Berlin downtown. That is due to all the airports here
in controlled airspace.
He flew in there without talking to the controllers and made it right to the
heart of the German government, the German Reichstag. He crash landed his
plane in front of the Reichstag - no one was hurt. He was dead.
Of course the politicians got scared. They could not understand how a
airplane like that was undetected by radar and could go so far. They already
saw the Reichstag collapse.
Result: A No fly zone has been established over Berlins Center. We all who
fly by the rules are not allowed to fly there anymore. But the next guy who
does not give a shit of the rules can of course fly there. No one will stop
him. And if he kills himself, no one can even sentence him to anything. The
ruling is hurting the GA business around Berlin. Sightseeing is out of a
question. The decision of some scared cluesless politiciansis hurting the
economy but does not add anymore security to the area.
Get my drift?
The punishment of the law obeying folks does not stop the criminals. Or the
non-obeying folks.
If I would be part of the FAA and find out that a lot of people are being
caught flying in 415-D s , claiming it to be a sport pilot plane, then I
have to look at the rules again and see how I can implement these folks
without having them or someone else hurt. Simple as that. I would just have
Univair come up with a new addition to the TC that would give all Ercoupes a
chance to be included with new weight limits and stall speeds. Simple
Adding more and more restrictions to the society will end up in the society
overthrowing the restrictions. Or if the group is just big enough, everyone
is just ignoring it.
Or are you driving 65 on the freeway ?
Hartmut
----- Original Message -----
From: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: "johnny thompson" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; "tech"
<[email protected]>; <[email protected]>
Sent: Thursday, November 24, 2005 12:54 PM
Subject: [COUPERS-FLYIN] Re: [COUPERS-TECH] Flying Smart?
Last night, I read the latest issue of the NTSB reports. One report was
about a guy who was not authorized, "borrowing" a Citation jet and going for
a joy ride with 5 friends. He landed safely. No one was hurt and the
airplane was not damaged. Because this guy broke the rules, there are two
senators proposing the following:
1. Every airport in the country be fenced in (using tax dollars).
2. Every pilot file a flight plan for every flight.
3. Further restricted/prohibited areas around major cities (as we have now
in DC).
AOPA and a team of others are fighting these proposals but the point is
this...this pilot broke the rules and because of that, I may lose some of my
freedoms and privileges. Those people against general aviation pick up on
these rather "minor" infractions and exploit them, doing irrevocable harm to
the rest of the aviation community. Please don't break the rules, as
ridiculous as they may be, by flying anything but a C or CD Ercoupe in the
Sport category...it really could ruin it for the rest of us.
While I am on this diatribe...
I keep my Grumman Tiger at HPN, White Plains, NY. It is tied down in an
area about 1/4 mile from the FBO building. The entire airport is fenced-in
and locked. There is a door in the security fence very close to my
airplane. I was given a key to this door by the FBO along with a dozen or
so others who have airplanes in this tie-down area. We were warned by the
FBO to make sure this door is locked after we enter through it. It has a
heavy spring to automatically close it. To force it to stay open, one would
have to place a rock under it to jam it open. On three occasions, someone
did just that, jammed a rock under the door so his friends could come in
through that door and he would not have to wait for them to let them in.
Now that door has been permanently closed by the TSA. All the plane owners
in that tiedown area have to park at the FBO, walk through the building and
walk about 1/4 mile, carrying all our stuff, because some selfish guy broke
the rules and placed a rock under the door. Please don't break the rules,
as ridiculous as they may be, by flying anything but a C or CD Ercoupe in
the Sport category...it really could ruin it for the rest of us.
Glen Davis CFII
Grumman Tiger N70GD
1946 Ercoupe N3103H
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_________(*)_________
o o o
----- Original Message -----
From: johnny thompson
To: tech
Sent: Thursday, November 24, 2005 12:19 AM
Subject: [COUPERS-TECH] Flying Smart?
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Flying without medical, current airworthiness,unauthorized modifications,
etc might not advisable.
Saturday in ****** we were at an EAA breakfast and a poker run with other
airparks. A pilot and passenger flew in from ******* in a beautiful
aircraft with a turbo-prop, made a fantastic low level pass down the runway,
fast, very fast and then some. The aircraft was designed like a small P51.
After breakfast he lined up for take off. The pilot seemed to apply full
power for maybe a max performance takeoff (show time). Seconds after
starting his roll the aircraft started weaving (tri- gear) and heading
slightly off to the left. I don't know why he did not cut power then but
continued at what seemed full power and got the left main off pavement,
right main was off the ground. The aircraft continued like this for about
300' , hit the ground with left tire and left wing very low,then started to
climb, went into a steep climb with left roll and turn till inverted at
about 200' AGL then dove back to earth killing himself and his friend. The
aircraft missed all the houses, people and my wife's Aircoupe. I don't know
why he didn't pull power off when he was still on the ground, I can only
guess.
I hope these facts did not keep the pilot from aborting and having to
report a possible minor ground accident
The aircraft appears to only have 20 hours since new, a passenger in an
experimental without the 40 hours flown off.
The aircraft did not have any approval to fly or an airworthiness
certificate of any kind, no record of any FAA Inspection approval at all.
If this is true and so far it is there will probably be no insurance (if
he had found someone to insure it) to pay for his friends funeral or help
take care of the family People that own the crash site must pay for
cleanup (fuel spill) but most likely everyone will sue the wife (estate).
Really sucks when one gets caught breaking the rules this way.
I get fed up with rules and often did break a few rules and still want to
do my own thing but then I ask myself, what will happen to my family and
friends if I screw up and they have to deal with my mess? For me that's
the bottom line
Flying 40 years and still having fun.
Johnny
Johnny Thompson
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
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