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Hi Greg,
You have a valid concern but there is nothing to stop "Old Grandad" from
flying with or with out a medical if he (any he not yours) is stubborn and
can not get a medical or a drivers licence. Most of us know that it is
time
to quit many thing when the time comes and are reasonable and do so and
those who are not so reasonable will not let regulations stand in their
way. I am sure that many of us know people that continue to fly small
aircraft from small airports who have not seen a ME in years. The FAA does
not seem to get very interested until there is an incident and then they
get all worked up about it.
Best regards,
Vern
Greg Bullough
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rg> cc:
Subject: RE:
[COUPERS-FLYIN] Investing in the future
07/18/02 05:27
PM
Please respond
to Greg Bullough
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At 10:34 AM 7/17/02 -0700, Percy Wood wrote:
> I feel that the medical requirement for the private pilots license is
> because
>it is considered the first step on the ladder into the left front seat of
an
>air liner. We don't want any sickies in the cockpit when our family is
in
>back, do we? But it is completely worthless when we are just taking
ourselves
>aloft.
I have to disagree, here.
I'm concerned that we are pushing a bit too hard on this 'self
certification'
thing.
At very least, I'd like to see an upper age limit (60?).
When my grandfather was in his seventies, he began to become spatially
disoriented. He went to drive from his house in Ventura to the bank, a
distance
of a few blocks. He ended up in Oxnard, and took two hours getting home
after a small fender-bender. It was then clear that something was wrong.
Still, it was like pulling teeth to get his car keys from him.
The DMV in Santa Paula is known as 'the' place to go if you're getting
up in years and think you might not pass the eye test or the 'once over'
the clerk gives you before renewing your license. DMVs do a LOUSY
job of weeding out physically incapable drivers. And we want them to
do that for pilots? Come on!
For every 'great old pilot' I've known, I've known or known of another who
really should have grounded himself a year or so before he 'lost his
medical.'
As a race, we don't seem to be real good at saying 'I'm too old to do this
any more.'
I don't think there's anything wrong with, once we're of an age where
we're
subject to things like Altzheimer's, macular degeneration, cataracts,
etc.,
to have an ME give us a look-see every couple of years.
Especially when GA is dealing with having to comply with things like TFRs
and complex airspaces to ensure its very survival.
Sorry to sound age-ist here, but I'd much rather have an ME tell grand-dad
that it's time to fold his wings than to have grand-dad's family have to
argue
with him about whether or not it's time to let someone else fly his
airplane.
Bad enough they have to do that with the car.
Greg
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