"Teacherjh" wrote in message
...
How is this different from any other mishap due to poor planning? We go
out
and look every time an ELT beeps, forchrissakes, and we don't punish them
by
saying "we're not a frigging hospital - you should have brought your own
splints".

You're right, it's no different. And if a pilot got their airplane stranded
in the middle of the Rockies because it ran out of fuel, the extent of
support the pilot would receive would be search and rescue. The pilot would
not get any special dispensation for fuel, nor should he expect it.

Same as the guy in Antarctica. He should be thankful he's getting a ride
home. He has no reason to expect fuel to be provided to him. If he wants
fuel, he can contract to have it delivered to the airplane himself. Of
course, it'd probably be cheaper to just buy a new plane, but that's his
choice.

There's a big difference between providing splints and retrieving personal
property.

Pete