"Dave Buckles" wrote in message
news:AsJfc.7906$55.1601@lakeread02...
Alternatively:
"Red" and "Right" both start with the same letter. It would sort of
make sense for them to be the same side. Since we're dealing with the
FAA, we can't have *that* sort of logic running around, so switch 'em.

The FAA didn't decide on navigation lights. The red light is on the left,
because the vessel (aircraft, in this case) to the right has the right of
way. The red light shows the other vessel, to the left, that they don't
have the right of way.

Not that starting the words with the same letter is in any way a sensible
way to decide things like this anyway. Navigation lights are used on
aircraft all over the world, and probably for every language in which the
color starts with the same letter as the side, there's another language in
which the other color starts with the same letter as the side.

If blaming it on the FAA helps you to remember, I suppose that's fine. Not
all mnemonics are logical, just memorable. But don't make the mistake of
believing that it's actually the FAA's fault.

Ditto with the cruising altitudes: "east" and "even" thousands...same
letter...nah, can't be. Swap 'em.

I'm not sure where the cruising altitudes came from, but again, making
decisions based on coincidences of language seems wrong-headed to me.
Remembering that it's the opposite is a great way to remember which is
which, but blaming the FAA for assigned the altitudes in a way that doesn't
make sense is again illogical.

There are a few more that can be worked out that way, but I don't
remember them offhand.

I guess they aren't actually good mnemonics then, since the point of a
mnemonic is to help you remember something.

Just remember: if it makes sense, it's probably
*not* done by the FAA.

IMHO, most things the FAA does DO make sense, once you find out the true
motiviation behind the things that they do. They aren't perfect, but
neither do they deserve the rampant disdain that saying things like "if it
makes sense, it's probably *not* done by the FAA" promotes. Also IMHO, it's
only made worse when a flight instructor says stuff like that. I wonder if
you instill the same disrespect for the FAA in your students. That sort of
thing is what leads to the "anti-authority" attitude.

Pete