Hi Mark,

I realized after hitting the "Post Message" button that my previous
post came across as a bit (understatement!) arrogant and
condescending. Sorry, it wasn't meant to be, I was reacting to the
ultralight accident I mentioned, which has really colored my opinion
about the whole "Flying is too complicated and hard, let's make it
easier" trend.

From your response it's obvious we actually think alike in many ways
when it comes to flying - except for the Sports Pilot thing. If 14
year olds can solo gliders and be licenced by 16, having mastered all
the technicalities and "hassles", then it really isn't that hard - it
just takes determination and time (and money, of course - preferably
someone else's!). Making it "easier" by crippling the performance of
the planes and limiting the pilots freedom sounds like a bad and
dangerous deal to me - and everything I have seen in the ultralight
world confirms this - there is so much blatant disrespect for the
limits going on, only the fact that when they kill themselves it is
usually out in the middle of nowhere keeps the Feds from jumping in.

The sad thing is that I love to fly real (meaning certificated) planes
in the same performance range as the ultralights (J-3s and Champs
comes to mind); and I have, but no-one makes any new ones because they
can't compete with ultralights, so we are stuck with 50-year old
designs or expensive antiques or homebuilts - and there goes the
availability and affordability!

I guess I just don't subscribe to the belief that "flying is for
everybody" - heck, there are a lot of people out there who shouldn't
even be driving a car!

Of course, I guess that whatever happens, Darwin and gravity will sort
it all out in the long run. It usually does. I just don't want to be
in the same piece of sky when it happens.

Cheers

Kirk
66
Snobby Elitist Glasshole
and PEZ addict