"MJC" wrote in
:

To bring just a little sensibility to this thread that started
stupidly
and racist enough:
There IS something I've been wondering about. Forget the student
because
he's just a student and may not have known better. But the other guy
was an instructor from what we read. With that being the case, I have
some questions and/or comments to throw in here.
The planned trip was quite a distance away so this supposedly
knowledgeable instructor must have filed a VFR flight plan as is
accepted practice for ANY responsible pilot.

Why supposedly knowledgeable? Most instructors these days have the
minimum time required for CFI certificate. Many know little more than
their students. I don't know about this guy, but from what little I've
seen that he's pretty green.

If so, and they wandered
toward the White House, would they not have been in a discussion with
at least the FSS of the area.

FSS has no idea where you are. FSS has no radar, and is *not* an air
traffic control agency. They just take, open, and close flight plans,
and provide weather briefings.

And if they weren't talking to anyone,
and their 1200 transponder blip was seen heading toward the White
House, would it not have been a simple thing for the FSS to take a
look at all the VFR flight plans in the area for that time and figured
out who it might be and try to raise them on the radio WAY before the
150 got so close to the White House?

No, it would not have been simple. Flight plans are not required, so
anyone at all could have been there.

Additionally (and if it were me), I would have asked for Flight
Following as is MY custom for any cross country VFR flights. No, they
may not have asked for that, but I would have thought that they would
have for the purpose of getting the student more radio time which is
an important part of the pilot's learning process.

But few pilots actually do that, and it is certainly not required.

Bottom line is that I have to wonder: Weren't they talking to
ANYBODY
after they took off? Are we to think that a C150 owned by a flying
club had no radio?

I don't know, but they didn't have to talk to anyone, while VFR.

For my part, I have to think that they WERE talking to somebody
and that
we will eventually find out that some responsibility may rests with
the FAA in some capacity.

Well, maybe, but I wouldn't bet on it. Again, FSS has no responsibility
for any of this, and the pilots are not required to talk to anyone, nor
to file a flight plan. At first glance, it appears to be an
underqualified (read average) instructor and a student just tooling along
oblivious to everything. I would bet that they didn't file, didn't talk
to anyone, and the FAA had no clue as to who they were. I might turn out
to be wrong, but I doubt it.

--
Regards,

Stan

"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary
safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." B. Franklin