In article ,
says...

Flying might be dangerous --
and personal risk and danger are verboten in a society that mandates
bans on "second hand smoke" and requires seat belts in golf carts.



At the time I took that first ride in the small plane, it was to take some
pictures for a school project. The idea that I might be putting myself in any
sort of danger never crossed my mind, nor my parents’, at least not that they
mentioned to me, and no one at the school expressed any concern over my
action. My only worry was that I might feel sick, which of course didn’t
happen. Even the cost was peanuts. Maybe the pilot was doing a high school kid
a favor, hoping he would get hooked on aviation (which did happen) but with my
allowance and a little contribution from mom it was a non-issue. Today, if
any high school were to allow a student to do that the principal and
superintendant would be hauled on the carpet for reckless endangerment, the
student would be disciplined, the pilot and airport manager prosecuted and the
student’s classmates given psychological support to help them through the
trauma, while the FBI would be running background checks and the plane dusted
for explosives and anthrax! (Of course I’m exaggerating - at the rate we’re
going now it will be another five years or so before this scenario is no
longer an exaggeration).

Today that local airport, along with all of the others in the region, has
ceased all instruction, rental and for hire activities, completely squeezed
out about 15 years ago by exorbitant insurance rates. Perhaps it’s just as
well that my nephew and all of his friends hold nothing but disdain for
airplanes and aviation. If any of them were to want to take instruction they
would have a two-hour drive ahead of them to get to an airport that still
offers this insanely high-risk activity. There are four airports within 30
minutes’ driving time, and several others within an hour. All of these boasted
club and instructional activity 20 years ago.