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Old June 14th 18, 08:39 PM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
Jonathan St. Cloud
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Posts: 1,463
Default Safety against commercial pressure?

Why on earth would you "infer" that commercial pilots take more risk!!!! As I said, before dropping shade on the line pilots, fly a year in their shoes! Commercial means you need a glider to sell rides in. If you brake them, end of commerce. These pilots fly all year long in conditions most private owners including myself, would prefer not to fly. On blowing east wind days, myself and the other privates stay home. The line pilots fly, and when I was a line pilot I flew. The line pilots including tow pilots are expected to not fly if the conditions are too much for their skills. I turned down only two rides, due to weather conditions and both times the owners were happy that I knew when conditions were pushing my skills. On one of those rides, one of the owners came to the office on his day off with the kids to fly the ride. NO ONE wants to break a glider.

We recently had a much beloved CFI/commercial/examiner... retire. When asked what she enjoyed most about retirement, she blurted out "Knowing I don't have to come to work on those blowing east wind days". So yeah, the line pilots fly everyday "in conditions many would not venture". These men and women do a great service to our sport. I for one appreciate their hard work.

Jonathan


On Thursday, June 14, 2018 at 9:16:11 AM UTC-7, wrote:
I seem to get a beating for attacking commercial pilots in general. Please read my first post carefully: the whole point is about the phrase "in conditions many would not venture".

According to Collins:

"If you venture somewhere, you go somewhere that might be dangerous. [literary]
People are afraid to venture out for fear of sniper attacks. Few Europeans who had ventured beyond the Himalayas had returned to tell the tale."

Every other meaning in the book also stresses the concept of taking a risk.

So, I inferred the poster meant that some commercial pilots, flying for commercial operators, take risks knowingly, more so than other sailplane pilots. That is what I find disturbing, especially if they do it when taking guests with them.

If the consensus is that nobody does it, and I understood the phrase wrong, it's OK with me.

I also clearly stated that I didn't want to relate this thread to the particular accident, having no details about the causes or conditions of the crash.