(Tom Seim) wrote in message

You, also, should avoid employment as a debater. Character assignation
is a definte debate loser. Present your supporting evidence and let it
speak for itself.

Confusing sarcastic disagreement with character assignation (sic) is
probably not a debate winner either.

(lots of stats snipped)

Andy does an excellent rebuttal, I won't bother. I prefer first hand
observations, anyway - I've seen CFIGs crash a lot of planes on simple
training flights; the only racers I've seen hurt planes is on
outlandings (which is another issue altogether!)

What training did you get for high speed low passes? It isn't part of
the practical test standards and it certainly wasn't a part of my
training.

What does the PTS have to do with it? Some things in life you have to
figure out for yourself, find out who to talk to, watch carefully, and
ease yourself into. Acro training help (is there any PTS for that?).
Self-preservation instinct helps a lot. Prior military training helps
a lot - but can be a bit expensive in time and effort. If you want
dual, go to a field with any 2 seat glass and I'm sure any competent
CFIG would be happy to show you.

We just had a SCUBA diving fatality over the weekend that involved a
certified instructor.

So? Anybody can screw up.

Well, the guy IS showing off, that's why they do the low passes.

And what is wrong with showing off? We all do it - the cars we buy,
the clothes we wear, the sports we play. Just because someone is
showing off doesn't mean they lack judgement and are dangerous! What
about airshows - everybody is showing off there - thats what they are
all about!

I am not saying that there aren't pilots qualified to do this
maneuver, because there are. The guy that gets into trouble is the one
with 200 hours or is a high time power pilot recently transitioned
into gliders.

No that is exactly what you said. You were hammering the originator
of this thread for his choice of activity and "lack of judgement".

I see that I touched a nerve here, but that isn't my concern. Judgment
is the integration of training and experience. Let the record speak
for itself; this maneuver is, deservedly, a high risk one.

Again, risk is not the same as danger. Arguably, landings are a much
more dangerous maneuver than low passes - you get much closer to the
ground, at speeds close to the stall, and can't get away from it.

You are right about touching a nerve - We wonder why this sport is
shrinking. It's not the cost (time x money probably hasn't changed
much). But while the sport is advancing, our attitudes (in the US)
seem to stand still. Very few places seem to emphasize the excitement
of soaring; all I hear is how "peaceful and relaxing" it is. That's
fine for retirees who have had all the excitement they need, but
younger newcomers to the sport need to see something more exciting to
motivate them to stay in. And yes, that means that some "risky"
behavior is part of the attraction - XC, Acro, racing. But while the
racing crowd isn't much concerned with the training/local crowd (as
long as they stay out of the way), the training/local crowd seems to
get more vocal about their dislike of the racing crowd - the
Glassholes, showing off, etc..

No stats, just personal observation.

Kirk
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