Downright Scary...

"Jay Honeck" wrote in message
news:UixGc.32855$XM6.30813@attbi_s53...

He's got the "right stuff" -- if he can adjust his attitude.

No.. just dumb luck.

--------------------
Richard Kaplan, CFII

www.flyimc.com

Yes, of course. Honesty with passengers about their safety takes
precedence
over ego and over any desire to have them fly with me again. If the
positions were reversed and I were the unsuspecting non-pilot passenger
(or
if someone I care about were some pilot's unsuspecting passenger), I would
certainly hope to be treated with honesty and with respect for my informed
consent. So that's how I would treat others. What could be more basic?

Let me see if I've got this straight:

You would simply go up to this pilot's passenger -- his wife, mind you --
and *tell her* that she was in grave danger flying with her dunderhead of a
husband?

It's a miracle you've survived as long as you have.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

(Part of me is dumb with admiration for the pilot!)

It's funny -- I didn't want to bring that up, but I feel the same way.

The guy showed extraordinarily bad judgment, followed immediately by a
display of extraordinary skill and courage.

He's got the "right stuff" -- if he can adjust his attitude.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

In retrospect, I should have walked to the farm house and had someone
at Advanced Heli with more experience come get the chopper. I was
real stupid to have flown it again that day. Anything could have been
wrong with it. The bearings could have been shot from the overspeed.
I could have been back in the air when it failed.

Wow -- great story, Bryan.

Scary stuff, too.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

"Jay Honeck" wrote in message
news:QgxGc.33739$7t3.24958@attbi_s51...
You would simply go up to this pilot's passenger -- his wife, mind you --
and *tell her* that she was in grave danger flying with her dunderhead of
a
husband?

No, of course not. I would just describe, in the abstract, the illegality
and grave danger (even to highly experienced pilots) of flying VFR into IMC,
and of flying in or near thunderstorms. She can then draw her own
conclusions about her spouse.

--Gary

"Gary Drescher" wrote in message
news:bpxGc.33763$7t3.6242@attbi_s51...
"Jay Honeck" wrote in message
news:QgxGc.33739$7t3.24958@attbi_s51...
You would simply go up to this pilot's passenger -- his wife, mind
you --
and *tell her* that she was in grave danger flying with her dunderhead
of
a
husband?

No, of course not. I would just describe, in the abstract, the illegality
and grave danger (even to highly experienced pilots) of flying VFR into
IMC,
and of flying in or near thunderstorms. She can then draw her own
conclusions about her spouse.

--Gary

And by the way, abstractly describing the danger sounds pretty much like
what you did, according to your follow-up post. So I don't think we're in
disagreement here.

--Gary

"Jay Honeck" wrote in message news:JSmGc.14184$JR4.8572@attbi_s54...

The next morning I sought out our brave and stalwart guests, and was
surprised to meet a newly minted Private Pilot, off on his first long cross
country trip in a rented 172 with his wife. He nonchalantly mentioned the
"rough ride" into Iowa City, but soon the conversation drifted to local
attractions and our theme suites.

Just because he didn't confess to you doesn't mean he didn't have the
stuffing scared out of him. I have done a few things in my life that
made a life changing impression on me, but I didn't necessarily admit
them to the whole world immediately, even though I was kicking myself
over and over. Very few of us are totally transparent, especially when
we've just been a big fool. Hopefully that is true in his case.
--
Gene Seibel
Hangar 131 - http://pad39a.com/gene/plane.html
Because I fly, I envy no one.

"Richard Kaplan" wrote in message
s.com...

"Jay Honeck" wrote in message
news:UixGc.32855$XM6.30813@attbi_s53...

He's got the "right stuff" -- if he can adjust his attitude.

No.. just dumb luck.

--------------------
Richard Kaplan, CFII

www.flyimc.com

And you are perfectly correct.

Flying isn't something one can perform realistically over time that
allows you the luxury of "making a mistake" like this one; then be
allowed the luxury of getting your "attitude changed".
It doesn't work that way...at least not in the world I know.
Flying requires a specific discipline that absolutely must be learned
and adhered to without exception in order to survive the experience for
any protracted period of time. Anything less than acquiring this
discipline should be considered a sure path to disaster.
There are many endeavors in this world where you are afforded the luxury
of making bad decisions without terminal consequences; flying should
NEVER be considered one of these endeavors.
You learn the rules; you play by the rules; you can exist safely in
aviation and live a long and happy life. You bend the rules; you make
these bad decisions; and sooner or later; you will be dead!
I'm not saying here that you can't make a bad decision and live to fly
another day. I'm not even saying that you can't do what this pilot did
and fly your way out of it with superior skill. Obviously you can. But
you can also fly your way out with dumb luck!!!
What I AM saying is that although a bad attitude can indeed be changed,
and by all means, we as pilots should seek to do all we can to insure a
bad attitude actually GETS changed; to accept the premise that one can
"change" an attitude that should have been present to begin with, is to
accept a standard that's less than is realistically required to survive
in aviation.
In other words, it's the pilot's bad decision that should be the lesson
here; NOT his skill. The decision was obvious; and provable as being
extremely dangerous to both himself, his passengers, and the people
below him on the ground. His "skill" in extricating himself from the
problem can't realistically be separated from his "luck", and as such
should be totally discounted.
The object lesson here is obvious. Flying absolutely DEMANDS that
REGARDLESS of a pilot's "skill", this type of decision must NEVER be
made.......PERIOD!!!!!
Dudley Henriques
International Fighter Pilots Fellowship
Commercial Pilot/ CFI Retired
For personal email, please replace
the z's with e's.
dhenriquesATzarthlinkDOTnzt

And by the way, abstractly describing the danger sounds pretty much like
what you did, according to your follow-up post. So I don't think we're in
disagreement here.

Agreed, now that you've clarified your recommendations.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

Just because he didn't confess to you doesn't mean he didn't have the
stuffing scared out of him. I have done a few things in my life that
made a life changing impression on me, but I didn't necessarily admit
them to the whole world immediately, even though I was kicking myself
over and over. Very few of us are totally transparent, especially when
we've just been a big fool. Hopefully that is true in his case.

Good point, Gene. I've been there and done that, too.

I hope this is the case with this guy.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"