AOPA advocates in-flight mobile phone use

Eric Greenwell wrote:

Flying an airplane simply does not involve the close attention
driving a car does, except close to airports, so I don't think
we can apply studies done for driving to flying.


One is so frequently near an airport of some kind, in so much of the
country, that I can hardly believe you really mean that.

Above FL 180 it is true there is less watchfulness required under
most circumstances. Below that the average pilot simply is unaware
how MUCH traffic there is which he simply does not see. At the
altitudes flown by most sailplanes there is plenty of traffic about
which to be concerned, very little effective watchfulness on the
part of most light-plane pilots, and an almost complete lack of
understanding of the threat of sailplane traffic among your average
light-plane driver.

The Big Sky concept is responsible for an awful lot of ignorance,
and plain dumb luck. Darwin would otherwise have cleared out those
who just don't get it a long time ago. Have we forgotten already
about the biz jet/glider midair from last season?


Jack

Jack wrote:
Eric Greenwell wrote:

Flying an airplane simply does not involve the close attention
driving a car does, except close to airports, so I don't think
we can apply studies done for driving to flying.


One is so frequently near an airport of some kind, in so much of the
country, that I can hardly believe you really mean that.

"Near" an airport is not well defined, and I know the traffic density
varies hugely depending where you are. That's the real factor, of
course. In the Western US away from the coast, where I do most of my
flying, getting more than 5 miles from an untowered airport starts to
get lonely.

But what I meant was you can close your eyes for, say, 30 seconds while
you are flying an airplane, and nothing bad happens. Try that in a car.
Put the airplane on auto pilot, and you don't even have to worry about
staying level. With a transponder, flight following, maybe a TPAS unit,
to do your "scanning", all you have to worry about (mostly) is gliders
and ultralights. It's a very different situation from driving a car, and
that's why I don't think we can apply the "distraction while driving"
studies to flying.


Above FL 180 it is true there is less watchfulness required under most
circumstances. Below that the average pilot simply is unaware how MUCH
traffic there is which he simply does not see.

I agree completely, and I now advocate pilots getting a Zaon MRX or
similar TPAS/PCAS unit so they become aware of this traffic.

At the altitudes flown by
most sailplanes there is plenty of traffic about which to be concerned,

I'm not sure that this true of "most" sailplanes, because the amount of
traffic depends very much on where you are, not just the altidue. I can
fly for hundreds of miles in Eastern Washington state and not see an
airplane or have my MRX detect anything. If "there is plenty of traffic
about which to be concerned", and assuming it's airplane traffic you
mean, I recommend the pilot get a transponder.

very little effective watchfulness on the part of most light-plane
pilots, and an almost complete lack of understanding of the threat of
sailplane traffic among your average light-plane driver.

Yes, and yes.


The Big Sky concept is responsible for an awful lot of ignorance, and
plain dumb luck. Darwin would otherwise have cleared out those who just
don't get it a long time ago. Have we forgotten already about the biz
jet/glider midair from last season?

I very much doubt it. "Mistakes were made" in that case, and we all hope
other pilots in similar circumstances will not compound these mistakes
by using their mobile phone.

--
Eric Greenwell - Washington State, USA
* Change "netto" to "net" to email me directly
* "Transponders in Sailplanes" http://tinyurl.com/y739x4
* "A Guide to Self-launching Sailplane Operation" at www.motorglider.org