Unfriendly Skies

I picked up a 1989 book in our local swap shop called "Unfriendly Skies" by
Captain "X" and Reynolds Dodson. It's an "as told to" about the deregulated
airline industry and a pretty good read. It sounds like not much has
changed in the last 10 years except the airlines are losing even more money.
Some good almost crashing stories by the Captain.

Boy, does this guy hate AOPA and little airplanes! He makes a big deal
about the then recent fight over the creation of Class B and C airspace and
how AOPA fought the transponder requirement. I'm a little shocked to hear
this. I like crossing that invisible magenta line and knowing the everyone
I meet for the next few miles will probably have one and be talking.

Has anybody else read this book?

--
Roger Long

Roger Long wrote:

Has anybody else read this book?

Yeah. It's one of the very few books I've read that I threw away.

George Patterson
Battle, n; A method of untying with the teeth a political knot that would
not yield to the tongue.

Do you like airline stories?
If so, you might want to look for a book called:
Debunking the Myth.
It was written by an ex-Delta VP that was at the
time breaking the silence on how Delta was no
longer a happy family run business.
But as we all know, none of the airlines are happy
families anymore.

David

"G.R. Patterson III" wrote in message ...
Roger Long wrote:
Has anybody else read this book?

Yeah. It's one of the very few books I've read that I threw away.

George,

Why so?

Sydney

Snowbird wrote:

Why so?

I don't remember all of the details, but there was a general attitude of "what
a great pilot I am" exemplified by the story in which ATC tells him he can have
any altitude he wants 'cause the weather's so bad nobody else is flying. There's
the outright hatred for GA exemplified by the statement that everyone calls the
lower sky "Indian Country" 'cause we're all out to get people like him. And there's
the fact that I really despise anonymous authors.

Normally I will give a book away if I simply don't intend to read it again. I
found this one poisonous enough to send it to the landfill.

George Patterson
Battle, n; A method of untying with the teeth a political knot that would
not yield to the tongue.

"G.R. Patterson III" wrote in message
...

.... There's
the outright hatred for GA exemplified by the statement that everyone
calls the
lower sky "Indian Country" 'cause we're all out to get people like him.

I thought "Indian Country" was a reference to all the little
planes being named after tribes. Well, the Piper planes
anyway. Oh well. Live and learn.

I agree with George, the book was anti-GA in a big way. The impression was that
airline pilots in general feel the same but that is not the case. Most have
some experience and many own light planes and are very pro- GA.

(PS2727) wrote in message ...
I agree with George, the book was anti-GA in a big way. The impression was that
airline pilots in general feel the same but that is not the case. Most have
some experience and many own light planes and are very pro- GA.

I agree. Most guys like GA. But every outfit has a few sour notes in
it. Too bad this butt head got published. "Unfriendly Skies" kinda
sounds like old United. The current guys are great, but we used to
say: "All United pilots have been through asshole school," refering to
their cavalier attitudes on the radio, particularly in Denver. That
ceased once they became number two in size.

Ps2727 psa three-holer? If that's the case: thanks for the old JS's.
:-)

pacplyer

In article ,
"Roger Long" om
wrote:

I picked up a 1989 book in our local swap shop called "Unfriendly Skies" by
Captain "X" and Reynolds Dodson. It's an "as told to" about the deregulated
airline industry and a pretty good read. It sounds like not much has
changed in the last 10 years except the airlines are losing even more money.
Some good almost crashing stories by the Captain.

Boy, does this guy hate AOPA and little airplanes! He makes a big deal
about the then recent fight over the creation of Class B and C airspace and
how AOPA fought the transponder requirement. I'm a little shocked to hear
this. I like crossing that invisible magenta line and knowing the everyone
I meet for the next few miles will probably have one and be talking.

Has anybody else read this book?

--
Roger Long



I am a veteran of that battle -- its intent was to put everybody under
"positive control," which the system could never handle. At that time,
there was a coterie of seven who ruled FAA -- two of whom were Keith
Potts, then head of ATC and Herman McClure, then head of FAA Western
Div. They had no use for the Little Guy, and wanted to push us off the
map.

Eventually, we formed a petition to reassign Potts -- McCluire was also
reassigned.

Orval Fairbairn wrote:

At that time,
there was a coterie of seven who ruled FAA -- two of whom were Keith
Potts, then head of ATC and Herman McClure, then head of FAA Western
Div. They had no use for the Little Guy, and wanted to push us off the
map.

It would not surprise me at all to find that this book is a collection of
anecdotes assembled by one of these guys masquerading as a pilot.

George Patterson
Battle, n; A method of untying with the teeth a political knot that would
not yield to the tongue.