fredc@bmcg.UUCP (Fred Cordes) (08/23/85)
I rent and fly planes in the San Diego area and have noticed an increase in the rental-flying school business lately. I went to several schools here a couple of months ago and they LOOKED much busier than they have for the last 2-3 years. I have to reserve a plane at least a week in advance for weekend flights. I think the commercial about the student pilot is really funny. The actions are completely absurd- the plane charging the building at low level and especially the part where the plane drops straight down and the wings flop off. Its silly and obviously in humor. The evening TV news does far more damage to the sport and business of aviation than commercials ever will (not intentionally, I'm sure) and is bound to always have plenty of material from pilot error alone. We as pilots could certainly do a lot to improve the public perception of flying safety by taking more positive action than boycotting a product. The fact that the commercial focused on flying in the first place is a change for the good. I suggest that letters to the company mentioned would be more useful if they asked for MORE airplane spots- perhaps with suggestions that put flying in a better light. Fred Cordes (These opinions are mine alone and not necessarily those of my employer)