doug@terak.UUCP (Doug Pardee) (01/04/85)
The following story illustrates what I've been jabbering about
regarding the "utility" of small planes for transportation.
The pilot got to his destination OK, but rather than pay to
have his entire family take an airline home, then have to go back
for his plane the next weekend, he took off VFR "on a cloudy,
dark night" with the clouds "at 3000 AGL" in mountainous territory.
Came awfully close to killing not only himself but his entire
family as well, all for a weekend in Tahoe.
Driving would have been safer and cheaper than VFR (or IFR) flight.
Airlines would have been safer and faster than VFR flight.
Airlines would have been safer, faster, and cheaper than IFR flight.
Either driving or airlines would have been more dependable.
Figures from "Aviation Consumer" magazine, deaths per 10 billion
passenger miles: Airlines 1, Automobiles 130, General Aviation 1600.
No mode of transportation is (all at once) dependable, fast, safe,
and cheap. Compared with personal flying, driving is more dependable,
safer, and cheaper. Airlines are more dependable, safer, and faster.
And depending on your choice of airplane, personal flying will either
be about as slow as driving or as expensive as taking the airlines.
As transportation, personal flying has nothing going for it except
a lot of hype from the folks who want to sell you something.
Doug Pardee -- Terak Corp. -- !{hao,ihnp4,decvax}!noao!terak!doug
> Following is an excerpt from "The West Valley Flyer," the monthly
> newsletter of the West Valley Flying Club in Palo Alto. Thought
> it might be of general interest.
>
> He just wanted to make sure he
> was signed off by the weekend as he didn't want to delay his
> planned trip to Lake Tahoe with his family on the weekend.
>
> The following Monday, the instructor got a call from the pilot
> expressing his gratitude for the thorough BFR. Apparently, he
> departed Lake Tahoe Sunday on a cloudy, dark night. Climbing out
> at 3,000 AGL, he suddenly found himself in a cloud. Almost
> immediately, he was in a spiral, with the airspeed at redline.
> Remembering his instructor's words, he quickly pulled the power
> off, leveled his wings, and brought the nose up. Now under
> control but still in the clouds, he sought and received
> assistance from Oakland Center. Center vectored him to VFR
> conditions, and the flight ended without further incident.