intro flight question

[bob loblaw]

I understand your position and believe it or not, respect your opinion. However, our industry is plaqued with the same type of preventable accidents. These preventable accidents include, but are not limited to fuel exhaustion (different from starvation) VFR into IMC, CFIT, loss of control at low altitude during manuevering. There are more, I just don't have time to list them. At this time, the FAA's answer to these types of accidents are training and equipment requirement TAWS, and ground prox warning. The equipment helps some, but the training isn't sinking in.

These accidents are caused by pilots who share the same personality (behavior if you like) traits. We have the risk taker, the anti authority, and those who give into pressure like get home itis (similar to git-her-done-itis). We can determine who has those traits by scenario based questions and psychological evaluations. The airlines do it, the police departments do it, and other industries do the testing. Before you say that it doesn't always work, there are cops who shouldn't be cops. It works, but it isn't an end-all. We still need training to further prevent these types of accidents.

My last question to you and anyone else who can answer it. I would like more emphasis placed on this question rather than my entire post, so here goes. What is more unfair or unjust, a person who is denied a pilot license, or a passenger(s) who is killed by a pilot in any types of those accidents listed above?

 

[bob loblaw]

Also any given personality trait can be dangerous in the cockpit depending on the situation, that same personality trait can be a lifesaver under different circumstances.[/quote]

But rarely do these pilots have the skill to save themselves or their passengers when they get into a situation their personality put them in. The NTSB accident reports are full of evidnece of this. I do respect and appreciate your opinion though.

 

[bob loblaw]

Because this is America, not "Brave New World."

You really don't see a difference between a disease that may make you pass out in an airplane and a personality that you don't happen to like? So if I get into a position of power and decide that I don't like your personality type, I can get rid of you? Cool!

Amazing what people in this country are willing to put up with. Some of them even recommend it.

Although it sounds like I support Big brother, I really don't. Would you want someone who is Bi-polar flying you or your loved ones around. You can't diagnose this condition by a bloodtest or catscan, however, you can diagnose it by psychological evaluation. How many pilots who have this condition and are flying in GA? It's hard to tell because they are not evaluated. Scary thought though isn't it?

 

[MidlifeFlyer]

How many pilots who have this condition and are flying in GA? It's hard to tell because they are not evaluated. Scary thought though isn't it?

I respect your viewpoint as well. But the truth is, I really =do= find the level of government intrusion this represents to be much, much scarier than the few deaths it might prevent.

My last question to you and anyone else who can answer it. I would like more emphasis placed on this question rather than my entire post, so here goes. What is more unfair or unjust, a person who is denied a pilot license, or a passenger(s) who is killed by a pilot in any types of those accidents listed above?

When you put it that way, the deaths are more unjust than one pilot. But that's not the question you're posing. What you are proposing goes far beyond that.

Our founding fathers had to deal with that same calculation when they wrote the 4th and 5th amendment. I'm sure at least one person in the Constitutional Convention posed the question: What is more unjust; that someone is killed by a criminal who escapes justice, or that some criminal get put into prison without due process.

Fortunately, they had a broader view and figure that the real question was "is it more unjust for the killer to go free or that everyone be subject to unlimited governmental power?

What is more unfair or unjust, a society in which the government gets to see and base privileges on how you think, or a passenger(s) who dies in one of the 300 or so fatal GA accidents that take place in a year.

Frankly, I like their question and answer much better than yours

(You don't =really= think that this kind of proposal would be limited to aviation, do you? If you do, sorry, but you have a lot more faith in our government than our history suggests is wise. next step - crazy drivers - the theory is just as reasonable, and now they have =everyone=).