RIP to another one

RIP. He was a good friend of my brothers and I met him last year at OSH. He has just completed the restoration on the PA12


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I hate to say this but I have almost zero interest in GA. The risk is just too great. Truthfully I'm surprised I made it to 2000 hours in pistons.

It's almost like if you make proper decisions with your airplane, including how and with whom you trust to maintain it, and put any forethought into how, when and where you fly your airplane, it doesn't matter what kind of engine is hung on the front or what reg you're operating under.
 
Driving odds aren't even in the same ballpark. I hated statistics 101 but I stayed awake for a few classes.
 
I hate to say this but I have almost zero interest in GA. The risk is just too great. Truthfully I'm surprised I made it to 2000 hours in pistons.
I know people are bagging on you for this quote, in your eyes, what do you see as the risk's?
 
I know people are bagging on you for this quote, in your eyes, what do you see as the risk's?
Lack of redundancy, lack of safety systems, generally unreliable mechanical parts as opposed to airliners (i.e. lower quality components), lack of support (dispatch, crew environment, professional mechanics, etc.).

Flying GA in general is a fairly risky behavior on a sliding scale. Day VFR isn't as risky as night IMC over the mountains. You lose an engine in a single and you're coming down. There is no pulling over. The Cirrus is actually a pretty big step forward in safety systems.

As far as driving goes yes there are lots of deaths. However if you delve deeper you'll find they are slanted toward certain makes/models. There are some cars that haven't had deaths in several years or just one or two fatalities. Not to mention, until I can teleport around, driving is pretty much the only option.
 
Lack of redundancy, lack of safety systems, generally unreliable mechanical parts as opposed to airliners (i.e. lower quality components), lack of support (dispatch, crew environment, professional mechanics, etc.).
While this is true, this isn't statistically what kills GA pilots. The big killers are all easily avoided, as I stated earlier, by just a little bit of approaching the situation as a professional and not a hack. I can understand a lack of personal comfort level with it, that's between you and, well, you, but to flat out say that it's dangerous and you're surprised you survived speaks more to your past self's judgment than anything.
There are some cars that haven't had deaths in several years or just one or two fatalities.
I find that claim EXTREMELY suspect unlesss you're talking boutique models that have only a few dozen examples on the road.
 
@wheelsup i have similar concerns. And the devil and angel have followed a similar conversation as the response to your post. Hate to see an experienced, aviator go out like this.
 
@wheelsup , thanks for answering. I don't share your opinion, but hey.

When's it's your time to go, it's your time.

I can control the amount of fuel I put in my tank, I can't control the fuel pump.

I can control where I put my helicopter, but I can't control the guy who shoots an RPG at me.
 
While this is true, this isn't statistically what kills GA pilots. The big killers are all easily avoided, as I stated earlier, by just a little bit of approaching the situation as a professional and not a hack. I can understand a lack of personal comfort level with it, that's between you and, well, you, but to flat out say that it's dangerous and you're surprised you survived speaks more to your past self's judgment than anything.

I find that claim EXTREMELY suspect unlesss you're talking boutique models that have only a few dozen examples on the road.
http://www.latimes.com/business/autos/la-fi-hy-report-on-driver-deaths-20150129-story.html

I would not consider any of the vehicles mentions as boutique. Honda Odyssey? Toyota Highlander?!? There's a dozen of those on my street alone.
 
I hate to say this but I have almost zero interest in GA. The risk is just too great. Truthfully I'm surprised I made it to 2000 hours in pistons.

On any given week I'll fly at least three different makes and models which span across the entire spectrum of aviation. The one that pays the mortgage is part 25, the ones for fun are part 23, CAR 3, or even experimental. GASP! Some of them do splash and go's, others fly upside down, some of them were built before color televisions were invented.

It is all about risk mitigation and proficiency. The Nall Report highlights GA accidents and causes. Fuel exhaustion & some form of human factors (which fuel exhaustion technically is) are still leading the pack. Mechanical or structural failure are surprising low on the list.

Some operations have more risk then others. Such as helicopter EMS than a J3 off of a quiet grass strip.

It is all about mitigation.


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http://www.latimes.com/business/autos/la-fi-hy-report-on-driver-deaths-20150129-story.html

I would not consider any of the vehicles mentions as boutique. Honda Odyssey? Toyota Highlander?!? There's a dozen of those on my street alone.
The one thing I took away from that report was it talked about driver deaths. It did not say total deaths.

It is awesome that there are vehicles now that have zero driver deaths but I think it's a little misleading of an article.
 
Lack of redundancy, lack of safety systems, generally unreliable mechanical parts as opposed to airliners (i.e. lower quality components), lack of support (dispatch, crew environment, professional mechanics, etc.).

Flying GA in general is a fairly risky behavior on a sliding scale. Day VFR isn't as risky as night IMC over the mountains. You lose an engine in a single and you're coming down. There is no pulling over. The Cirrus is actually a pretty big step forward in safety systems.

As far as driving goes yes there are lots of deaths. However if you delve deeper you'll find they are slanted toward certain makes/models. There are some cars that haven't had deaths in several years or just one or two fatalities. Not to mention, until I can teleport around, driving is pretty much the only option.

That settles it! RV-8 For Sale Last Flown: 3 hours ago.
 
On any given week I'll fly at least three different makes and models which span across the entire spectrum of aviation. The one that pays the mortgage is part 25, the ones for fun are part 23, CAR 3, or even experimental. GASP! Some of them do splash and go's, others fly upside down, some of them were built before color televisions were invented.

It is all about risk mitigation and proficiency. The Nall Report highlights GA accidents and causes. Fuel exhaustion & some form of human factors (which fuel exhaustion technically is) are still leading the pack. Mechanical or structural failure are surprising low on the list.

Some operations have more risk then others. Such as helicopter EMS than a J3 off of a quiet grass strip.

It is all about mitigation.

Sent from my Startac using Tapatalk.

Completely agree. Im about to hit my 10,000 hour mark. Most of that is in piston aircraft, and of that, a big majority of that is instructing. Flown over 50 different types of pistons, and I dont know how many hundreds of students I have taught.

Last I checked, I think I have students at every 121 airline based in the United States. Every 121 student is still living.
I also had three different people who crashed and killed themselves who I taught and flew with that went in the GA world. One crashed at the 1200 mark, and the other two at the 500ish hour mark. Pilot error in all three cases (stall/spin buzzing a house, and VFR into IMC the other two). I took them very seriously. And I am sure my students get tired of me talking about risk management, snowball effect, and breaking the chain etc.

Also agree with wheelsup about redundancy of the 121 of jet world. However, if using proper training and risk management, that is a minimal factor in the GA accident world. Is it nice to have two turbine engines? You bet! (after losing 3 engines myself I will not argue which one is safest). Am I going to avoid GA because of that? Nope. I love what I do, and will stay proficient and reassess my risk and decision making on frequent basis like every pilot should. The biggest four risk factors from within ourselves: Rushing, Frustration, Fatigue, and Complacency. We can trigger the first three, but the last one we must mitigate by developing good habits and frequent assessments.
 
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