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At 04:33 PM 10/15/00 -0700, you wrote: >----[Please read http://ercoupers.com/disclaimer.htm before following any >advice in this forum.]---- >http://www.eaa.org/benefits/experimenter/sport%5Fpilot%5Fproposal.html > >------------------------------------------------------------ > But it is no closer to being real than it was before. I believe that we need to look at the proposed Sport Pilot rating from three standpoints: + "buck nakked" new pilots moving into flying + "old duffer" pilots who can't pass/afford class III medical. + the planes that can be used. To the new pilots. Flying has a very hard set of rules. Gravity is ridgidly enforced! If you handle the plane right, use Best Practices and think it through, you'll come home "carrying your shield instead of being carried on it." There is NO SUBSTITUTE for the training in most pilot schools. Granted, the instructors may try to keep you there for as many hours as they can because of the $$$ involved. If just getting you soloed, the Ercoupe and varient types would be the "weapon of choice" in ALL flight schools. The school in my area uses Piper Cubs. They look like they will be in business awhile... But they still have the best prices in town, and I love `em! So I think that the 30-hours of the Recreational Pilot is not too far off the mark (15 hrs solo, 15 hrs dual). The flying population is really geriatric! We have to accept the fact that the older persons, the ones more likely to be involved in flying, are getting decrepid. They mostly seem to take themselves out of the cockpit when "it starts to slip," and are not that big a hazard. We must remember that the medical is mandated because the Private Pilot is but the first step that leads to the Left Front seat on the airlines. As such, a medical qualification was put in for "public protection." So two things: A valid drivers lisence should be sufficient qualification for Sport Pilot. And, if you really want to see the sparks fly, suggest that the truckers (you know, the guy piloting that 18-wheeler you are beside at 60 miles per...) be medically rated like the Commercial Pilots. Finally, it would be nice if, besides the 1200-pounds (545 kg) and stall speeds, certain two-place planes were named "Sport Pilot Legal." And the `coupe was one of `em, of course. But I guess that won't happen. So we better get a "coupe-a-like" that grosses at 1199 pounds! Percy in Portland __________________________________________________ To unsubscribe from this list please send mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] ___________________________________________________________ T O P I C A The Email You Want. http://www.topica.com/t/16 Newsletters, Tips and Discussions on Your Favorite Topics
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