I know of at least a couple former pilots that will tell me their
antics about scraping tree limbs on final into a dark airport,
encountering IMC, or whatever. And then they're like "yeah, I had my
fun but quit because it was dangerous". Same w/ bikes. I'll hear
their stories about how they were doing something incredibly stupid
and somehow made it out alive, only to sell their bike and tell every
guy they see on a motorcycle about how fun it was but then xxx
happened and I decided to hang it up. Maybe some people just aren't
cut out for these things, I don't know...

Well, Sam, I'm no spring chicken anymore (pushing 46 now), and I've been
riding cycles since I was 18. Been flying now since I was 35.

I treat the two very similarly. On the cycle, I ALWAYS wear a full faced
helmet. If I'm going anywhere farther than the store, I wear a leather
jacket and gloves. If I'm touring, I wear leather everything, and heavy
boots. And my cycle is kept in perfect riding condition -- nothing is left
to chance.

I don't ride after drinking -- not even one beer. IMHO, any skill that
requires perfect balance precludes drinking a beverage that impairs my
coordination.

It's the same with flying. I have few "there I was at 4,000 feet..." tales
to tell, because I do everything by the book. I don't push my limits, I
always fly with full gas tanks, I rarely fly at night, and I keep my plane
in top-flight condition.

As a result, I've got nearly ten years of trouble-free, incident-free flying
time. And I've got 28 years of trouble-free, incident-free riding time,
too.

Is flying (and riding) dangerous? Sure. Just be careful, don't be
foolish, and you'll increase your odds tremendously.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"


Sam