Andrew Gideon wrote
When I intentionally
choose the lowest local ceilings and visibilities for instrument
training, is that about enjoying a bit of danger or providing the
best, most challenging training available? And how do you separate
the two?

To my mind, easily.

Then spell it out for me. Which am I doing, and why?

Lacking the direct knowledge you had, I cannot say. Since the pilots didn't
survive in the example I used, we all knew that some guesswork was involved
on that side of things.

But there's a difference between guesswork and outright twisting of
the facts to support a point. John Galban posted an interesting story
about how the latter happened with regard to an accident he was
involved with.

I've been to a couple like that. There was one on flying over the
Gulf and the Caribbean by a guy who does it every year.
I can't in good conscience call it a safety seminar.

I'm not clear on your point, here. What would you call it?

Advanced training? Encouraging dangerous behavior? It all depends on
your point of view.

Going across the Gulf is really not for the novice pilot, IMO. First
off, it's not really something you do in a single engine airplane
(since an engine failure leaves you basically no chances at all - the
route I flew had me 50-120 miles from land for over 2 hours) so as a
minimum you're looking at being a twin pilot. Second, even in a twin,
there are issues. You are out of RADAR contact for hours, and have
only very limited radio contact (relays via airliners passing
overhead). There is effectively no way to update the weather picture,
so you have a greatly increased likelihood of encountering adverse
weather, while at the same time greatly reduced options for both
landing and ATC assistance. It's all doable, but my point is that
really the safest solution is not to do it. When you have a seminar
that basically tells you how to do it, it's hard to call it a safety
seminar.

Suppose I put on a seminar about how to scud run. I might include
tips like not flying at the bases of the clouds, where the vis is
worst. I might cover route planning - instead of the usual
VFR-direct, how to choose roads to follow for supplemental nav, being
prepared for obstructions, etc. I would likely cover low altitude
diversions - how to get to a nearby airport in a hurry. I might cover
emergency procedures - off field precautionary landings with power and
how to choose a field, an emergency instrument climb and what to
expect from ATC, etc. I might discuss various techniques for slowing
the plane down - when a notch of flaps might be appropriate, for
example. I've been there and done that, and if you're going to scud
run, I assure you that you're way better off going to this seminar
than just doing it cold and figuring it out as you go along. But
would it be a safety seminar?

Michael