"Matt Whiting" wrote in message ...
Kyle Boatright wrote:

I was having lunch with a buddy of mine the other day who has been a pilot for almost 50 years. We discussed the bad
visibility we have in the South and up the Eastern seaboard in the summer. Haze to 10,000', lateral visibility
frequently under 5 miles, etc.

He said that it is much better now than in the late 60's/early 70's. He said the airborne pollution in those days
was so bad that if you went on a long X/C you often came back with an oily film covering the leading edges of the
wings. He also added that when he started flying, in the 50's, visibility was usually far better than it is today.

Any comments?

I don't believe the oily film part and I don't believe things were better in the 50s than in the 60s or 70s. I do
believe things are better now than anytime during the 50s-70s.


Matt

Just drove through Chicago last week, and the car was 'oily' - still a very dirty city.