Skylune writes:

Self deception is an integral part of the GA game. They have an
organization, the AOPA, that puts out complete propaganda about the
utility of GA for travel, as well as how simple it is to fly. Look at
the GA Serving America Website. It is replete with nonsense about the
utility of VFR GA for transportation. It really is quite humourous.

If GA were practical for transportation, it would be a lot more
widespread. If it were as practical as cars, it would be as common as
cars. The fact that is actually extremely rare implies that GA is
only useful to people who like to fly for the sake of flying, in most
cases.

Rather than focusing on improving pilots' skills (though they devote
much of their efforts to this), the AOPA strays into political matters
such as whether taxpayers should keep providing subsidies to
recreational pilots.

How do taxpayers subsidize recreational pilots?

It also successfully lobbies the FAA (which it
has huge influence over) to create new categories of licenses, the
weakest of which (Sport Pilot) requires NO MEDICAL WHATSOEVER.

A driver's license doesn't require much of a medical, either. Why is
that a problem?

It constantly tries to get medical rules loosened, so that some geezer on
his last gasp still has the legal right to fly 1000 feet over private
properties.

He already has the right to drive past them or even through them in a
car. Why should flying be different?

Besides, a skilled old geezer is a lot safer than a careless or
incompetent young athlete.

In short, it is a very nefarious special interest lobby
that has contempt for all but its pilot members, who it refers to as
the "elite". Reading a few entries on the NTSB GA crash website puts
the notion of private pilots being elite to rest. As you know, there
are quite a few boobs flying around. Some of the pilots themselves
admit to this.

Yes. GA is its own worst enemy.

What puzzles me is how so many manifestly incompetent and stupid
people can still get private pilot's licenses. There are way more
idiots flying than I would expect, given the difficulty of obtaining a
license.

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