: ... same reason it's legal to depart below takeoff minimums if part 91. It's not necessarily a good idea, but shouldn't be regulatorily mandated.
:
:
: I have never figured that one out, especially when uninformed, innocent passengers are involved.

: All things carry risk. It is up to the pilot in command to decide
: whether the risk is worth the benefit.

Exactly. There are situations where taking off below minimums is a
much more minimal risk than other normal operations (Airport fogged in and clear VFR 2
miles away vs. night flight).

Commercial ops have higher standards and more restrictions because there are
more passengers involved, they generally do not personally *know* the pilot and
whether they're responsible, and quite simply that the profit motive skews the
"risk/benefit" ratio.

I suspect we'll have to agree to disagree on this one, but I stand by my
statement that you cannot legislate safety.... what's safe isn't always legal and
what's legal isn't always safe.

-Cory

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* Cory Papenfuss, Ph.D., PPSEL-IA *
* Electrical Engineering *
* Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University *
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