On Thu, 07 Jun 2007 19:25:55 -0700, Jay Honeck wrote:

Nobody has asked for holes to be cut into any aircraft. You are
making things up as you go along.

Really? I believe the example in question was providing wheelchair
access to historic aircraft and their cockpits.

You got another way of rolling/lifting a wheelchair inside the flight
deck of the Spruce Goose *other* than cutting a bigger opening?

I think Sylvain's claim is that the ADA does *not* require the museum owner to
give equal access to handicapped folks.

I'd heard the "We'd give access to the cockpit, except for the ADA" excuse from
the Evergreen Museum before. But another poster mentioned the SR-71 cockpit
that's open to the public at Seattle's Museum of Flight. It *definitely* is not
set up for handicapped access, nor is the YF-17 cockpit mockup (incorrectly
described as an F-16). However, both are available for *viewing* by someone in
a wheelchair.

Setting up the Spruce Goose for public tours of the cockpit would either destroy
the aircraft or require extensive modifications, anyway. I suspect the cockpit
interior, including the floor, is wood. Do you want 50,000 people per year
traipsing across it? Kids carving at the stanchions with coins? Slipping on
steep stairs, tripping over hatchways, filing lawsuits?

In any case, it'd be bad PR for them to get sued by someone in a wheelchair that
was denied access. Even if the law itself doesn't require them to provide
access, they'll look bad and will have to pay for defending the suit.

*Not* providing access at all is a no-brainer. Providing public access would
cost them money, would lead to wear-and-tear on an irreplaceable aircraft, would
require extra security, and, unless they provided the appropriate handicapped
access, may lead to a nuisance lawsuit. And to balance that...what? Are there
people who would come visit the Spruce Goose *only* if cockpit access is
allowed? Sure, there'd be a temporary spike from locals re-visiting the museum
once access is allowed, but that would soon end.

Ron Wanttaja