Rod Machado's New PPL Manual

WJRFlyBoy wrote:
On Mon, 24 Mar 2008 17:47:35 -0400, Dudley Henriques wrote:

I have believed for many moons that there exists in General Aviation a
totally unnecessary trend toward the macho image for the GA pilot. It's
this very self envisioned image that drives away many "average people"
who would otherwise give aviation a try.

Machado addresses this issue head on with his books. Although not overly
simplified, his free wheeling style addresses the flying issues in a
manner that tends NOT to intimidate the reader. I personally find great
value in this, as it fills a gap in GA that desperately needs to be
filled if GA is to progress into the future.

I don't think that I have ever seen a hobby, pleasure sport or job field
that appears to go out of its way to place barriers, hurdles and
hoop-jumping as GA. My novitiate guess is that this must stem from a
post-War mentality when pilots were trained and coming into GA ready to
fly in gobs.

There is indeed a "macho mystique" associated with pilots in general
that attracts a specific demographic to flying and discourages the rest
of a potential market. Not a good business model at all.



Personally, if not for the cost and convenience justifications
(work/travel), as much as I am enjoying my re-entry into to GA, I'd punt
this effort in a heartbeat. Nearly everything is an uphill climb.

It's not an easy road for sure :-)


--
Dudley Henriques