Drunk pilot loses certificate

2. Your statement about night vision I take exception to. During my
tenure in the Air Defense Command (USAF) where we flew at night and in
bad Wx a lot, a study was commissioned and the results showed that an
ounce of alcohol would increase night acuity (and adaption) and reduce
accidents.

So if a shot is good, a fifth should give you X-Ray vision. Somehow I
doubt that the pilot in question had a blood alcohol of 0.15 from 1
shot, or that his vision was better with that much alcohol in his
system. Yes, a small amount of alcohol can be beneficial, but give me
a break!

I for one am glad that he lost his license. He doesn't deserve to
have it after showing such poor judgement. Pilots can and should be
held to a higher standard than drivers in this regard. For that
matter, drunk drivers often get away with DUI after DUI until they
finally kill someone.

Dean

Dean (and Dr James)

Your last in this part of the thread so will get the reply attached to
your post.

If you read close I said one Oz not a fifth. Guess you speed read and
jumped over that?

Also in the past few years the AMA has stated that red wine is good
for the heart (based on some studies of people in Italy). Recently
they have changed their recommendations to a couple of Oz's of alcohol
a day to get the benefits and reduce heart attacks.

So alcohol is not the evil portrayed in this thread. If does have some
socially redeeming values.

On the subject of reaction time and drinking. I have always been able
to catch eating utensils before they hit the floor if I knocked them
off the table. I am still able to do that even after my evening
libations and I use it as a measure of how much (if any) I have slowed
down with old age (somewhere over 80)

The statements that he put many people at risk I seriously doubt. This
group has had so many posts about how GA is taken to task for how
dangerous it is to everything and everyone. The media pains GA as the
worst thing that ever has happened to America and we see strong
opposition to their actions from all on the News Group. GA may kill
those in the aircraft but they just don't kill people on th ground. It
does happen, but is so rare to almost be a non event

Enough ranting. Need a night cap to calm down to get a good nights
sleep.

Big John


On 27 Jan 2004 20:48:09 -0800, (Dean
Wilkinson) wrote:

2. Your statement about night vision I take exception to. During my
tenure in the Air Defense Command (USAF) where we flew at night and in
bad Wx a lot, a study was commissioned and the results showed that an
ounce of alcohol would increase night acuity (and adaption) and reduce
accidents.

So if a shot is good, a fifth should give you X-Ray vision. Somehow I
doubt that the pilot in question had a blood alcohol of 0.15 from 1
shot, or that his vision was better with that much alcohol in his
system. Yes, a small amount of alcohol can be beneficial, but give me
a break!

I for one am glad that he lost his license. He doesn't deserve to
have it after showing such poor judgement. Pilots can and should be
held to a higher standard than drivers in this regard. For that
matter, drunk drivers often get away with DUI after DUI until they
finally kill someone.

Dean

"Big John" wrote in message
...
Also in the past few years the AMA has stated that red wine is good
for the heart (based on some studies of people in Italy). Recently
they have changed their recommendations to a couple of Oz's of alcohol
a day to get the benefits and reduce heart attacks.

So alcohol is not the evil portrayed in this thread. If does have some
socially redeeming values.

No one here doubted that, but it doesn't bear on the question of drinking
and flying. Sleep is good for you too, but that doesn't mean you should do
it while piloting a plane.

--Gary

"Gary Drescher" wrote in message
news:FwORb.175069$na.285264@attbi_s04...
"Big John" wrote in message
...
Also in the past few years the AMA has stated that red wine is good
for the heart (based on some studies of people in Italy). Recently
they have changed their recommendations to a couple of Oz's of alcohol
a day to get the benefits and reduce heart attacks.

So alcohol is not the evil portrayed in this thread. If does have some
socially redeeming values.

No one here doubted that, but it doesn't bear on the question of drinking
and flying. Sleep is good for you too, but that doesn't mean you should
do
it while piloting a plane.

Actully, there are some that recomend a nap, on a long haul.

Big John wrote:

Dean (and Dr James)

If you read close I said one Oz not a fifth. Guess you speed read and
jumped over that?

If you read my response closely, you would see that I mentioned that
even a BAL of 0.02 can be clearly seen in simulations to adversely
affect your ability to do a task. That is just one ounce of alcohol.
I'm not going to argue one way or the other about whether one drink does
or does not help you, but there is no question that any more than one
drink has a decidedly negative effect on people's ability.

Also in the past few years the AMA has stated that red wine is good
for the heart (based on some studies of people in Italy). Recently
they have changed their recommendations to a couple of Oz's of alcohol
a day to get the benefits and reduce heart attacks.

Yes, and medical journals regularly print contradicting articles about
the benefits and risks of drinking coffee or eating chocolate. It is no
different with alcohol. People who like those things only remember the
articles that proclaim the health benefits.

Beyond that, whether or not red wine or alcohol prolong life, they have
absolutely no place in an aircraft, or at least in the PIC of that
aircraft.

So alcohol is not the evil portrayed in this thread. If does have some
socially redeeming values.

Again, that has nothing to do with flying airplanes. Your initial post
suggested that the pilot might have been unfairly charged, as there
might have been extenuating circumstances. You even suggested that an
alcohol abuser might not be affected by the amount of alcohol he had
consumed, and that should be taken into consideration. I work in a
transportation company, and believe me there can be absolutely no other
policy regarding the use of alcohol or any other "mind altering" drug
than that of zero tolerance. No extenuating circumstances can be
considered. Period.

On the subject of reaction time and drinking. I have always been able
to catch eating utensils before they hit the floor if I knocked them
off the table. I am still able to do that even after my evening
libations and I use it as a measure of how much (if any) I have slowed
down with old age (somewhere over 80)

That's nice. I had a great uncle who was a complete teetotaler
throughout the first part of his life. He only started drinking after
he retired, but purely for medicinal purposes. He justified his
drinking based on its supposedly social and medical value, but for the
rest of us it was not very pleasant watching him go through DTs in his
70s.

I may be overly sensitive about the subject at the moment, since I just
buried a high school friend. His obit stated that he was 48, and that
he died of massive organ failure. His friends would more accurately
describe it as acute alcohol abuse. This was a university-educated
person with a comfortable income. He would justify his drinking with
just the sort of rationale that I see in your posts: The AMA says that
it will extend your life; It sharpens my mind when I need to do
something; It enhances my social life; and so on. He totally misjudged
every one of those.

I'm not being evangelical about this, since I enjoy a drink with meals
and on social occasions, and I am thankful that I don't seem to be
inclined to overindulge, unlike some friends and relatives. Alcohol is
to be enjoyed, but at the same time it is to be feared. When one is
considering taking control of an aircraft, or machinery of any kind, for
that matter, alcohol is to be completely avoided. There is no
justification for any other course of action.

Enough ranting. Need a night cap to calm down to get a good nights
sleep.

That's what my great uncle used to say, you know, the one who died of
alcohol abuse.

One oz. of liquor definitely affects my motor skills... I never fly if I've
had a drink, but as a ham radio operator who does morse code with a
mechanical key - which is spinal cord reflexes all the way - I can tell you
from experience that my keying deteriorates after one drink, even followed
immediately by a big meal, and I go to the radio room an hour later... Now,
the guy on the other end may not notice the change from one drink, but I
DO...
denny

"James Robinson" wrote in

The other comment I failed to add, is that one oz. of liquor affects my
motor skills but not my judgement, and I notice the degraded motor skills...
3 or 4 oz. will affect the judgement to where you loudly proclaim your motor
skills are perfect, whilst you are falling all over the room... As an old
emergency room doc, I absolutely loath stupid, ****y faced, drunks - which
is probably why I refuse to become like them and limit myself to one social
drink, period!
denny

"James Robinson" wrote in message
...
Big John wrote:

Dean (and Dr James)

"Big John" wrote in message
...
Dean (and Dr James)

Your last in this part of the thread so will get the reply attached to
your post.

If you read close I said one Oz not a fifth. Guess you speed read and
jumped over that?

Also in the past few years the AMA has stated that red wine is good
for the heart (based on some studies of people in Italy). Recently
they have changed their recommendations to a couple of Oz's of alcohol
a day to get the benefits and reduce heart attacks.

So alcohol is not the evil portrayed in this thread. If does have some
socially redeeming values.

The hatred alcohol draws is mostly from Christians reading Jewish water
purification rituals, in the Old Testiment, and then going about cursing the
Holy Spirit. (lying about God)

Tarver Engineering wrote:

The hatred alcohol draws is mostly from Christians reading Jewish
water purification rituals, in the Old Testiment, and then going
about cursing the Holy Spirit. (lying about God)

The bible makes out Christians to be cannibals: Drinking the blood and
eating the flesh of Christ.

The hatred of alcohol comes from watching people who are in denial die
from overindulgence.

"James Robinson" wrote in message
...
Tarver Engineering wrote:

The hatred alcohol draws is mostly from Christians reading Jewish
water purification rituals, in the Old Testiment, and then going
about cursing the Holy Spirit. (lying about God)

The bible makes out Christians to be cannibals: Drinking the blood and
eating the flesh of Christ.

That is what Christ came for.

The hatred of alcohol comes from watching people who are in denial die
from overindulgence.

Is the pilot going to fight and win back his ticket?