Good Instructors...

Journeyman wrote
I promised myself I'd butt out of this thread, but any chance Dudley
would agree with this? Personality conflict aside, I really think
you guys are not as far apart on outlook as he seems to think you
are.

Your original decision - to drop it - was the better one - but you
seem unwilling to drop it without explanation so I will provide one.
We are irreconcilably far apart on outlook. While we might
occasionally agree on some specific issues, our fundamental views are
so different that there really isn't any common ground for debate.

At first I couldn't understand why that was. I knew it could not be
age, experience, or military background because I've known, flown
with, and been instructed by quite a few pilots who were highly
experienced, much older, and had military backgrounds. I've even had
the pleasure of instructing one. There was never that feeling of
being so far apart on outlook - in fact, much of my outlook on flying
and instruction was shaped by these pilots. And that's the key word -
pilots. These were people who, often despite medical and financial
challenges, had committed to staying in the sky as long as possible.
It is a commitment I respect and share, and it produces a certain
outlook. Some of them could no longer get a medical - so they flew
gliders and/or ultralights. One could no longer afford to own an
airpane and had to sell his - but he continued to instruct at an FBO,
never drawing his pay - and when enough accumulated to fly for an
hour, he would.

I had always assumed that Dudley Henriques was cut from the same cloth
as those pilots. Like you, I assumed the reason for the disagreements
between us were a matter of misunderstanding or maybe personal issues.
It was not until he made threats of going after me, such as had not
been made since the era of the fish (which I may have misinterpreted -
or may not have - it remains to be seen) that I actually made an
effort to find out who he was - essentially to prepare my defense
against a potential cyberstalker.

Like many here, I post anonymously and have done so ever since the era
of the fish. Those who have been here any amount of time know who I
am - it's easy enough to figure out. Anonymity on the net is fragile
at best, and not difficult to pierce. Thus I found it amusing when
Mr. Henriques made the comments he did about my anonymity - imagine my
amusement when I discovered there was no Dudley Henriques in the
airman database. I won't publicly post his name - I'm sure he has his
reasons for anonymity - but I will tell you the important difference
that makes our outlooks irreconcilably different.

He's not a pilot. He quit flying long ago and the only 'flying' he
has done for a long time - or will ever do again - is on Microsoft
Flight Sim (and its kin). You once mentioned that I made a compelling
argument that safety is not always the most important thing, and that
every time you push the throttle forward you are buying into that.
You might ask him how long it has been since he has done that, and
when the next time will be.

Michael