Rec.Aviation OSH report

Thomas Borchert wrote:
Paul,

The article says the passenger was able to stay afloat using a seat
cushion,


Crossing the lake without life jackets?

People do it all the time. I had students up there who thought there
was NOTHING wrong with being outside of gliding range from shore.
"What's the big deal? I can land in water and just swim back..."

Unfortunately, it's very hard to teach intelligence.

4 miles out isn't exactly crossing the lake. Of course, that is where they
ended up. Reportedly they were going into Gary so they wouldn't have been
much further out if they had followed a straight line from KOSH.

I haven't heard much detail from the the passenger's story. All I heard was
that they thought they were having engine trouble. Maybe they were trying to
nurse it into Gary.

--
-------------------------------
Travis
Lake N3094P
PWK
"Emily" wrote in message
...
Thomas Borchert wrote:
Paul,

The article says the passenger was able to stay afloat using a seat
cushion,


Crossing the lake without life jackets?

People do it all the time. I had students up there who thought there was
NOTHING wrong with being outside of gliding range from shore. "What's the
big deal? I can land in water and just swim back..."

Unfortunately, it's very hard to teach intelligence.

On Mon, 31 Jul 2006 07:29:01 -0500, Emily
wrote:

Thomas Borchert wrote:
Paul,

The article says the passenger was able to stay afloat using a seat
cushion,


Crossing the lake without life jackets?

People do it all the time. I had students up there who thought there
was NOTHING wrong with being outside of gliding range from shore.
"What's the big deal? I can land in water and just swim back..."

Depends on your risk tolerance level.


Unfortunately, it's very hard to teach intelligence.

I know many who cross the lake single engine and do it regularly
myself and have for years. Life jackets are a necessity as I can't
swim but the lake is too cold for long survival even in summer.

OTOH if I cross even at 8000 between Ludington and MTW I'm always
within gliding distance. 10,000 gives me lots of decision time.

Some consider it foolhardy and I consider it just a days flying.

I've flown across when visibility was legal VFR but over the lake
that's pretty much elstinko. Last time I headed across like that I
had a "whole bunch" of planes lined up behind me. I think they were
using me for the horizon.


Roger Halstead (K8RI & ARRL life member)
(N833R, S# CD-2 Worlds oldest Debonair)
www.rogerhalstead.com
Roger Halstead (K8RI & ARRL life member)
(N833R, S# CD-2 Worlds oldest Debonair)
www.rogerhalstead.com

"Roger" wrote in message
...

I know many who cross the lake single engine and do it regularly
myself and have for years. Life jackets are a necessity as I can't
swim but the lake is too cold for long survival even in summer.


So you wear the life jacket so your body may be found?

Steven P. McNicoll wrote:
"Roger" wrote in message
...

I know many who cross the lake single engine and do it regularly
myself and have for years. Life jackets are a necessity as I can't
swim but the lake is too cold for long survival even in summer.



So you wear the life jacket so your body may be found?



Sure, it gives the family closure.

Matt

I set out in a C-152 one nice summer day to fly across Lake Superior at
the narrow end, not so far from Duluth. The cloud cover was thin
overhead but it seemed lower ahead, and after realizing it had the
potential to A: drive me into the water scud-running, or B: make me
discover the that rising shore on the other side went up into the
clouds, I retreated and flew the long way around the shore.

I'm a great swimmer. But I've waded in Superior. It feels like dunking
your feet in a Coke full of ice, even when it's 88 up in the air.

http://www.coas****ch.msu.edu/

This indicates places along the south shore where, after a week or more
of onshore temps pushing three digits, the water temp's in the 30s.

I'd bet a couple miles from shore, Michigan is no picnic either.



Steven P. McNicoll wrote:
"Roger" wrote in message
...
I know many who cross the lake single engine and do it regularly
myself and have for years. Life jackets are a necessity as I can't
swim but the lake is too cold for long survival even in summer.


So you wear the life jacket so your body may be found?