Jumbo Tanker Accident

"Gig 601XL Builder" wrDOTgiaconaATsuddenlink.net wrote in message
...

Also keep in mind that the guys who flew these back in the 40's while
getting shot at usually had less than 2 years experience flying.

True. But most of that flying time was training in a phased and regimented
course on a full-time basis. In other words, they were -full time- 90 day
wonders.

A civilian pilot can get his complex, high performance and taildragger
ratings at his leisure and without as much persistence and currency as
somebody who had a full-time flight instruction every day for three months.
In addition, the 90-day wonders who flew Mustangs back in the day were the
ones who weren't washed out first. They couldn't just lay out a few
thousand dollars and buy themselves a checkout in a P-51. If they weren't
skilled and better-than-average pilots by the time they got near a Mustang,
they'd have never flown one.

-c

On Thu, 19 Jul 2007 13:57:47 -0700, Richard Riley
wrote:

On Thu, 19 Jul 2007 08:53:00 -0700, "Gatt"
wrote:


"Gig 601XL Builder" wrDOTgiaconaATsuddenlink.net wrote in message
...

Also keep in mind that the guys who flew these back in the 40's while
getting shot at usually had less than 2 years experience flying.

True. But most of that flying time was training in a phased and regimented
course on a full-time basis. In other words, they were -full time- 90 day
wonders.

A civilian pilot can get his complex, high performance and taildragger
ratings at his leisure and without as much persistence and currency as
somebody who had a full-time flight instruction every day for three months.
In addition, the 90-day wonders who flew Mustangs back in the day were the
ones who weren't washed out first. They couldn't just lay out a few
thousand dollars and buy themselves a checkout in a P-51. If they weren't
skilled and better-than-average pilots by the time they got near a Mustang,
they'd have never flown one.

And I've read (but cannot verify) that more WW2 fighters and pilots
were lost in accidents than in combat. So even the full time
non-wash-out 90 day wonders had their own bad days.

One a day in Tampa Bay!

Think of it this way. Currently the primary training is done
contract. They are expected to earn the PPL in 50 hours if I read
correctly.

Richard Riley wrote:
On Fri, 20 Jul 2007 03:31:48 -0400, "Roger (K8RI)"
wrote:


And I've read (but cannot verify) that more WW2 fighters and pilots
were lost in accidents than in combat. So even the full time
non-wash-out 90 day wonders had their own bad days.

One a day in Tampa Bay!

Think of it this way. Currently the primary training is done
contract. They are expected to earn the PPL in 50 hours if I read
correctly.

IIRC the national average for ordinary, walk in off the streets ab
initio civilian pilot gets his PPL in about 62 hrs. So 50 for an
intelligent, motivated, young student who's doing nothing but is
certainly possible.

It almost always takes less total hours to learn something if you
are in "class" 8 hours a day, every day as oppossed to 1 or 2 hours
once a week or so.


--
Jim Pennino

Remove .spam.sux to reply.

On Fri, 20 Jul 2007 16:04:59 GMT, wrote:


It almost always takes less total hours to learn something if you
are in "class" 8 hours a day, every day as oppossed to 1 or 2 hours
once a week or so.

I flew twice a week and studied hard, with some multi-week weather and
vacation breaks. My check ride was my 47th and 48th total hours
towards my PPL, and I switched from Warriors to a Sundowner @ 20 hrs.
TT. I "taught" my CFI to fly the Sundowner after digesting the POH
and developing checklists and V-speed sheets.

I'm sure a PP-ASEL would go even faster for a young,
studious,"all-day" student.

"Richard Riley" wrote:


And I've read (but cannot verify) that more WW2 fighters and pilots
were lost in accidents than in combat.

A veteran of the battles of Midway and Guadalcanal told me the same thing,
and the difference in numbers wasn't small, either.

--
Dan
T-182T at BFM