Pilots and driving

On Fri, 27 Aug 2004 00:37:28 GMT, Ender wrote:

Andrew Sarangan wrote:
I remember a discussion recently whether pilots are safer drivers. I
believed that to be true until recently. As a pilot, I tend to look up at
the sky while driving, particularly if an airplane is flying. The other day
I was looking up at the clouds to figure out which direction the wind was
blowing. The car in front of me made a sudden stop. You guessed it. I ran
into that car. This would not have happened had I not been a pilot
distracted by the sky. This is my first auto-incident ever, in twenty years
of driving. I guess that still makes me a safe driver, but not as safe as I
thought I was.


On the commercial end of things, the pager can often get you into
trouble when you're rushing to the airport.

I find that when I'm not gazing at the sky, my situational awareness is
much better than before I learned to fly.

I see that I'm not the only one to gaze at the sky. I recently spent
some time on the porch watching a T-Storm build up in the distance.
It's still cheaper to have a cocaine habit than a flying habit. But
damn, I think flying has to be more fun in the long run.

wow, it sure feels good that I'm not alone...I find I'm doing that all the
time...looking at the clouds, estimating how low they are, thinking about
whether or not it would be a good day to fly. I've even caught myself doing
it for a little too long while driving...thankfully the traffic in front of
me kept moving





"Ratty Boy" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 27 Aug 2004 00:37:28 GMT, Ender wrote:

Andrew Sarangan wrote:
I remember a discussion recently whether pilots are safer drivers. I
believed that to be true until recently. As a pilot, I tend to look up
at
the sky while driving, particularly if an airplane is flying. The other
day
I was looking up at the clouds to figure out which direction the wind
was
blowing. The car in front of me made a sudden stop. You guessed it. I
ran
into that car. This would not have happened had I not been a pilot
distracted by the sky. This is my first auto-incident ever, in twenty
years
of driving. I guess that still makes me a safe driver, but not as safe
as I
thought I was.


On the commercial end of things, the pager can often get you into
trouble when you're rushing to the airport.

I find that when I'm not gazing at the sky, my situational awareness is
much better than before I learned to fly.

I see that I'm not the only one to gaze at the sky. I recently spent
some time on the porch watching a T-Storm build up in the distance.
It's still cheaper to have a cocaine habit than a flying habit. But
damn, I think flying has to be more fun in the long run.

I got away with that habit for several years. But be careful. It bit me
finally. An accident is a very humiliating experience. I can tell that
from experience.




"Colin Gibb" wrote in
:

wow, it sure feels good that I'm not alone...I find I'm doing that all
the time...looking at the clouds, estimating how low they are,
thinking about whether or not it would be a good day to fly. I've
even caught myself doing it for a little too long while
driving...thankfully the traffic in front of me kept moving





"Ratty Boy" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 27 Aug 2004 00:37:28 GMT, Ender wrote:

Andrew Sarangan wrote:
I remember a discussion recently whether pilots are safer drivers.
I believed that to be true until recently. As a pilot, I tend to
look up
at
the sky while driving, particularly if an airplane is flying. The
other
day
I was looking up at the clouds to figure out which direction the
wind
was
blowing. The car in front of me made a sudden stop. You guessed
it. I
ran
into that car. This would not have happened had I not been a pilot
distracted by the sky. This is my first auto-incident ever, in
twenty
years
of driving. I guess that still makes me a safe driver, but not as
safe
as I
thought I was.


On the commercial end of things, the pager can often get you into
trouble when you're rushing to the airport.

I find that when I'm not gazing at the sky, my situational awareness
is much better than before I learned to fly.

I see that I'm not the only one to gaze at the sky. I recently spent
some time on the porch watching a T-Storm build up in the distance.
It's still cheaper to have a cocaine habit than a flying habit. But
damn, I think flying has to be more fun in the long run.

On 26 Aug 2004 23:48:04 GMT, Andrew Sarangan
wrote:


I remember a discussion recently whether pilots are safer drivers. I
believed that to be true until recently. As a pilot, I tend to look up at
the sky while driving, particularly if an airplane is flying. The other day
I was looking up at the clouds to figure out which direction the wind was
blowing. The car in front of me made a sudden stop. You guessed it. I ran
into that car. This would not have happened had I not been a pilot
distracted by the sky. This is my first auto-incident ever, in twenty years
of driving. I guess that still makes me a safe driver, but not as safe as I
thought I was.

I sympathize. I rear ended a 52 Ford that stopped suddenly. I was on
a Honda 50 "Super Cub" riding to 02C to work on my Triumph Bonneville
that was in the main hanger. I looked over my shoulder to check
overtaking traffic and then Whamo. Ultralights and regular traffic
don't mix! G

Steve Bukosky wrote:

I sympathize. I rear ended a 52 Ford that stopped suddenly.

You had me believing you up to that point. No American car of that era had brakes
that would let it "stop suddenly". :-)

George Patterson
If you want to know God's opinion of money, just look at the people
he gives it to.

Andrew Sarangan wrote in message .158...
I remember a discussion recently whether pilots are safer drivers. I
believed that to be true until recently. As a pilot, I tend to look up at
the sky while driving, particularly if an airplane is flying. The other day
I was looking up at the clouds to figure out which direction the wind was
blowing. The car in front of me made a sudden stop. You guessed it. I ran
into that car. This would not have happened had I not been a pilot
distracted by the sky. This is my first auto-incident ever, in twenty years
of driving. I guess that still makes me a safe driver, but not as safe as I
thought I was.

Hi Andrew,

You are just like me, a very safe driver as long there is nothing to
see up there.
I always get the remark "I'am not afraid to fly with you, the driving
to the airport that is really scary".
I'm not to blame, the runway extension is over the highway and as a
pilot I'm obliged to check the latest wheater info so I look if they
come in or take off in a wobbly manner ;-)
I hope you are ok.

-Kees.

(Kees Mies) wrote in message . com...
You are just like me, a very safe driver as long there is nothing to
see up there.
I always get the remark "I'am not afraid to fly with you, the driving
to the airport that is really scary".

Aha! Perhaps this where the old saying came from that "The drive to
the airport is much more dangerous than the actual flying".... not
from statistics, but from spouses and friends riding with the pilot
driving a car!

(Kevin Darling) wrote in
om:

(Kees Mies) wrote in message
. com...
You are just like me, a very safe driver as long there is nothing to
see up there.
I always get the remark "I'am not afraid to fly with you, the driving
to the airport that is really scary".

Aha! Perhaps this where the old saying came from that "The drive to
the airport is much more dangerous than the actual flying".... not
from statistics, but from spouses and friends riding with the pilot
driving a car!


Almost immediately after the accident, I got into the airplane and went on
a long trip. The phrase 'the drive to the airport is more dangerous than
the flying" rang really true to me.

Right after my checkride, I noticed that my car didn't seem to have as much
pep as it used to. I realized that I was driving exactly at the speed
limit. Every time I passed a speed sign, my brain would register it
unconsciously and I would set the speedometer exactly to the number. It was
spooky.

Of course, it didn't last. Now my brain unconsciously tries to set the
speedometer to the IAS it's used to seeing in the plane

--

Roger Long

"Roger Long" wrote in message
...
Right after my checkride, I noticed that my car didn't seem to have as
much
pep as it used to. I realized that I was driving exactly at the speed
limit. Every time I passed a speed sign, my brain would register it
unconsciously and I would set the speedometer exactly to the number. It
was
spooky.

Of course, it didn't last. Now my brain unconsciously tries to set the
speedometer to the IAS it's used to seeing in the plane

I know what you mean. After I got an aerobatic ride in a Delfin L-29 at
Lydd, I drove back to London. On the M20, at what I thought was a normal
cruise setting on the gas, I looked down and realized I was bowling along at
98mph. In a Ford Focus.

Of course I adjusted the needle to the exact 100. I suppose there were no
cameras working that day.

-- David Brooks