What crashed in front of us today?

Gordon wrote:
After a short wait, the field announced everything was good and Lex
and his pilot took off, past the forlorn, wing-down kite. 15 minutes
later, they landed (he loved it) and taxied past the French-marked
a/c, coming back with a smile. My wife should stop beating me
shortly ("YOU SENT HIM UP AFTER THE PLANE IN FRONT OF
HIM_CRASHED_?"). I tried to make her understand that mathematically,
the chancesOWW Owww OWWW


If it had been my wife there would be only one thing to say to her: "BITCH,
BITCH, BITCH !!!!"

Of course, I would say it as I was rapidly departing the scene. Congrats on
your son's first flight.



--
Mortimer Schnerd, RN


http://www.mortimerschnerd.com

Congrats on
your son's first flight.

Thanks, Mort. He isn't the personality sort that will ever be comfortable
doing a rotor-over from the safety of the doorway of a Seasprite, but at least
he can share some great moments with his friends at school tomorrow.

v/r
Gordon

"Gordon" wrote in message
...
My son was taking his inaugural flight today, thanks to a "Chuck Yeager -
Young
Eagle" program at Gillespie Field (El Cajon, CA). He was standing on the
wing
of a sparkling red Grumman Yankee, getting his preflight brief from the
owner
while various civil and antique a/c came and went on the active, a hundred
yards away. I saw a French thing sitting on the numbers, ready to go but
taking its time. Looked like a Beaver that had been rear-ended by a
Potez...
Single engine, shoulder wing, tail of a ... well.. a Potez or Leo - some
kind
of twin tail that sure looked out of place on the little 4-6 seater. At
long
last, the thing started making the appropriate amount of racket and took
off
down the runway. Lex was looking at his pilot - I was looking across the
cockpit at him, toward the runway. My eyes followed the a/c; thinking,
that
sure is a slow takeoff.. I don't think the tail ever came up. Answered a
question of Lex's and glanced back - gear is collapsing and its ground
looping
to the right, as if he aborted the T/O and tried to turn off with too much
speed. Fire truck rolled quickly to the scene, luckily no meat wagon was
called.

After a short wait, the field announced everything was good and Lex and
his
pilot took off, past the forlorn, wing-down kite. 15 minutes later, they
landed (he loved it) and taxied past the French-marked a/c, coming back
with a
smile. My wife should stop beating me shortly ("YOU SENT HIM UP AFTER THE
PLANE IN FRONT OF HIM_CRASHED_?"). I tried to make her understand that
mathematically, the chancesOWW Owww OWWW

ahem. Anyway - two questions: everyone ok? and what the heck was it?

Small GA is less safe than operating a motorcycle, on the road. (US) What
you were doing was never the safest thing. What would she say if you let
him go as a passenger on a motorcycle?

Small GA is less safe than operating a motorcycle, on the road. (US)

Seriously? I've seen a heck of a lot more downed motorcycles than GA a/c.

What
you were doing was never the safest thing.

I'm supposed to raise him, not keep him in a bubble. For years he's stood by
the runway, watching me step out of various aircraft with a giant-sized
s-eating grin on my face, telling him, "Sorry, you aren't tall enough for this
ride." Under the tutetage of a 7,000-hour TWA Captain in his personal
aircraft, meticulously maintained since he purchased it in 1976, it seemed a
more responsible than handing him to a leather-clad biker on a Ninja.

What would she say if you let
him go as a passenger on a motorcycle?

My son and I have a deal - he never gets on a motorcycle while I am alive, and
in return, I will never break his legs. The worst moment of my life has been
telling parents that their son was killed on his bike (hit by dozens of cars at
the I-5/I-8 interchange). I can't protect him from life, but I couldn't take
re-living that particular moment from other side of the desk.

Gordon

RIP Alexander Bagtas, PO3 USN. Not a name I'll ever forget, even though I
never met him.

"Gordon" wrote in message
...
Small GA is less safe than operating a motorcycle, on the road. (US)

Seriously? I've seen a heck of a lot more downed motorcycles than GA a/c.

I believe the small GA pilots association has the accident rate on their
website. Perhaps coinicidentally, the number killed last year was lower in
a trend began with FAA allowing EAA to exercise some exception to the
Aircraft Certification Office, as long as their was some MIDO inspection.

What
you were doing was never the safest thing.

I'm supposed to raise him, not keep him in a bubble. For years he's stood
by
the runway, watching me step out of various aircraft with a giant-sized
s-eating grin on my face, telling him, "Sorry, you aren't tall enough for
this
ride." Under the tutetage of a 7,000-hour TWA Captain in his personal
aircraft, meticulously maintained since he purchased it in 1976, it seemed
a
more responsible than handing him to a leather-clad biker on a Ninja.

From a probability of death occuring the biker was the safer choice.

What would she say if you let
him go as a passenger on a motorcycle?

My son and I have a deal - he never gets on a motorcycle while I am alive,
and
in return, I will never break his legs. The worst moment of my life has
been
telling parents that their son was killed on his bike (hit by dozens of
cars at
the I-5/I-8 interchange). I can't protect him from life, but I couldn't
take
re-living that particular moment from other side of the desk.

I believe the realization that small GA is less safe than people expected is
a contributing factor in the trend down from 3000 deaths per annum to 526
last year. There is also the lawsuit factor, for which small GA tends to
bankrupt manuracturers; mostly based on a spouses' unrealistic expectations.

In article ,
nt (Gordon) wrote:

Small GA is less safe than operating a motorcycle, on the road. (US)

Cite?

Having operated both over about 20 years, I don't beleive it for a
moment.

Seriously? I've seen a heck of a lot more downed motorcycles than GA a/c.

What you were doing was never the safest thing.

I'm supposed to raise him, not keep him in a bubble. For years he's stood by
the runway, watching me step out of various aircraft with a giant-sized
s-eating grin on my face, telling him, "Sorry, you aren't tall enough for this
ride." Under the tutetage of a 7,000-hour TWA Captain in his personal
aircraft, meticulously maintained since he purchased it in 1976, it seemed a
more responsible than handing him to a leather-clad biker on a Ninja.

You did good Gordon. I envy your son, being as there is nothing much to
match the feeling of your first flight (passenger or not).

Of course, now the kid is ruined for life. He's going to want to do it
again. And again. ... :}

"Steve Hix" wrote in message
...
In article ,
nt (Gordon) wrote:

Small GA is less safe than operating a motorcycle, on the road. (US)

Cite?

Have you visited the AOPA website lately?

Having operated both over about 20 years, I don't beleive it for a
moment.

Then you would be wrong.

Of course, now the kid is ruined for life. He's going to want to do it
again. And again. ... :}


LOL

Steve, I think he actually got it out of his system - at least for now! Of
course, my daughter is another story. We stood under the Atlas ICBM standing
in front of the air museum hosting the EAA yesterday. She looked the giant
rocket over carefully, then asked,

"...Can I ride it...?"

=:x

G

"Gordon" wrote in message
...

Of course, now the kid is ruined for life. He's going to want to do it
again. And again. ... :}


LOL

Steve, I think he actually got it out of his system - at least for now!
Of
course, my daughter is another story. We stood under the Atlas ICBM
standing
in front of the air museum hosting the EAA yesterday. She looked the
giant
rocket over carefully, then asked,

"...Can I ride it...?"

Perhaps.