Buddy Holly crash

In article ,
"Dan Luke" wrote:
Yes, but we were talking about what we see quoted in the media.

A recent fatal crash around here had very similar circumstances to the
ones you describe, but the "We told him so!" comments never appeared on
TV.

The "we told him so" comments never appear in the media, which I know is
your point. If they did, there would be little point in even running
the story for today's media.

On the other hand, some pilots are just as guilty of glorifying and
defending accident pilots, which is particularly inexcusable.

Every time I hear of an accident reported in the media, I know I'll hear
two things: "He was an excellent pilot," and "the engine was cutting in
and out," as if the only thing that could possibly make an airplane come
down is an engine failure.



JKG

"Jonathan Goodish" wrote:

"Dan Luke" wrote:
Yes, but we were talking about what we see quoted in the media.

A recent fatal crash around here had very similar circumstances to
the
ones you describe, but the "We told him so!" comments never appeared
on
TV.

The "we told him so" comments never appear in the media, which I know
is
your point. If they did, there would be little point in even running
the story for today's media.

On the other hand, some pilots are just as guilty of glorifying and
defending accident pilots, which is particularly inexcusable.

Yes. Perhaps it is merely reluctance to speak ill of the deceased--at
least publicly.


--
Dan
C172RG at BFM

In article ,
"Dan Luke" wrote:
On the other hand, some pilots are just as guilty of glorifying and
defending accident pilots, which is particularly inexcusable.

Yes. Perhaps it is merely reluctance to speak ill of the deceased--at
least publicly.

Perhaps, but I suspect that it's reluctance to admit that many GA pilots
aren't as proficient or don't possess the best judgment--and therefore
are not as safe--as we'd like to believe.


JKG

On 02/06/06 10:18, Jonathan Goodish wrote:
In article ,
"Dan Luke" wrote:
On the other hand, some pilots are just as guilty of glorifying and
defending accident pilots, which is particularly inexcusable.

Yes. Perhaps it is merely reluctance to speak ill of the deceased--at
least publicly.

Perhaps, but I suspect that it's reluctance to admit that many GA pilots
aren't as proficient or don't possess the best judgment--and therefore
are not as safe--as we'd like to believe.


JKG

Don't discount the propensity of the media these days to want to
sensationalize news stories. A crash of an airplane by an excellent
pilot is a much bigger story than the crash of an airplane by a
bad pilot. It seems they want to 'prove' that flying is unsafe, and
showing that even the best pilots crash seems to meet that end.

--
Mark Hansen, PP-ASEL, Instrument Airplane
Cal Aggie Flying Farmers
Sacramento, CA

"Mark Hansen" wrote:

:
On the other hand, some pilots are just as guilty of glorifying and
defending accident pilots, which is particularly inexcusable.

Yes. Perhaps it is merely reluctance to speak ill of the deceased--at
least publicly.

Perhaps, but I suspect that it's reluctance to admit that many GA pilots
aren't as proficient or don't possess the best judgment--and therefore are
not as safe--as we'd like to believe.


JKG

Don't discount the propensity of the media these days to want to
sensationalize news stories. A crash of an airplane by an excellent
pilot is a much bigger story than the crash of an airplane by a
bad pilot.

Seems to me it would be the other way 'round. A rogue is news.

In article ,
Mark Hansen wrote:
Perhaps, but I suspect that it's reluctance to admit that many GA pilots
aren't as proficient or don't possess the best judgment--and therefore
are not as safe--as we'd like to believe.


JKG

Don't discount the propensity of the media these days to want to
sensationalize news stories. A crash of an airplane by an excellent
pilot is a much bigger story than the crash of an airplane by a
bad pilot. It seems they want to 'prove' that flying is unsafe, and
showing that even the best pilots crash seems to meet that end.

It seems to me that most of the crashes that make the news do not
involve "excellent" pilots--they involve pilots who exercised extremely
poor judgment (usually historically), were operating contrary to
regulation, or were not proficient or qualified for the operation being
conducted. I would agree that the media usually doesn't make these
points clear, or else there would no sensational story. The media would
prefer to encourage the perception that the pilots were excellent and
qualified pilots, with the concluding perception that GA is therefore
unsafe.



JKG

On 02/06/06 11:54, Jonathan Goodish wrote:
In article ,
Mark Hansen wrote:
Perhaps, but I suspect that it's reluctance to admit that many GA pilots
aren't as proficient or don't possess the best judgment--and therefore
are not as safe--as we'd like to believe.


JKG

Don't discount the propensity of the media these days to want to
sensationalize news stories. A crash of an airplane by an excellent
pilot is a much bigger story than the crash of an airplane by a
bad pilot. It seems they want to 'prove' that flying is unsafe, and
showing that even the best pilots crash seems to meet that end.

It seems to me that most of the crashes that make the news do not
involve "excellent" pilots--they involve pilots who exercised extremely
poor judgment (usually historically), were operating contrary to
regulation, or were not proficient or qualified for the operation being
conducted. I would agree that the media usually doesn't make these
points clear, or else there would no sensational story. The media would
prefer to encourage the perception that the pilots were excellent and
qualified pilots, with the concluding perception that GA is therefore
unsafe.

That was exactly the point I tried to make. I guess I didn't
do it very well ;-(


--
Mark Hansen, PP-ASEL, Instrument Airplane
Cal Aggie Flying Farmers
Sacramento, CA

And if that person had instructed the pilot in question, it would
certainly be in their best interests to suggest that the pilot was
"excellent", lest they be pursued by the attorney of the family for
negligence caused by signing off a "bad pilot" for a BFR, certificate,
etc.

In article 9roFf.21674$sA3.6431@fed1read02, says...


Sounds like what we read in Southern California every time someone
prangs into the mountains around here during a winter storm. "Oh, he
was such a good pilot!" (translated, "Now, if only that nasty mountain
hadn't gotten in his way!")

The other half of the old saw is:
"He's a real hero, because he sacrificed himself to avoid peoples homes and
populated areas. . ." As if the natural or "selfish" thing for a pilot out
of airspace and out of options to do would be to slam it into someone's
house!

GF