If you've read my first series of posts and are now reading this, it means you believe in responsible and disciplined behavior in the cockpit. I suspect there are a great many pilots who've read a few of my posts and opted not to return to read another. Perhaps I have offended some pilots with my blunt observations and harsh conclusions. While I do not intend for my writing to be reacted to in this way, I am not bothered that some readers turn away with disagreement or assaulted egos. I believe in honest reflection and self-assessment, directed both toward myself and other pilots. It is my belief that a good pilot is an honest pilot, and while readers might disagree with some of my comments the pure ones will not resent them because they come only from the bottom of my safety-conscious heart. Those readers who do become offended by my posts should go elsewhere because I suspect most of them aren't the type of pilot I want to interact with anyway. But what gives me the right to make other pilots' business my business? Well, quite a few things.
Some readers may've noticed I've repeatedly mentioned "the innocent folks on the ground" in my first handful of posts. This is a theme you'll continue to see in future posts because it is always at the forefront of my mind. And if you fly airplanes it should always be at the forefront of your mind too. I'm a firm believer in the phrase, "To each his own." It excites me that we live in an individualistic society where each person is free to express himself in any way he chooses, so long as his expression does not intrude on another's expression. That is a tremendously positive way of community living and allows each of us to pursue passions or hobbies as we wish, as long our passions or hobbies don't negatively impact another individual's activities. If you want to dress up, turn the music up and party all night, power to you -- just as long as you're at a nightclub or not disturbing the neighbors who are in the middle of a meditation session. When we climb into an airplane then remove that airplane from the earth's surface we are free to enjoy ourselves in any way that we want, as long as we comply with all regulations and operate the airplane in a safe and efficient manner. But what happens when a pilot makes a boo-boo? Not only does that pilot put himself at risk (which is his prerogative), he puts innocent people on the ground at risk (as well as other pilots), too. This changes everything and makes flying a unique hobby. Now the pilot's self-expression has the potential to involuntarily become another person's uninvited ultimate disturbance.
When airplanes are in flight they always have the potential to come down suddenly and violently, and what happens to be below an airplane when and if that should happen could quite possibly be a home, an office building, a busy thoroughfare, or a little league softball game. It is for this reason that people who engage in this activity must be held to extremely high standards and maintain a safety-conscious mindset while conducting and enjoying their hobby. Flying demands a high degree of responsibility and maturity. Those who do not possess these traits should absolutely not be allowed to command an aircraft (at least without an instructor on board) because they do not have the right to put you, me, your children, the mayor, and anyone else on the ground at risk in their process of self-expression. They'd be better suited to swimming the English Channel or climbing Mount Everest. These activities don't involve putting others at risk. I don't believe people should have to be concerned with an aircraft crashing through the roof of their home during their Thanksgiving dinner. Certainly they didn't ask for that and they don't deserve it. Flying is high stakes, period. It takes a professional and evolved mentality to participate in it properly, and those who aren't capable of that mentality have no business behind the controls of an airplane. I wish them a life full of happiness in other hobbies which involve no collateral risk. There are other consequences for irresponsible flying too.
When a bonehead violates the Washington D.C. Special Flight Rules Area (SFRA) he makes a mess not only for himself but for all general aviation pilots. This mess comes in the form of new rulemaking and increased regulation. It slowly chips away at our collective freedom as pilots and reduces our ability to express ourselves through flying in an unrestricted way. Aircraft accidents work in just the same way. Accidents caused by irresponsible pilots often spur governmental concern (as they should) and new regulations are born. Sometimes the new rules are quite restrictive and unnecessarily apply to responsible pilots because it is currently impossible for the government to discern between a smart pilot and an inept pilot in terms of pilot certification and privileges. When a rule gets made for the silly pilots it's imposed on the whole lot of us, smart pilots and all. That's not fair to the responsible pilots because they didn't ask for the new restrictions nor do they need them. But our current system is limited to the "one for all" approach, so each one of us needs to do our part to fly safely and properly so as to preserve the wonderfully free flying system we enjoy today. Those who aren't capable or willing to do this need to change hobbies.
Flying is a challenging and uniquely high stakes hobby. Those who engage in flying must understand the consequences of mistreating it. If you don't want the pressure of those consequences constantly lurking in the background of every flight, stay away from the cockpit. Find something else that you enjoy pouring your heart into that doesn't involve the potential for loss of innocent life. And to my readers who are still with me after reading this, I give you my thanks. I'm glad to have you.
