X-Virus-Scanned: clean according to Sophos on Logan.com Return-Path: Received: from [67.8.183.219] (account marv@lancaironline.net) by logan.com (CommuniGate Pro WebUser 5.0.9) with HTTP id 1120985 for lml@lancaironline.net; Sat, 20 May 2006 07:03:24 -0400 From: "Marvin Kaye" Subject: Re: [LML] Re: IVP Crash To: lml X-Mailer: CommuniGate Pro WebUser v5.0.9 Date: Sat, 20 May 2006 07:03:24 -0400 Message-ID: In-Reply-To: <8984A39879F2F5418251CBEEC9C689B314E8A2@lucky.dts.local> References: <8984A39879F2F5418251CBEEC9C689B314E8A2@lucky.dts.local> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="ISO-8859-1"; format="flowed" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit Posted for "Chuck Jensen" : Lowell, Very well put. If it took me 100 of dual and 3 check rides to get a SEL license, I would hope I'd resorted to something less dangerous that I might be capable of...like getting out of bed in the morning. After that, everything would be high risk activities. I suspect there are very few pilots-in-training that are washed-out by their instructors. They just keep ringing up the hours (and bill) until they give it up either due to finances or frustration. Flying is very simple, flying well is extremely complex. Some do it well, some just get by and some never get it. I was looking at buying a Lancair for the same reasons that everyone else is interested in them. But the more I looked, the more I read, the more concerned I became. The final straw was a local Lancair that 'almost' made a good landing...came up 3' short and hit the abutment at the end of the runway. He survived, barely, but his passenger didn't. Accidents do happen and its never scared me off from aviation, but when I spoke with some of other pilots at his field, there wasn't one of them surprised about the outcome. Besides questioning his pilot skills and decision-making, they said on approach to this 2700' strip with water on both ends, that they could visually see the 'squirrelly' behavior of the plane on approach and final. And, if you can see it from the ground, it's twice as bad in the plane. So, I decided to 'putts' along at 180 kts in a Velocity canard pusher with stability characteristics similar to a flat rock laying on the ground. I don't get there quite as fast, but I arrive alive, which is more than can be said for a lot of Lancair drivers that get slow and low in the pattern. Still, it's a great plane. I just wish someone could figure out how to give up 10 kts and get it back in spades in stability. Chuck Jensen Diversified Technologies 2680 Westcott Blvd Knoxville, TN 37931 Phn: 865-539-9000 x25 Cell: 865-406-9001 Fax: 865-539-9001 cjensen@dts9000.com """ > From some of the posts it appears to me there is a suggestion that anyone > can > fly a Lancair with proper training, experience and discipline. With that > in > mind, how many golf lessions do I need to consistently shoot par at > Augusta > National, or Pebbel Beach or maybe just my home course. > > I have no problem with the airplane. What I do wonder about, however, > Does > anyone ever wash out in the training phase. Or possibly more important, > does > anyone ever just admit that it is just too much airplane for his native > abilities? Sort of like my abilities at golf , or art, or math or walking > on > walls. """