[whataretheysaying] Mary Madigan: A Pilot's Perspective

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Posted by Mary Madigan:
A Pilot's Perspective 
http://whataretheysaying.powerblogs.com/posts/1161015757.shtml


   ..on the likely reasons for the [1]Lidle crash*

     Compared to the Hudson, the East River is very narrow as it doglegs
     right, then left. You donât have much time to watch Brooklyn and
     Queens scroll past to the east before you bank west and cruise over
     Central Park. Then you tell LaGuardia tower that youâre going back
     to the VFR corridor on the Hudson, and you switch the radio back to
     the corridor frequency.

     Thatâs how itâs supposed to be done. Apparently, Lidle and his
     flight instructor Tyler Stanger never called LaGuardia tower to get
     clearance to pass through Class B airspace. Air traffic control at
     Teterboro says one of the men radioed in that theyâd just go a
     short distance up the river and turn around. But, as noted, the
     river is narrow, and at low altitudes itâs hemmed in by buildings;
     itâs a lot like being stuck in a slot canyon. The dayâs low
     overcast made flying conditions even trickier. If Lidle and Stanger
     had climbed to a safer 1,500 feet, they would have been nearly in
     the cloudsâa very dangerous situation for non-instrument rated
     pilots.

     What if theyâd gone straight aheadâthat is, continued north? Well,
     they would have busted right into Class B airspace. Doing that
     without prior clearance from LaGuardia tower might have resulted in
     a reprimand, or even the temporary suspension of their licenses. To
     avoid that fate, they risked a worse one, and lost...

   ..and on why pilots oppose the imposition of new regulations in
   response to this accident..

     Some people who arenât pilots donât understand why some of us risk
     our lives for what seems to be a pointless thrill. For them, the
     logical course of action would be to shut down the VFR flyway to
     prevent more deaths. But pilots see things differently. To us,
     flying is a great privilege that, yes, carries a certain amount of
     inherent risk. But living in the presence of danger and accepting
     responsibility for it is one of the things that makes life
     meaningful. We donât want to live in a world thatâs foolproof and
     accident-free. We want one where prudence and respect can be
     rewarded with an indescribable freedomâa freedom that too few
     people are lucky enough to enjoy.

     The appropriate response to the death of Lidle and Stanger is not
     to ban similar flights. Itâs for fellow pilots to study what
     happened, learn from it, and go on to be safer flyers.

   Most New Yorkers, pilots or not, understand that point of view. If you
   want to live a foolproof and accident free life, you won't find it in
   the city.

   Even [2]Mayor Bloomberg agrees.

   * link thanks to Judith of [3]Kesher Talk

References

   1. http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/air_space/4199536.html?page=3
   2. http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/newyork/ny-bc-ny--airbornemayor1013oct13,0,6344555.story?coll=ny-region-apnewyork
   3. http://www.keshertalk.com/