Aviation

Young Men Trying to Imitate the 9-11 Scenario, Part II By Lance Winslow

What happened to General Aviation after 9-11? Why did we take the ITC away in the late 80’s? Why were we hostile with IRS regulations toward Civil Air Patrol pilot owners? What else did this cause and why is it significant to this Part II of aviation mentor-ships for young men? We continue now with Part II of “Young Men trying to imitate the 9-11 Scenario.”

Wichita KS boomed due to the Ivestment Tax Credit regulations and the city had lots of population to draw from for mechanics, since so many people worked in the aviation factories. Also private enterprise gave us more innovations, people like Burt Rutan came onto the scene with the Vari Eze, Long Eze, Vari Viggen. At Oshkosh (World’s biggest air show and aviation gathering) he had more orders for kits of his composite aircraft than he could fulfill in a lifetime. Thus composite was brought into general aviation. For the first time general aviation had brought new innovations to aerospace. This meant we would have more pilots for military, airlines and the like. Thus creating better pilots for the airline demands and of course with a bigger pot to pick the crème, better pilots means better safety. An issue I have currently with the newest pilots coming on board at airlines, who cannot really fly an airplane. They can fly a little by the on board computer until the computer burps. We will see more computer related accidents in the next several years until their technology is improved and we are forced to re-align our training methods to include flying the plane. Of course within 20 years aircraft will fly themselves like commuter trains in metro areas do now. Incidentally Burt Rutan is a stanch supporter of CAP. If you will go to the Midland TX airport you will see many war birds and antique aircraft at the Confederate Air Force Museum, many of those types of aircraft are registered in the CAP and are used on missions. Without the tax write off they could not be flown as often creating a terrible array of accidents in older aircraft. The more proficient a pilot is the better faculties available in an emergency. Nothing replaces experience in aviation. The CAP was the mentoring program that was needed in the case of this young pilot. Yet our own government had gone after this organization and cut it down to size, calling it a tax shelter? Well, that is great, so now you have fewer pilots, with less experience, denial of young people in flight programs, increased costs to fly, fewer aircraft flying, increased insurance (less users-more accidents), and now we have kids crashing into buildings. Not a direct result of course but if that kid had been able to be active in CAP, Junior ROTC, Boy Scouts Aviation Explorers or the EEA Eagles Program then I bet this would not have happened.

When I was in the Boy Scouts explorers we went to Edwards Air force base and toured a B-1 Bomber a year after they came into existence. We toured the factory at Santa Maria CA where they made Aerostar 601s. We went to watch missile launches at Vandenburg Air Force Base. We did all kinds of stuff, cool stuff. Many of us gathered from different high schools, there were only two or three from each high school in the program. Not everyone could come to all events. School things of course got in the way. Some of us were in sports, some in other extracurricular activities. I even had to run a business. I do remember going to those events. I was in the CAP also where we had two Piper Super Cubs, which I had 14 hours in, at really no charge, token, monies and insurance and club dues. All I had to do was study ground school and take aviation tests, which I loved anyway. All this was available to us cadets as we were called through the senior members, because of their gifts due to the tax write offs they received for fuel etc. We marched, went to a shortened version of boot camp. I was athletically inclined, running in boots sucked but it was a good time anyway. They called us names, yelled at us, and taught us discipline and the benefit, they taught us to fly. I was 12-14 at the time. I still think that this program teaches more than any guidance counselor at any school. The counselor at this young man’s school did not understand what was a matter with this kid. How could they understand what it means to fly? They are ground lovers.

People who fly think more three demisional, like those who build train sets and run them around their display. American Indians, those in the mountains had much more understanding and intellect than those in the plains. They were forced to view the world differently and with this knowledge a better understanding. They were also better fighters and much harder to defend against as Westward settlers soon found out. A young man who is introduced to flying has a much better chance of understanding what he wants to be when he grows up. Instead we have kids who still have not decided what they want to do until they are a junior in college, if they make it that far. Many do not and all they know is they want to be rich, yet a master of nothing, having learned no real skill or knowledge base to accomplish the goal of living well or even being rich. Not that they would learn it in school anyway, Calvin Coolidge said there are many educated derelicts. Without the training, mentors, knowledge they find as Tom Peter’s would say “any road takes them there”. And that is where we are today. This young man is not a reflection on our FARs-Federal Aviation Regulations, his actions and death are a reflection of what one of the messages of Ayn Rand was trying to say. It is our society, which breaks down the strength of the individual on their mission to make everyone the same.

End Part II