To prophanger and maverick: You guys are young and full of P & V. That's fine as I once was the same and remember the fun I had when I was not wise enough to be more cautious. I remember driving straight through from Vegas to Houston and doing 90 most of the time. Now I drive well within the speed limits today, well mostly[X(].
I remember when out on a night flight all alone and I could turn the lights off, push the Jet down, at idle, and go buzzin' by the oil-well derrick where drilling was being done with people on top of the derrick. Go to 100% and laugh all the way back up to 20,000FT.
Fun then, but definitely less than smart. (No big radar control back in those days)
Personally I am totally against the use of the Safety Code Rules to enhance the AMA's position as an insurance provider. (That is the nice way of saying it, however I do have other ideas about the real reasons for these restrictions.)
No matter how proficient or how smart one is, one can always make that one mistake. 41 years of professional aviation, military and airline, taught me one thing for certain: Over-confidence and complacency WILL soon bite your shorts big time, and maybe worse than ignorance.
One friend, in a unit together, was one of the best *Natural pilots* ever. He knew it. One day he had an emergency at very low altitude. One of the few parts found was his hand gripped around the ejection-handle with the SAFETY PIN still engaged. He never pulled the pins prior to taxi out on the mission. All those *SMARTS* and natural ability gone with one small mistake.
I could relate to you a very thick book.
Take a look at the new Feb. issue of
RC REPORT and you will find some examples of mistakes made by full scale pilots. They ALL KNEW WHAT THEY WERE DOING OR THEY WOULD NEVER HAVE BEEN IN A POSITION TO BE DRIVING THOSE MACHINES, as they had to demonstrate their proficiency many times. Did you know that an airline Captain has to demonstrate his proficiency each SIX months? (some exceptions with some airline/FAA agreements) It can happen to YOU.
Have to be quite about that before the AMA gets ideas!!
What you don't know may be dangerous, but that which you know for certain, but ain't so, will really bust your bottom. [>:]