One of the things that comes to mind is the dramatic change in technology that has evolved since my days of flying in business and for fun...I do have issues that keep me on the ground....one lung, asthma and serious COPD keep me at an altitude of less than 2000 feet...oxygen is not the issue..anyhow...I flew most of my time in days before GPS..before termimal control areas, before lots of the technology that has come to pass...I sort of relate it to my many years of offshore sport fishing...my boat in the 60's had a compass, an AM radio and an egg timer mounted on the dash to mark time on a particular leg...wandering around in the fog miles offshore could be a challenge. I watch guys (and gals) today that spend as much on electronics as they do the boat almost and can absolutly navigate anywhere in the world without difficulty..only problem is if something breaks or batteries go dead and they are left with dead reckoning which leaves most of them out on a limb.
My flying days were days of the VOR, no GPS, simple radio , etc.....I was looking at the chart plotter GPS on the sailplane and watched him mention to his buddy that "I've got Logan made"...the GPS was tracking and walking him along every step and predicting his position and duration of glide...pretty amazing...but on the other hand...if he has some "issue" he'd better know where he is and have the experience to deal with it..the guy looks like a veteran and experienced glider pilot...I'm not a particularly high time pilot...low time by many standards but in the period of time I flew I had an engine out, lost all radio transmission and receiving capabilities and had lots of "cold front" rolling weather situations flying into places like Raton Pass from Albuquerque...I was told many years ago that within the first 100 hours of getting my license I'd be tested with the things I'd learned and would have the opportunity to save my life or die or be injured if I "failed the test"....I don't scare easily but did have occasion to be reduced to the sweats and concerns. My "issues" mostly came well after the first 100 hours and I'm glad for all the hours of practice and "learning" I did..probably made my flying a pleasure and not a tragedy...
My old airplane is in pieces in some airplane junk yard now...the instructor with a student doing instrument cross country had an engine out and put it into some trees..the trees and the instructor's capability to stay calm probably saved their lives as he had no where else to go...hard lesson to learn.
I have a friend that runs an FBO at one of the fields in San Diego county...he told me he is amazed at how many "money people" want to go buy a high dollar complex aircraft to learn in....and how unwilling they often are to do the necessary "book learning" to back up the electronics...When he does cross country work with someone that is not "willing" to do the work....his "final" exam is often to cover or power down the electronics, hand them a sectional and tell them to figure their position and how to get to "point b" or whatever...and then the panic sets in...and they frequently fire him and go get another instructor which ..according to my friend..is fine with him as he's not taking the responsibility of having someone become a gauge watcher with no mental back up.
