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talents
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This is certainly a contentious issue... and I know I seem to be one of the more vocal opposition to the general consensus... but hey, isn't debate what we're here for? If we all agreed, then Van would only make one RV with a single engine option and panel.
I think one way to look at it is thus: This guy was jailed 7 years ago for a dumb mistake. Let he who is without sin cast the first stone. I know I'll admit I won't be throwing ANY stones here today. I've never driven drunk... I've never killed anyone... but **** if I haven't done some damned stupid things in my life. After 7 years of rotting in a jail cell, he has decided that he wants to pursue aviation. With a criminal record (and one involving alcohol, to boot) he will never be able to progress in a flying career beyond being a private pilot. Instrument, max. No flight school I've ever been around will do commercial on anyone with a background like that. He is paying for this out of his pocket. There are no tax dollars going into his flight training. Where he's got the money from... well, that's frankly none of my or anyone else's business. Let me tell you a little story. I worked as an EMT for some time in my life... and in that time I got to see a lot of things. I was in a lake area, and a vacation spot, so I got to see my fair share of accidents that involved vehicles that travelled on water, roads, air and off-road. By far, the accidents that were typically the worst and the largest takers of life were the car accidents. Two true stories I worked; Some kid in an old muscle car that his/her dad bought him for $1000 as a car to learn to drive in (the number of times I heard "It'll put up with the punishment"...) loses control in the first storm of the year... sweeps across three lanes of traffic and takes out the front of a Mexican restaurant, killing 9 people in the process (though in deference to his dad's decision, the kid survived!) Light aircraft on approach to a small strip right beside a holiday destination loses power on final. Pilot is doing a long final and doesn't have enough energy to make the threshold... makes for the highway. Oddly, the same highway mentioned above. Somehow manages to avoid all the cars on the road, bar one. Small car with a woman at the wheel who somehow failed to see the aircraft land on the highway in front of her... clips one of the wings causing some damage to the A-pillar of her car. It turns the light aircraft toward oncoming traffic, he veers across the road and somehow manages to avoid traffic again, coming to rest in the trees on the opposite side of the road with one wing about 2 feet shorter than the other. Seriously injured in the crash, but after a few weeks at the hospital was able to walk out with no permanent injury (except to his wallet; the insurance had lapsed on his plane). Cause of the accident? Fuel starvation... he had left the fuel selector on LEFT for the entire trip and happened to empty the tank on final. Moral of the second story? As pilots, even as high and mighty as we sometimes see ourselves... we make mistakes too. Should the guy in story 2 be any less deserving of continuing to fly if his pocket book will allow it because he made a dumb mistake and came very close to killing someone? How about kid in story 1? He killed 9... his mistake was he hadn't replaced balding tires when he absolutely should have (I saw them, they weren't pretty). He was a student... just out of high school and couldn't afford said tires. Excuse? No... but it was a mistake. For all I know, he may be a pilot today... I really don't know... I haven't looked him up. If you're worried about this guy driving a 757 into a school, I doubt that's a realistic concern. He's not going to get an airline job... ****, as I said I don't know of a flight school that will pass him on a commercial... there may even be flight schools who won't allow him to progress beyond private. Sure, he's a criminal... but you know, I have a lot of friends who have served jail time. Maybe they didn't kill anyone, but three weeks ago I had one of them up in a rented Cessna who happens to have been jailed for DUI a few years back. It was his first time in a light aircraft, and I'm not about to discourage him from pursuing a private ticket if he wants to himself... he certainly is excited by the prospect (waiting on tax refund). For your information, he hasn't touched alcohol in the 4 years I've known him... I think he's safer flying than some commercial pilots I've seen at the bars around Lambert Field. Just hoping that I provide some food for thought, and an opposing opinion. |
Let's Get Real...
What seems to be missing here is the concept of Punishment for the Crime... Plain and Simple. Incarceration is intended to punish the offender and keep him from, in this case, killing again.
Unfortunately, the misguided masses have come to believe that prision is for rehabilitation. Let's look at the root of the word prison. It is derived from the Latin prensionem (nom. prensio), a shortening of prehensionem "a taking," noun of action from prehendere, "to take" So the purpose of prison is evident in it's etymology; "to take" freedom from the prisoner, i.e. PUNISH him. The longer he "rots" in jail, the better off innocent law abiding drivers are, and the more time the idiot has to consider his inane actions. If you don't think that's very compassionate, you may be right. But if you want to feel good about yourself and be all compasionate, why don't you direct your compassion at the family of the innocent victims that he murdered. Put yourself in the place of somebody who has lost a loved one to a moronic drunk driver, and you may change your tune. I have compassion for the victims, not the idiotic drunk. That kind of misguided "time-out" mentality is behind most of our social woes today. What the guy really needs is a "Spankin". Cast the first stone? Somebody obviously missed the message of that parable. The context was that of people guilty of the same crimes, or worse, as the woman they wanted to stone. The proper analogy here would be a convicted drunk driver getting off scot free for killing someone and then sitting on a jury to convict another drunk driver who had committed the same crime... i.e hypocrisy. That doesn't apply in my case. I've never killed anybody, much less while driving drunk! So I am free to judge this man the same as a court and jury already did... Guilty, Guilty, Guilty. |
"Ju$tice"
I once had an attorney tell me " Don't you know your innocent until proven broke?". Our system rewards those with the money to buy the best defense(Remember OJ) when it comes to crimes against persons, but when it comes to property crimes(stealing money) the rules and penalties change and increase. Human Life has a monetary value and when it comes to crimes against persons, it averages about $200,000 or seven years in prison, at $29,000 per year(Average cost of incarceration). While I think capital punishment is too easy, I think all child molestors, rapists and terrorists deserve summary execution. This idiot made an series of unforgettable mistakes that he will carry for the rest of his life and, if the victims' family is smart will cost him for the rest of his life. If he is able to pay his legal bills and pay the victims' family, then and only then, should he be allowed the priviledge of flying lessons.
BTW Did anyone read the story about the bank robber buying a Cessna in Atlanta in the 70's, from Epps Aviation, in AOPA? Don't forget the worst 535 criminals take way too much money from your paycheck every year and are called statesmen. Vote for the Fair Tax and vote the crooks out! FWIW Robby "Hard" Knox |
JoeG hit the mark!
Exactly what JoeG from Fort Worth said! And no, I am not saying this because he is located only a few miles from my home.
This guy should not be allowed to take flying lessons while in jail/prison. Period. I thought I had finally "heard it all" when the guy recently had to sell his VAF shirts because his wife didn't like the image on the back. Yes, my brother designed the image, but let's get real...a Hawaiian girl is offensive and reason to not be allowed to wear a shirt? Anyway, I digress......Now I have FINALLY heard it all. A prisoner being allowed to leave jail/prison to take flying lessons. Unbelievable, especially based upon his crime. |
kill them all, let God sort it out
I was wondering when the Texas (kill them all, let God sort it out) crowd would chime in on this. Irrespective of the root meaning of the word prison, I'm sure the founding fathers associated that meaning to institutions in the old world and not to the new republic.
If current trends continue 66% of Texans will be behind bars-33% in prison and 33% behind gated communities, to protect them from the other 33% that use to be in prison but were never reformed or re-educated. Quote:
What if he wanted to get a degree in chemical engineering, should that be excluded also? How about physics? Both of these could ultimately be more dangerous than flying lessons if malice was his intent so why no emotion for other forms of training? This is the kind of bass ackward thinking that makes people feel good in the short term, but less safe in the long term. I'll put on my flame proof jacket now. |
Prison training
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Gosh, it might even save us money to invest in educating *all* of our citizens so that they can be productive members of society. :) |
God Bless Texas
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w1Curtis...
I don't follow your edict of "kill 'em all, let God sort 'em out". I bet you think we still ride horses to work, too? :D
Seriously, what I am trying to say is that a criminal IN PRISON should not be allowed OUT of prison, WHILE STILL DOING HIS TIME, to take flying lessons! That is ridiculous! Getting to leave prison to go fly, then come back in after your lessons? Now that is crazy, and despite the circumstances, this guy was convicted of killing people while driving drunk. He should do his time BEHIND bars, just like the others in prison. Once he is out of prison and has served his time? He can take all the flying lessons he wants. The jury and judge set his sentence, and fortunately for this guy, it appears he is getting out soon. Again, once his full time is served, according to the jury and the eyes of the law, his punishment has been served 100%. Great. After he gets out, ****, let him fly 8-hours per day if he has the money and a CFI will allow this much training. But to do so while coming and going out of an 'open-door prison system' doesn't make any sense to me. And yes, just like JoeG said, some of us Texans do legally 'pack heat' at all times. I just wish it was like Arizona where they can wear a gun on their hip if properly licensed...we must conceal our weapons. I just want someone to make a VALID argument why someone should be allowed in and out of jail, while still serving their time, to take recreational flying lessons? That's the point here...that he gets to leave jail to fly. NOT that he should be denied the opportunity, but he should not be able to enjoy things of this nature until his time is served. Let's say he flys 10-hours per week, and it takes him 60-hours to pass his checkride. Does the judge come back in and tack on 60-hours (or almost two-weeks) to his sentence? There's no mention of that, and that is my point! And finally, William, the "what if he wants to get a degree" statement doesn't have any relevance to this discussion. He can get a degree from WITHIN prison, without ever having to leave- which is of course the case to go flying. |
If it looks like a duck...
This reminds me of a situation many years ago when I gave some flight instruction to the inmate of a nearby minimum security prison who was nearing parole. He was allowed to participate in an outside day-work program at our local airport. The airport manager would pick him up at the prison in the morning and deliver him back at night, several days a week. While at the airport, he did odd jobs and pretty much had the run of the place. He was allowed to take flying lessons as part of this program, (in compensation for his work) so he progressed through solo and was working towards his private license. He had the makings of a pretty good pilot. I left the area for a year or so, but when I got back I heard that he had stolen a C-172 and earned a little more time in prison, this time without any more flying lessons.
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