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Date: Mon, 25 Aug 2008 12:08:23 -0400
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From: "Dan Schaefer" <dfs155@roadrunner.com>
Subject: Re: some thoughts on accidents
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Unfortunately, there are some (Lancair and other) pilots out there who will 
not hear, much less heed, all
the good advice about recurrent training, practice, currency, etc., 
presented here by this
community.

For example:

Recently, a friend from my QB hangar - Instructor, ex-AF fighter jock and 
all around good pilot, told me about another friend who had recently 
purchased a Lancair 320 and had approached him about getting my friend to 
give him a check-out. My friend (let's call him Jack, since McCain is 
already using that line) told the guy that he wasn't qualified to do it and 
told him his best bet was to contact Redmond to help him out. I guess the 
guy insisted and Jack wavered a bit and asked me if I'd give him some 
right-seat time to at least familiarize himself with a Lancair so if push 
came to shove, he could maybe keep the guy from killing himself. I explained 
that my L235 was probably not a good equivalent to a 320 and that just about 
all Lancairs, regardless of type, would certainly have different cockpits, 
systems, etc., etc. and that I was not an instructor. Regardless of all 
that, we decided to go up since it was a good excuse to go fly on a nice day 
though I continued to advise him to encourage his friend to get a "real" 
Lancair check-out.

Following about an hour in the air, where Jack did most of the flying, he 
totally agreed with me and that even he would not fly any Lancair without a 
proper check-out, he wouldn't try to give his friend one and that's what he 
intended to tell him.

A couple of weeks later, I ran into Jack at the FBO where he teaches and he 
told me that his friend had been upset that Jack wouldn't do as he wished 
and had continued to urge him to get some qualified help, so had decided to 
just go ahead and fly his airplane anyway.

Long story short (sorta) on his third landing, he ran his 320 off the end of 
the runway. I didn't bother to ask about damage of injuries, I figured it 
was just nature's way of culling the stupid gene.

Moral: If a guy insists on being stupid, there ain't much you can do about 
it, no matter how much advice you give. I doubt this fellow will live long - 
assuming he hasn't permanently ruined his Lancair and gets it back in the 
air.

Dan Schaefer
Early 235:    N235SP - 900+ hours, all mine. 


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