So yesterday a guy i know was talking about flying commercial through a storm a couple nights ago. I then went into aviation mode and started chatting. He showed some genuine interest in aviation, and followed by saying " it sure would be nice to own my own plane for travel". Then he started mentioning a bunch of nice new expensive aircraft that the average Joe will never afford. I then said, " I wouldnt know anything about those kind of planes but the freedom of having a plane is awesome. I have an ole 66 cessna, and love it. " then it began...

He started talking about how unsafe an airplane of that vintage would be. I mentioned I flew it to CO a couple weekends ago and I felt safe flying it all the say go Alaska. It is fairly low time and well maintained. He then said , "if a buddy of mine said hey let's drive to CO in my 66 mustang I would be like, are you crazy?"
Really??? What the heck kinda comparison is that? He said structally there would be no difference in an old car and airplane. I explained the maintenance regs etc. He didn't care.
He then turned to another guy and said would you fly in a buddies 50 year old airplane? He said, "no way, doctors die every week in those things. "

I just left the conversation saying oh well. What do you guys say or do in those situations

I blame the media and uneducated people. Why do so many people look down on GA?

Hell, I look at my 55 year old Cessna all the time and say, "I ain't flying in that thing! It's dangerous."

Do the same thing looking in the mirror too.

Gump

There are whuffos everywhere...they don't want to be educated. Just be happy knowing the truth about old airplanes, and feel fortunate that you are able to do something that 98% of the population can't or won't experience. Give the old 66 Cessna a kiss on the spinner next time you see her...

Just be happy knowing the truth about old airplanes, and feel fortunate that you are able to do something that 98% of the population can't or won't experience.

See, it works out perfectly!

I wouldn't fly with 98% of the population and the 2% that I would fly with are already flying or will get their license.

Ain't we a great bunch of guy's and gal's. I love us.

P.S. There are a large number of us who have lost our license' due to medical issues ect. that I would be honored to fly with.

c172tw,

That is nothing. I recently read an article about Donald Trumps $100,000,000.00 B-757....gold clad toilet seat and all. The airplane is something like 16/17 years old.. Some dumbass commented that he wouldn't ride in the thing. Boeing quit building them years ago.(2004) He said. It is an outdated design. Worn out old airplane, the wings probably bent and flexed so much they are ready to break etc. etc. I just couldn't believe it.

Does he realize that the average airliner is over a decade old and has tens of thousands more flight hours on it than the Donald's cream puff? Does he know that at one time NWA had a DC-9 still flying that was nearly 40 years old and had 90,000 hours on it? Maybe the 9 was not fuel efficient buts till a perfectly fine airplane.

Oh well.

Bob

It's real simple actually.

Just ask your friend how many 747's or Airbuses can say have a documented history of 50 or 60 years of safe reliable flying like a 70 year old Cub or T-craft can boast. Which would an insurance company choose as the lower risk?

Ask him whether he would rather trust his life to a 25 year old doctor whose certificate still has wet ink on it, or a 55 year old doctor who has been practicing medicine for 30 years. Which would the insurance company choose? Do they give better insurance rates to a 16 year old driver than to a 65 year old retiree ?

Ask him whether he would rather live in a craftsman house built in 1940 when they cared about quality, or a tract house built in 2000 when they cared about finishing the project under budget.

Ask him whether a diploma from one of those 1930's and 40's high schools is bettter or worse than today's average college degree. Ask him whether today's high school graduates are even !(#*$ literate...

z3skybolt wrote:c172tw,

That is nothing. I recently read an article about Donald Trumps $100,000,000.00 B-757....gold clad toilet seat and all. The airplane is something like 16/17 years old.. Some dumbass commented that he wouldn't ride in the thing. Boeing quit building them years ago.(2004) He said. It is an outdated design. Worn out old airplane, the wings probably bent and flexed so much they are ready to break etc. etc. I just couldn't believe it.

Does he realize that the average airliner is over a decade old and has tens of thousands more flight hours on it than the Donald's cream puff? Does he know that at one time NWA had a DC-9 still flying that was nearly 40 years old and had 90,000 hours on it? Maybe the 9 was not fuel efficient buts till a perfectly fine airplane.

Oh well.

Bob

You meant to say Trumps 727? Or did he recently get a 757 I didn't know about?

58Skylane wrote:

z3skybolt wrote:c172tw,

That is nothing. I recently read an article about Donald Trumps $100,000,000.00 B-757....gold clad toilet seat and all. The airplane is something like 16/17 years old.. Some dumbass commented that he wouldn't ride in the thing. Boeing quit building them years ago.(2004) He said. It is an outdated design. Worn out old airplane, the wings probably bent and flexed so much they are ready to break etc. etc. I just couldn't believe it.

Does he realize that the average airliner is over a decade old and has tens of thousands more flight hours on it than the Donald's cream puff? Does he know that at one time NWA had a DC-9 still flying that was nearly 40 years old and had 90,000 hours on it? Maybe the 9 was not fuel efficient buts till a perfectly fine airplane.

Oh well.

Bob

You meant to say Trumps 727? Or did he recently get a 757 I didn't know about?

You mean...

..."The Donald" didn't tell you? Guess you know what that means......YOU'RE FIRED!!!

Bob

Its ok, let him keep driving that big bus in the sky while we have all the fun

Cool! I'll look it up when I get home. I just have my phone and not easy to surf the web with

The good old US of A is still flying the B-52 that was first built in the 1950s. The plane is older than most of the pilots that are flying them today. The guy has no clue what he is talking about but then again he reads to much into the news or gets to much bad information. He would proably have a stroke if he knew we were protecting him and the country with a plane that is almost 60 years old.Better not tell him............

A plane built in 66 is not that old of a plane. My Stinson was built in 1947 and is still flying great.
So for a 64 year old plane to still be flying and be in great shape says a lot for the Aviation industry,
And fine maintenance we have..

Ken in Alaska

Myself and my current plane were both build in 1956, with proper maintanence there is no reason why we won't both be around to see 100 years old . As for someone who doesn't want to fly in an old plane, ask them if they would prefer to walk to a hospital after a car crash instead of flying in a 40 year old (or older) bell helicopter being used as an air ambulance . It's all about the maintanence, not the age.

There are a lot of idiots out there. I put several hundred hours in DHC-6 Twin Otter that had over 25,000 hours on the airframe (some working Otters have 50,000) and I never felt that the aircraft itself was dangerous...some of our operations where another story.

My Mom had a great saying that sums this up. "Convince a fool against his will and he's of the same opinion still".

I think there is something else going on with some of the general public seizing on the fact that we (you) are flying "antique aircraft". I get the same thing, but it is "homebuilt"..... it just blows their minds so bad, they can't relate, and most can only criticize. The fleet age is the first thing that comes to mind, being homebuilt the second thing. What we do is so far outside the realm of what, just for instance, some guy with a ATV or a snowmachine does, that it is outside their frame of reference. The faith we put in our flying machines, of any type, based on our experience and expertise, that allows us to fly, is many times greater then what most are used to. Getting clipped into a zip line is considered high risk and crazy by most, forget the fact a bag of dog food can ride a zip line. I run into people all the time that will ask, "what have you been up to", and the first thing I think is if I really tell them, and go into detail, they will call bullshit/not believe me, or think I'm kidding! It's almost like what we do is too good to be true, there must be a catch, or else more would do it. Thus we must be reckless, crazy or both.

courierguy wrote:I run into people all the time that will ask, "what have you been up to", and the first thing I think is if I really tell them, and go into detail, they will call bullshit/not believe me, or think I'm kidding! It's almost like what we do is too good to be true, there must be a catch, or else more would do it. Thus we must be reckless, crazy or both.

Agreed. For my age (I am kinda young) I have done more than the average 50 year old. When I get to talking to people and I start telling stories about where I have been and what I have done, they kind of shut me out as though I am just blowing smoke. Same thing applies to my flying. I haven't done the back country flying that I would like to yet, but even then, with how often I fly and where I go, people just don't really believe it. Then I tell them my plane is covered in fabric and was built in 1947 with an engine of equally ancient design and they gasp. Even then, I have somehow convinced some of them to hop in with me and see a few of the sights.

Joshua

The closing of the American mind. The world has always been enjoyed most by the 1%'ers. The problem today is that 1%'ers are feared and marginalized. Time once was, that a sense of adventure and a willingness to try new things was admired. Charles Lindbergh-------Steve Jobs? Chuck Yeager------Tiger Woods? Who are our heros?

I hope your experience is rare c172tw. I've yet to meet anyone quite as thick as those two of your acquaintance.

yeah, no shit on all that. must be why a lot of us are old dirtbike racers and such. every time i climb a big chute on my 200HP sled then bail off the backside at about 11000 feet, i question my sanity too. airplanes, sleds, bikes and walking across the street, they're all damn dangerous...pay your $, take your chances...my dad died at 52, after retiring at 49 u guys...ranch on looncreek and all his stuff pd for and etc...took lots of chances as well, and managed to come thru unscathed during it all, except for the cancer....he never regretted not doing stuff though, cause he did!

Not only have I seen many a 66 Mustang that I would drive from the conus to Alaska, but also a few that I'd feel privileged to drive on that trip.

Then again there's a few still being driven out there that I wouldn't back down a driveway.

Same with planes.