REFLECTOR: how hot is too hot?

[Tom]

Dear Mr Walker, 

I also, do not usually give my opinion. I know Dave Dent personally and I must say, as a pilot who has been flying for fifty years thirty five of those professionally as a navy pilot and airline pilot , I feel qualified to comment on Dave's qualifications. I know Dave as a careful and conscientious pilot. Your tirade is something that some pilots , usually with little experience, love to comment on after the fact not knowing the facts. It lets you show how knowledgeable you are. 
Let's face it,when an airplane is on fire all you want to do is get the hell out. I'm sure you are a extremely competent pilot and this sort of thing would not happen to you. Having said this don't shoot your mouth off until you know what was going on. 

Lon Hoskins


If you're ever haunted any of the "Never Again" type forums like on AOPA, you'd see that this type of
reaction is all too normal for many pilots. We not only have lots of armchair quarterbacks in our ranks
but there are many folks who utilize this as a way to justify their own feelings of safety. They think that 
anyone who crashes is either some type of idiot or was not following rules. Helps them in their rationalization 
"I can never get hurt flying because I do everything right". It's truly sad when someone gets on one of these 
forums with a real life experience that we can all learn from and he gets nothing but ridicule.  
Pilots can be like sharks with blood in the water when one of our own makes a mistake or simply experienced 
some bad luck..Tom