Some Quick Humor

[martymayes]

If you want to fly you must talk politics for flying is a very political activity. I never understood this so much until a friend told me during WWII all GA aviation was grounded. For 5 years no one flew any GA airplanes. If you owned an airplane at this time it sat in the hangar.

Humm, the Civilian Pilot Training Program was not GA? GA planes and instructors? The Civil Air Patrol was not GA? GA planes and pilots? One of the reasons CAP was formed was because the Army Air Corps wanted to ban GA flying. That never happened.

On 8 December 1941, the day after Pearl Harbor, all general aviation flying was banned, The ban was lifted 2 days later. There were restrictions on flying during WWII but general aviation was very active.

I knew a guy that did coastal patrol in his personal airplane during WWII for the Civil Air Patrol. He was a civilian pilot, his plane was a personally owned GA airplane.

[1600vw]

Humm, the Civilian Pilot Training Program was not GA? GA planes and instructors? The Civil Air Patrol was not GA? GA planes and pilots? One of the reasons CAP was formed was because the Army Air Corps wanted to ban GA flying. That never happened.

On 8 December 1941, the day after Pearl Harbor, all general aviation flying was banned, The ban was lifted 2 days later. There were restrictions on flying during WWII but general aviation was very active.

I knew a guy that did coastal patrol in his personal airplane during WWII for the Civil Air Patrol. He was a civilian pilot, his plane was a personally owned GA airplane.

Seeing how I was not even a thought at this time in history I have no idea what happened during this time except for what I am told either by reading or listening to others speak of this time in history. It was a friend who told me this who lived through this time. But when he did say this I wondered how he knew this for he was at war fighting for our navy. But I was not going to tell him he was wrong nor will I tell him this today. I took it he knew what he was saying. But like I said I could not say one way or the other if this really happened. But living through 9/11 I could see this happening. But maybe it did not. But if he believes this happened who am I to say it did not. I was not around during this time.

[Mayhemxpc]

Yes, but...

GA was severly restricted. In some ways, CAP and other organizations were formed so that some civilian flying could happen. CAP was an auxiliary of the USAAF (and still is of the USAF). Flying was done under military orders and the aircraft, whether privately owned or not (and most were) were considered public resources when flying on a USAAF mission. The Civilian Pilot Training Program was also government sponsored and approved. The instructors even had their own uniforms! So there was quite a bit of GA flying, all strictly controlled by the military. There was other general aviation. Some areas had more restrictions than others and it was prohibited completely in certain areas. The airlines were affected too, with most commercial air traffic being diverted to military support.

However...it was a war, declared by congress, with all national resources being prioritized to the war effort. I do not believe that we are in risk of that regardless of who wins the presidency or which party controls congress. But if we do wind up in a real, that is legally declared war, then similar things will happen again (just like the days following 9-11, when CAP was just about the only things flying other than medevac and military.)

humor...The cartoon strip "Smiling Jack" had quite a few strips devoted to the CAP.

[danielfindling]

A few years ago, I was flying from Michigan to Cooperstown NY in my Cessna 140A. The flight included an overflight of Canada (which was my first). I was talking to Buffalo and called my wife using my bluetooth headsets. Needless to say, I expressed both my love and gratitude to my wife for allowing me to take the trip. I only noticed I had the mike keyed when several other pilots and a controller expressed their love as well over the radio. - Embarrassed then, funny now.

Daniel

[C 172 Pilot]

"Not to look stupid on an NTSB report."
Absolute winner! Something all of us have thought at one time or another, especially when IMC!

(Note: I often say the Alan Shepard prayer between run up and taking the active: "Please God, don't let me screw up.")

I wasn't allowed to solo until I learned that prayer from my CFI!