Kyle,


There are real hazzards for a publication to stop being a constant nag regarding safety. In fact, its prudent that they constantly beat the drum for safety and profesionalism.


Lets go back to 1972 when FLYING published an article by an Alaskan pilot about his methods and techniques for safely flying through icing conditions. No joke, I read it. He emphasized that he did it all the time "because HE was a REAL pilot, had lots of time in ice and knew what he was doing." Or words to that effect. Furthermore, "you ordinary pilots cannot hope to do what I do." Or words to that effect. The readers must have been stunned or something because there little response on the letters page.


Jump ahead a few months and Louisiana Congressman Hale Boggs and others were lost in a 310. Icing was forecast to be terrible and it sure was. Especialy in the mountains along the filed route. A huge search effort was without results. The 310 was never found. Remember how impatient the US Congress was. They over ruled FAA and mandated that a thing called an ELT be invented and installed in everything but the follow me truck.


Now the letters swamped the magazine. The magazine never again strayed from "nothing but safety all the time" line. The name of the pilot/writer has long since been forgotten. We still have ELTs. A magazine has gotta do what a magazines gotta do.


Bob P.S. This would never have happened in Experimenter.