Yep, my wife indulges me in my flying, but would normally be just as happy flying commercial most of the time. Now with COVID she's leaning more towards flying private.

There are times when she loves flying private. Next weekend we are flying up to help our middle daughter move and we're bringing our daughter two of her paintings (the third is just too big). Or when we visit that daughter and get some bourbon after touring some distilleries on the Bourbon Trail. No issues bringing a few bottles back flying private.

Brad,

Not there yet. First requirement will be hangar space. That means a hangar at the ranch strip for the Cub so I have room in the hangar at the airport. The strip is has not progressed at all since last October. Construction labor, at this point, is simply not available at any price.

That being said, 200' of the runway will cross an interstate gas transmission line and the permit for the work over that line is reaching its time limit. Next week, that dirt will be hauled if I have to run the excavator and drive the truck by myself. Actually, I think I can put together three truck drivers for a few days from the retired and a couple of college kids.

Do you know how to drive a dump truck?

Jg

Brad,

Not there yet. First requirement will be hangar space. That means a hangar at the ranch strip for the Cub so I have room in the hangar at the airport. The strip is has not progressed at all since last October. Construction labor, at this point, is simply not available at any price.

That being said, 200' of the runway will cross an interstate gas transmission line and the permit for the work over that line is reaching its time limit. Next week, that dirt will be hauled if I have to run the excavator and drive the truck by myself. Actually, I think I can put together three truck drivers for a few days from the retired and a couple of college kids.

Do you know how to drive a dump truck?

Jg

All this talk of parachutes gives me a complete understanding of why people are willing to put themselves under house arrest and wear a mask in their car during this Covid scare.

If you are that scared of an engine out I suggest golf or perhaps ping pong.

But that’s just my opinion.

I will never understand how people who don’t believe in science get in an airplane.

Engine outs don’t scare me and rarely require a chute where I fly, but say a wing falling off a Piper, for example, is not something your skills or manliness will handle as well as a chute will. And for a non-flying spouse, a chute covers the fear of pilot incapacitation however unlikely.

Mark, have you ever had one quit on you?



I have. Several times. I still fly 650 plus hours per year, about 500 of that in single engine planes.


It's not a casual experience.

Says the guy with a twin engine turboprop.

If the gentleman is not embarrassed upon consideration of this post, then I am embarrassed for him.

Jg

I owned a turbocharged twin for a decade. Honestly, I'd take the twin over a 'chute every time.

I think a parachute can save you from certain things when the chips are down. But in reality, most of the stuff that kills pilots is caused by pilots.

So I go without the 'chute and try not to do things that might get me killed.

The engine out doesn't scare me too much. But I try to diminish the danger of engine out by picking my routes and times of flight, so I have a chance of landing should my only engine stop.

Engine failure doesn’t scare me nearly as much as inflight breakup. I’d pick the chute

NIL: Direct response to the OP, IMHO, there are 3 reasons :

I Marketing

II Marketing

III Marketing

I’m convinced of that now too after all the discussion here.

Maybe we could have a Tesla-branded plane. They seem very successful with marketing.

Every time? Pilot has medical event and passenger is non-pilot?
Maybe you can explain that to my dumb ASS.

JG

I've had 3 engine failures, 1 landed on a road and 2 landed on an airstrip. They certainly scare me plenty. One airplane had a parachute and elected to dead stick it. Still, I'm glad that chute is there. There are emergencies that cannot be handled no matter how skillful or lucky you may be; hence the chute.