A dozen years back, the week after I retired from the cop job. I was on my motorcycle and was almost t-boned in an intersection by a HS kid, texting while at 45 mph, as she blew through the red light. As it was, she almost hit my front tire as she whizzed past.


Followed her, saw a local squad car, got their attention and they stopped her. She was cited, with ME as the complainant, signing the ticket. Went to Court, she lost. Her Family Appealed it and lost again.

Had she hit me I could have died or these past dozen years would have been a lot less enjoyable.

The only time I wish I was back on the job again is when I see some idiot, driving as if DUI, while on the phone or texting.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: FN in MT,

I just got cut-off 2x by a nit wit in a giant Tahoe. She was reviewing three columns of single spaced typed data! So, me thinks it's the turd and not the device we should blame (lot like the gun "issue", eh?)

Muzzleloader has it right, I recall watching a guy in a BMW 7 series, driving down a heavily traveled, highly commerical, 4 lane in the snow with a document on his steering wheel. I was in a Tacoma focused on the changing surface of the road. It's not the medium, it's the nut behind the wheel.

I have come up with a question (knowing the answer). Hey V-Tail, how long would a pilot last if they focused on the cellphone instead of the flying the aircraft? Corollary: Is there any indication that pilots are focusing on cells? (because, well, idiots have no limits)

quote:

Originally posted by SpinZone:
Hands free technology has gotten to the point where it should be required.

I've seen people using their phones in vehicles with Bluetooth available. In the few opportunities I've been able to ask a person why they're not using it, it's usually because they're too stupid to figure out how to use it.

quote:

Originally posted by SPWAMike0317:
Hey V-Tail, how long would a pilot last if they focused on the cellphone instead of the flying the aircraft? Corollary: Is there any indication that pilots are focusing on cells? (because, well, idiots have no limits)

The Bonanza was called the Forked Tail Doctor Killer for a good reason. They would set the autopilot and focus on work and the plane would get away from them.

Above 5000agl, cell phones don't work.

quote:

Originally posted by Mars_Attacks:

quote:

Originally posted by SPWAMike0317:

Hey V-Tail, how long would a pilot last if they focused on the cellphone instead of the flying the aircraft? Corollary: Is there any indication that pilots are focusing on cells? (because, well, idiots have no limits)

The Bonanza was called the Forked Tail Doctor Killer for a good reason. They would set the autopilot and focus on work and the plane would get away from them.

Above 5000agl, cell phones don't work.

Damn, Marzy -- you are right so much of the time, but not this time. I'm going to have to disagree with you on both points this time.

I use an aviation app, navigation, moving map, weather and traffic display, on an iPad, with a back-up version of the same app on an iPhone. It works just fine at and above 10,000', so the 5,000' that you cite is certainly not a limitation.

---

"Fork Tailed Doctor Killer" is a dumb phrase that rolls off the tongue easily, but the idea that it conveys could easily be applied to other demographic groups, lawyers for instance, who typically had the income to afford what was the uncontested single-engine luxury airplane at the time the phrase was coined, and who did not obtain proper training, typically because of some combination of experienced instructors for that airplane, available time (doctors and lawyers, especially the top earners, tend to be pretty busy), and a degree of hubris.

I have been a flight instructor for well over half a century (damn, I'm old!), with more time, a few thousand hours, of instruction given in Bonanzas, than in all other makes & models combined.

As part of initial type training for pilots who are transitioning into Bonanzas from other types, as well as recurrent proficiency training, I spend a significant amount of time, both in ground school and in the air, in training the pilot to recognize and recover from a terminal spiral (the so-called "graveyard spiral"), which is a loss of control situation that led to the nickname that you quoted. In fact, this is the same situation that killed JFK Jr. in his Piper Saratoga (he departed on his final flight from the airport where I based my Bonanza during the time that I worked for Digital Equipment Corporation).

Contrary to your assertion, this situation -- the terminal spiral -- will not occur, and the airplane will not "get away" from the pilot when a properly functioning autopilot is in use. This is one of the reasons that I always recommend to my trainees that they turn the autopilot on at the first hint of disorientation, with the objective of preventing the airplane "getting away from them" (your phrase).

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Going back to the question originally asked by SPWAMike0317, "How long would a pilot last, focused on the cell phone," I would have to say, "it depends."

In VMC (Visual Meterological Conditions), basically "see and be seen" for traffic avoidance, if a pilot ignores the windshield for long enough, sooner or later a mid-air collision might result.

On the other hand, when flying under IFR (Instrument Flight Rules), if you are in the clouds, there's no point looking out the window. There is nothing to be seen. You might as well be in the middle of a milk bottle. Air Traffic Control assumes the responsibility for traffic separation. Under these conditions, the pilot's attention is focused on the instrument panel, the navigation charts, and maybe an iPad or iPhone for an aviation app. How long would the pilot last? For most of the flight.

Actually, if the weather is right down to minimums, the pilot might not be able to see anything other than gray, through the window until the last 30 seconds or possibly less, just before touchdown on the runway.

I didn't mean the plane went out of control, they would lose track of time and the chart. You get into marginal conditions with no orientation of where you can land, you know it can become fatal.

Run a tank out of fuel and not have a successful restart the ground will win.

I've watched a man kill his family at 16J from running it dry. The plane didn't even burn.

quote:

Originally posted by Mars_Attacks:

I didn't mean the plane went out of control, they would lose track of time and the chart. You get into marginal conditions with no orientation of where you can land, you know it can become fatal.

Run a tank out of fuel and not have a successful restart the ground will win.

I've watched a man kill his family at 16J from running it dry. The plane didn't even burn.

Ah, I misinterpreted your phrase, “the plane would get away from them.” I thought you meant loss of control.

quote:

Originally posted by V-Tail:

quote:

Originally posted by Mars_Attacks:

I didn't mean the plane went out of control, they would lose track of time and the chart. You get into marginal conditions with no orientation of where you can land, you know it can become fatal.

Run a tank out of fuel and not have a successful restart the ground will win.

I've watched a man kill his family at 16J from running it dry. The plane didn't even burn.

Ah, I misinterpreted your phrase, “the plane would get away from them.” I thought you meant loss of control.

My cellphone stops responding around 5000agl.

However I don't dare touch ANYTHING other than the controls. That chart BETTER be in my lap. My instructor pounded it into my head.

quote:

Originally posted by Mars_Attacks:

I don't dare touch ANYTHING other than the controls. That chart BETTER be in my lap. My instructor pounded it into my head.

That's good if you can do it but it doesn't always work out that way.

For example, maybe weather or other conditions that were not forecast require you to change your destination and you need a different chart, one that you had not originally planned to use. It probably won't be in your lap. You'll need to get it out, unfold it, etc.

TIP: Rubbermaid makes a storage type clipboard, you can find it in office supply stores. It's a 9 x 12 clipboard with a good-sized storage compartment that will hold several charts, spare pencils, etc.

If you have an iPad, you can download ForeFlight, an excellent aviation app that includes all sectional charts, I think it's about $75.00 / year for the VFR version. Better yet, look at WingX Pro. The user interface is not as slick as ForeFlight, but WingX was offering the VFR version for 99 cents / year.

You could try them both, the apps are free, and the first month of chart use is free.

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If anybody reading this thread is either a flight instructor or an active military pilot, WingX Pro will give you a free subscription for both the VFR and IFR charts, and all approach plates for the U.S.

^^^^^ (last six posts)

I love this site.

The things you can learn here. . .

Thank you!

I agree it has gotten way out of hand but who would enforce any new anti cell phone while driving law?
When I see the police here more times than not they are driving while on a cell phone themselves. So what even if it is official business, same safety concern exists.

IT would be nice to see cell phone screen input deactivated when the GPS detects a specific amount of speed/motion.

You could have the option to switch to airplane mode and engage the other screen inputs which would shut off cell and text activity so that others could use the screens in the car.

quote:

Originally posted by cparktd:
I agree it has gotten way out of hand but who would enforce any new anti cell phone while driving law?
When I see the police here more times than not they are driving while on a cell phone themselves. So what even if it is official business, same safety concern exists.

I would for one. I'm good with it being a felony that you can plea down to misdemeanor. 2nd offense, you're a felon. Lets fill the fucking jails and give all the counties billions! It's a got damn epidemic on these roads out there.

quote:

Originally posted by HRK:
IT would be nice to see cell phone screen input deactivated when the GPS detects a specific amount of speed/motion.

You could have the option to switch to airplane mode and engage the other screen inputs which would shut off cell and text activity so that others could use the screens in the car.

Shouldn't a passenger in a car be able to use a phone?