From: rh@craycos.com (Robert Herndon)
Newsgroups: rec.aviation
Subject: Re: Extending US (FAR) related threads towards worldwide discussions
Date: 14 Apr 92 22:17:34 GMT
Organization: Cray Computer Corporation

I too am very sorry to hear that my U.S. compatriots have been flaming
questions/responses regarding rules and regulations in other countries.

I would also be very sad to see rec.aviation become compartmentalized
into rec.aviation (US) and eunet.aviation (Europe).  One of the *best*
things, if not THE best thing, about the net is the broad variety of
viewpoints it brings to bear:

1) VFR ops in miserable climes vs. VFR ops in pleasant climes
2) airplanes vs. helicopters vs. skydivers vs. ...
3) homebuilts vs. spam cans
4) IFR vs. VFR
5) high altitude ops vs. low altitude ops
6) what your FSDO says vs. what my FSDO says
7) Canadian regs. vs. U.S. regs. vs. German regs. vs. Australian regs. vs. ...
7) homebuilts in the U.S. vs. homebuilts in Britain vs. ...
........

Hearing about ops in other places, other conditions, teaches me more
about flying and the general considerations inherent in safe flying.
I also feel that hearing about operations under different sets of
rules and conditions (e.g., Europe, Australia, East Germany, ...) is
a very positive thing, for at least two reasons.

One, it prevents me from thinking that "this is the way things are".
Things may be different elsewhere, and what I consider important may
be irrelevant or be replaced by other different or similar considerations.

Two, I think it educates *all* of us, and helps us push for more
uniform airspace and aviation laws worldwide.  If Australia has
some particularly simple, sensible laws about some aspect of flying
that perhaps the U.S. has overly complex laws about, knowing that
they exist and how they work and are oriented will give those of us
in the U.S. some example and an impetus to change our laws.  If we
don't know better rules exist, what reason do we have to change?

Three, airplanes are for travelling in.  If airspace rules were
different in California, Nevada, Oregon, Washington, Utah, Colorado,
... we'd be pretty silly only to read and ask about aviation laws
in our home states, wouldn't we?  The net allows us to "hangar fly"
all around the world!  If I insist on doing my hangar flying
exclusively in the U.S., it seems a terrible waste.  I might as
well just go out to my home field and kick back.  (And I do do that;
rec.aviation is not a substitute for it.)

Most aviation magazines that I see have little to no coverage of
events, laws, etc. outside the U.S.  Usenet is a superb opportunity
to broaden that exposure.  I am truly sorry that some of my compatriots
do not feel that way.

I do appreciate that some questions might be asked that address
only European readers, and feel that such requests might be well
off to limit distribution (which probably doesn't always work well).
But for a great many questions, the exercise given our brains should
be a challenge, not a problem.

Robert Herndon
-- 
Prohibition goes beyond the bounds of reason in that it attempts to control
a man's appetite by legislation and makes crimes out of things that are not
crimes.  A prohibition law strikes a blow at the very principles upon which
our government was founded. - Abraham Lincoln