One of our readers—an airplane owner and active CFI—recently called to ask why the magazine doesn’t bring more attention to rule-bending, which he thinks is a growing trend. Although he had no hard statistics to back up his assertion, he offered the stereotype that older and financially capable pilots with medical issues are getting their hands on technically advanced and highly automated aircraft (yes, he mentions Cirrus). He went on that the combination of an aging pilot population and the anticipation of third class medical reform is making for a lot of scofflaws, while the advocacy of AOPA and other alphabets is fostering an arrogant sense of entitlement among the older and financially flush GA pilot community. Last, if these pilots fly without medicals (he found a half dozen recent crashes where the pilot had a lapsed medical), then they also must have a lax attitude when it comes to maintenance. Is it really a free-for-all out there? If it is, it’s not exactly a new trend, in my estimation.
