Rich Lucibella
Staff
I've been watching the CNN coverage of JFK's disappearance all morning and have come to the conclusion that they have sunk to their lowest level yet, in attempting to scoop all the other news agencies.
Here's the facts from the standpoint of a high time private pilot, IFR certified, crash survived (me):
While I'm rather fond of JFK Jr, only an idiot flies a single engine plane, at night, over open water, absent instrument rating, into instrument conditions, without a flight plan and without requesting flight following while in the air.. Period. The chances of continuing a flight in a single engine plane with engine out are nil. The chances of successfully ditching a single engine plane at night, in quarter moon, are little better than nil. The chances of your plane being pinpointed without requesting flight following from Air Traffic Control are zero.
That's all that's newsworthy here.
Switch to CNN coverage:
-Press conference featuring an unrelated reporter grilling the rescuers as to "why" they waited several hours before starting the search...hmmm, might it not have been the pilot's fault for not filing a flight plan and letting the rescuers know where he was going and when to expect him (not to mention route)? That's exactly why pilots file flight plans!
-Switch to some regualr CNN Washington corespondant who happens to be a private pilot. Suddenly, this boob becomes a resident expert on everything from impact forces to the Coast Guard's detailed procedures in Search and Rescue. He's even able to tell us exactly what strategy the rescuers will try next...including what's going thru their minds.
-Switch to a lower level source stating that they have discovered baggage with the sister-in-law's name on it. This gets reported as confirmed by the Coast Guard(?) Admiral....until one of the outside commentators corrects them. (The fact that it tured out to be true is not the issue...the issue is the family's at home getting the information in this manner.)
-Switch to some CNN idiot interviewing a private pilot at the take off site. Pilot mentions that he and his girlfriend had seen JFK's plane at the airport last night. Correspondant reports that, "as we can see" people at the airport are shaken and praying with the rest of the nation for JFK's safe rescue.
OY!
I call this off color drama: Grade C-
As far as news reporting: Grade FFFFF-
Rich
Here's the facts from the standpoint of a high time private pilot, IFR certified, crash survived (me):
While I'm rather fond of JFK Jr, only an idiot flies a single engine plane, at night, over open water, absent instrument rating, into instrument conditions, without a flight plan and without requesting flight following while in the air.. Period. The chances of continuing a flight in a single engine plane with engine out are nil. The chances of successfully ditching a single engine plane at night, in quarter moon, are little better than nil. The chances of your plane being pinpointed without requesting flight following from Air Traffic Control are zero.
That's all that's newsworthy here.
Switch to CNN coverage:
-Press conference featuring an unrelated reporter grilling the rescuers as to "why" they waited several hours before starting the search...hmmm, might it not have been the pilot's fault for not filing a flight plan and letting the rescuers know where he was going and when to expect him (not to mention route)? That's exactly why pilots file flight plans!
-Switch to some regualr CNN Washington corespondant who happens to be a private pilot. Suddenly, this boob becomes a resident expert on everything from impact forces to the Coast Guard's detailed procedures in Search and Rescue. He's even able to tell us exactly what strategy the rescuers will try next...including what's going thru their minds.
-Switch to a lower level source stating that they have discovered baggage with the sister-in-law's name on it. This gets reported as confirmed by the Coast Guard(?) Admiral....until one of the outside commentators corrects them. (The fact that it tured out to be true is not the issue...the issue is the family's at home getting the information in this manner.)
-Switch to some CNN idiot interviewing a private pilot at the take off site. Pilot mentions that he and his girlfriend had seen JFK's plane at the airport last night. Correspondant reports that, "as we can see" people at the airport are shaken and praying with the rest of the nation for JFK's safe rescue.
OY!
I call this off color drama: Grade C-
As far as news reporting: Grade FFFFF-
Rich