Aviation articles by Garth Wallace

The regulations and the laws

There are higher authorities in aviation than the government. Transport Canada’s air regulations are important but pilots must first fly according to the laws.
The government’s mandate is "to develop and administer policies and regulations for the safest civil aviation system for Canada and Canadians..." These policies and regulations come from hard-won research and experience but they are not permanent. They can and are, frequently modified, often exempt, constantly superceded, regularly appealed, canceled, circumvented and broken.
Not so the laws. The laws are absolute and unyielding. They can never be changed, suspended or ignored. There is no appeal.
Here are a few examples:

Air regulation: "No person shall act as a flight crew member or exercise the privileges of a flight crew permit, licence or rating or a foreign licence validation certificate unless…, the person is the holder of, and can produce while so acting and while exercising those privileges, the appropriate permit, licence or rating and a valid and appropriate medical certificate…"
It says that we may not fly without proper qualifications.
The Law of Gravity: "What goes up must come down."
The law doesn’t care if we fly with a pilot licence or not, but it dictates that we won’t fly for long if we don’t know how.

Air regulation: "The pilot-in-command of an aircraft shall, before commencing a flight, be familiar with the available information that is appropriate to the intended flight."
It’s good advice.
The Law of Motion: "For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction."
Translated: "When an aircraft flies into a mountain, the mountain wins."

Air Regulation: "Minimum Visual Meteorological Conditions for VFR Flight…are…"
The details are in the CARs.

The Law of Nature: "Mother Nature is a bitch."
It’s true; when we fly, we’re in the hands of Mother Nature. The old girl is moody, powerful, arbitrary, indiscriminant, unpredictable, relentless and unforgiving. It’s Mother Nature’s way or no way.

MURPHY
Murphy’s Law says: "If anything can go wrong, it will go wrong."
Murphy has a large impact on aviation. There are many aviation corollaries attached to his Law. Here are some examples.

For pilots:
1/ Everything good in life is illegal, immoral or dangerous.
2/ Just because you can do something doesn’t mean you should.
3/ Don’t proceed from where you are until you know where where is.
4/ A pilot with one watch is certain about time. A pilot with two watches isn’t.
5/ Your best landings are when no one is looking.

For homebuilders:
1/ Nothing is as easy as it looks.
2/ Everything takes longer than you think.
3/ Everything takes longer than it takes.
4/ The more expensive the task, the better the chances it will turn out wrong.

For aviation maintainers:
1/ A dropped tool will land where it can do the most damage.
2/ There’s never time to do it right, but there’s always time to do it over.
3/ Pilots who know the least will know it the loudest.
4/ The design engineer’s job is to make things difficult for the manufacturer and impossible for the mechanic.
5/ No job is finished until there are parts left over and tools missing.

For aircraft purchasers:
1/ In order to qualify for a loan, you must first prove you don’t need the money.
2/ The loan won’t buy flying ability.
3/ You may come to terms with being screwed, but nevertheless you’re still screwed.

For Transport Canada employees:
1/ No matter how hard you try, you can’t push string.
2/ Anyone who isn’t paranoid simply isn’t paying attention.
3/ Nothing is impossible for people who don’t have to do it themselves.

REWARD
The regulations: Transport Canada has awards for pilots caught ignoring the air regulations. The government hands out warnings, fines and licence suspensions to errant aviators.
The laws: No one can break the laws but pilots keep trying. Their rewards vary from ego bruising to aircraft destruction.
The ultimate payback for disregarding the laws is the Darwin Award, always given posthumously. The Darwin Award "honours those who improve our species by accidentally removing themselves from it."
Example, from: darwinawards.com
"The American private pilot and a pilot-rated passenger said they were going to practise simulated instrument flight. Witnesses observed the airplane’s right wing fail in a dive and crash. Examination of the wreckage and bodies revealed that both occupants were partially clothed and the front right seat was in the full aft reclining position. Neither body showed evidence of seatbelts or shoulder harnesses being worn. Closer examination revealed that their lack of clothing appeared to be voluntary.
"The National Transportation Safety Board determined the probable causes of this accident as follows:
"The pilot-in-command’s improper decision to divert her attention to other activities not related to the conduct of the flight.
"Contributing to the accident was the exceeding of the design limits of the airplane leading to a wing failure."
We’ll give Murphy the last word: "All’s well that ends."