One of the rare posts that really hits the nail on the head with all of the points made. Very well done.

I manage a support environment (granted, they are not script-readers) and we pay our support staff very well. I also have one of the lowest turnover rates in the industry, despite the fact that we are busy and the job can be stressful. In fact, most of my turnover is losing support reps to our DBA and Development groups as the folks advance in skill (win/win for the company and for the rep).

It really depends on what you are supporting and your skill level. I'm willing to pay more for someone who is a great problem solver; someone who can connect to a client's environment and do whatever it takes to solve a problem - take risks, explore, and find solutions. I'm certainly not going to replace that person with someone cheaper who can't resolve the problems we face.

Sorry, this is not true. VFR aircraft have a LOT of leeway in airspace that isn't Class A (above 18,000), Class B (around huge airports), Class C (around less huge airports) or Class D (around other towered fields). You don't ever have to talk to ATC if you are flying VFR and stay out of that airspace. You can request specific routes on an IFR (an instrument) flight - in many cases they'll be approved, sometimes not - but many flights are not IFR. There are airways - which doesn't involve specifying the type of aircraft that can fly on them. However, if you are flying in VMC (decent weather), and you aren't in class A airspace, there could be a VFR flight anywhere around you. There is more control in Class D, Class C or Class B airspace as all of the aircraft are talking to ATC but that doesn't cover any significant portion of airspace. For example, on Sunday I took off from my home airport, did some maneuvering, flew about 20 miles into the next state, landed at a different airport, took off, flew over a separate airport and did a practice instrument approach back to my home airport. Not once did I talk to ATC, I communicated only on unicom frequencies to announce my intentions to the aircraft at the airports where I was operating (whether anyone else was listening or heard, I don't know). The responsibility was on me as a pilot to keep my eyes open and look for other aircraft. So let's say a drone is flying on its predetermined flight path through airspace shared with VFR flights. There I am, doing maneuvers, changing altitudes, etc. Am I really going to see something with a 2ft wingspan coming at me from the side? It's hard enough spotting another general aviation aircraft with a 30ft wingspan.

They could enforce a rule that the pilot must have appropriate certificates and ratings to fly a manned aircraft of similar size. Perhaps enforce a minimum of Single-Engine Land, Instrument Airplane, and a Commercial ticket.

For something larger (predator size) mandate that the pilot have an ATP. They could also mandate that the operator be located at the departure or arrival airport during operation and force them to get flight following or fly on an instrument plan. Give them N-Numbers and allow controllers to violate the pilot based on their actions.

I read: "such things exist for ultralights and small planes now" and instantly thought "The Cirrus isn't a small plane..."

I think that would be interesting. Car gets a dent and then I get rear ended. :)

Paper charts are replaced quite often. I know international flights get a big stack of paper freshly printed with every flight along with their normal paper wares (charts, etc).

Where are you getting Jet-A for $3/gal? KACY has Jet-A for over $6/gal and KPTW has it for about $5.40.

We're still using VORs and, to a limited extent, NDBs. I'm not sure about other flight schools, but I had to learn VORs and that's what they want you to demonstrate on the test. :) A lot of instrument approaches still use VORs, too.

We get the same thing in aviation. You have the folks that regularly use pilotage (visual landmarks checked against a sectional map) and dead reckoning (course calculation, etc) who have a GPS there just for situational awareness (e.g., ensure that they don't wander into a Class Bravo or Class Charlie airspace without permission).

Then you have the guys who have no idea what a VOR is for and probably couldn't find where they were using a sectional, and they just use the "Direct To" button on their GPS to get to where they are going.

Everyone has to learn method 1 to get their ticket, but not everyone keeps current with it and people end up forgetting/being out of pratice/getting lazy and using #2. I would feel very nervous relying entirely on a GPS for aviation navigation.

This is not true, actually. Regulation E covers both credit and debit cards. If you report the fraud within two days of discovering the fraudulent activity, you can be liable for up to $50 (some banks, like mine, offer zero liability). If you wait longer, you could be liable for up to $500. The big difference is that a credit card charge is typically reversed during the Regulation E claim investigation, while a debit card transaction is left there during the investigation. Many banks will give you a provisional credit during the investigation (debit card) but I do not believe they are obligated to do so. Investigations can take a while, so if your money is tied up due to a Reg-E claim, you could be screwed.

Isn't that what the original AC did? Pigeonhole republicans into the belief-sets that he listed, while ignoring a well-known exception to the rights that the democratic party "likes"?

I pointed out that the argument was somewhat hypocritical. I'm somewhat liberal and looking at both sides, the democrats get mad that republicans want to dump on their right to [gay marriage, abortion, etc] and the republicans get mad that democrats want to dump on their right to buy guns. If people are picking and choosing which rights they want to protect and which they want to get rid of, you can't get mad when the other guy does the same thing.

Don't want a gun? Don't get one.. wait.. right? Oh, it only works on things you like. Sorry.

$500 over what period of time? A week?

+1, Parent, wish I had mod points. For thousands of years, there has always been an end-of-the-world crisis. The human species is quite resilient and innovative when motivated properly. :)