Dear Pruners
Hope you are all doing well and thanks for your replies over the weekend.
If I could clarify a little about my post regarding self appointed reps from the FAA (VitaminGee - it be the feds i'm talking about). It seems to me that the real beauty of this site is that it allows a person to get the answers to those questions they would never dare ask a flying instructor, for fear (rightly or wrongly) of putting their license in jeopardy. I'm not just talking about the responses to my own posts but to a number that i've seen around the site. Example: In the training forum there was a guy who posted a question about JAA medicals and testing for Marijuana use. Out of all the replies to his post, 90% offered no useful information and the majority proceeded to abuse him, call him names, comment that he shouldn't be allowed near a cockpit, whatever whatever. Basically took the chance to vent their own strongly held beliefs about whether or not it was right to use marijuana instead of answering his question.
And I just don't get it. If the guy likes drugs do they really believe that hurling four letter words is going to prompt him to change his lifestyle? Personally i'd think that if they were so concerned about safety within aviation they'd go dig up some facts about pot smoking and the short/long term effects on cognitive processing, hand eye coordination and other bodily fuctions essential to being a pilot. Armed with the facts, chances are he'd feel like an idiot for mixing drugs and flying once he saw the risk he was taking. Whereas with hate mail all he's gonna do is write off all the people who put him down, assume that they're narrow minded bible bashing safety susans and keep on going down that road.
If they really cared about safety, that is. But what they really care about is trying to make everyone conform to their view of the world. It's intolerant, it's immature, it's hatred that sparks more hatred and it's the stuff that wars are made of.
In regards to my posts, replies that I believe are in danger of falling into this category are Captain Sund Dune's (what did you think your reply would achieve?), Ms Fawthorts (first was borderline but your second one was more constructive - you won me with the well wishes...), Farrell (what do you want me to do, abuse you in return? Isn't that just a little childish? abusing a pseudonym on an international web forum equates roughly to swearing at someone on TV, though I hope it made you feel better)
On the other hand, the responses from SoundBarrier, Go Smoke, Ckuks (thanks for the many replies) and especially arcniz made me cringe at myself. So I won't go busting Vne again.
Boss Eyed and Flying Farmer, yes - i'm for real. I posted in Jet Blast because it said 'stay out if you are faint hearted' and hoped I might find some aviators who would be constructive....
Jerricho - I only ever ingest substances and go flying when I have a safety pilot on bored who is unintoxicated. Sometimes a friend of mine lets me go ICUS so I can see how these things really alter and affect your abilities. So in answer to your question, I would have to say 'before'.