Sun, Apr 01, 2007
The PP Written Challenges Blakey
ANN 04.01.07 SPECIAL EDITION: Recent ANN
requests for data under the Freedom of Information Act have
revealed that the GA Industry's criticism of FAA Administrator
Marion Blakey is apparently having an effect -- at least about her
lack of a Pilot's license. The Administrator, God Bless Her, has
been attempting to take and pass her Private Pilot written exam.
Unfortunately, ANN has documented at least four attempts on her
part to pass the exam... all of which failed to achieve a passing
grade.
Blakey has been taking the highly regarded King School License
Prep courses but constant interruptions (all those visits from her
airline pals, doncha know...) during her attempts to view the
course materials have apparently created a no-win situation in her
quest for a passing grade. One aide reported her exasperation with
her failures by disclosing some of her complaints about the
process. The Administrator is rumored to have remarked, "Good
grief, ask me how much it costs us to support all those Skyhawk
pilots though airspace that rightfully belongs to the airlines and
I can tell you right down to the penny... but what the hell is Carb
Heat? Spatial Disorientation? Special VFR? I never found VFR to be
that special to begin with, especially since we'll be able to
charge GA out the butt for IFR flight plans as soon as I get my
budget proposal passed... Yeeesh. Hey, is the Sport Pilot written
any easier? Its gotta be easier... right?"
In the meantime, Ms. Blakey has called the infamous Flight
Training Duo of John and Martha King for some personal tutelage
before attempting her fifth shot at the exam... while TFRs for
airspace restrictions near a local training airport are being
prepared for the start of her upcoming flight training in the FAA's
last available GA trainer -- a 12,400 hour Skyhawk, dubbed
"User-Fee One." ANN, as always, will keep you informed as to how
that goes.
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