Hawker Driver

It's the types of past experiences that matter most when things go south. That only comes with seasoning. No 25 yo captain, regardless of their competency, has as much to fall back on as a 45 yo captain does.

PW305

What if the 45 year old started flying 3 years ago?

Sniper

If so, then he/she resembles any 25 year old jet Captain - lucky and unseasoned - but with more life experience.

RIP to the crew and condolences to their families. Hopefully something can be learned from this accident that will prevent the same mistake from causing more loss of life in the future.

Hawker Driver

Ok, that's fine. After we both win the lottery, you can go ahead and stick your own wife and kids in the back of an older chartered King Air with no auto-feather and a 25 yo captain flying it.

I'll stick mine in the same plane with a guy whose been flying King Airs since the other guy was in grammar school.

viking767

Dale Popik was a retired AA Captain.


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Two South Florida men died in a plane crash in southern France, family members confirmed Saturday.

According to his son-in-law Marc Serota’s Facebook page, Dale Popik, a 60-year-old from Delray Beach, was the pilot of the Gulfstream G-IV that crashed while landing in Le Castellet, France, on Friday.

And 24-year-old Robert Helton, of Pembroke Pines, was the second man who died in the plane crash. Michael Helton, the father of the younger flight crew member, said that his son was part of a three-person flight crew on board a Gulfstream G-IV. Helton said that the family had little information and declined further comment.

Photos from the crash site display markings similar to a Gulfstream G-IV jet belonging to high-profile South Florida real estate developer Michael Dezer, who developed the Trump Towers in Sunny Isles Beach. Property records show that Dezer-owned company, Jetstar Aviation Services LLC, owns a Gulfstream G-IV.

French news reports identified the downed jet as having the registration number N823GA, which matches a plane owned by Jetstar Aviation Services. Attempts to contact the Dezer family for comment were not successful.

The Associated Press reported the crash on Friday evening, releasing photos of the plane crash. The three member crew also included a 30-year-old woman. Her identity has not been released.

In a statement Saturday, Universal Jet Aviation, a Boca Raton-based aviation company, confirmed that the private jet was part of its fleet. The company said there were no passengers on board. “Our focus at this time is on supporting the families of our crew,” a spokesperson for the company said. The crash is under investigation.

Read more here: Two South Florida men killed in a plane crash in France - Broward - MiamiHerald.com

Death2Daleks

Yeah, they say it usually comes down to currency and training. If you haven't practiced stalls and spins in 30 years, you might want to take that 25 year old who just did them for a few years in a row.

HercDriver130

And stalls and spins have "what" to do with this accident?....

Frankly I will take the older experienced crew member over your mythical 25 year old who is still wearing diapers nearly every time.

olympic

This topic contradicts itself, older guys acting like babies ... get a grip gentlemen.

Captain Jeff

That company has had many fatal accidents. Killed 4 in a lear55. Killed 2 in a lear55 25. Killed the line boy putting nitrogen in a tire. I think there was an other one too

DirectTo

Ahh someone merged that out of another thread...I wasn't that stupid!