Originally Posted by
Std Deviation
To quote author Stephen King," the glory of a good tale is that it is fluid and limitless- it means individual things to the individual reader."
My frame of reference is that I've been published in AOPA, the USAF Air Mobility Forum, Professional Pilot, Twin and Turbine, Avweb, and Aerosafety World (also a couple times in non-aviation magazines - I'm a specialist on a certain breed of dog).
It's an opinion piece and it's doing exactly what it was designed to do - generate buzz and dialogue.
PG has done some great work and written some great pieces over the years and to paraphrase a statement I heard from an editor - never judge a person on their worst day. Judge the piece yes; but personal attacks are unfounded.
Full disclosure - I'm a 320 pilot at B6, also typed in the CL 65, Challenger 604, and G-IV.
I don't agree with the author's premise, but calling for the pitchforks and hot oil may be a bit over the top.
Also, the editor has culpability. The title of my work is changed nearly 90% of the time. It sometimes slants it in a direction I didn't intend it to go.
Speaking as a part time scribe myself I'm willing to cut PG a wee bit of slack, if you read over his oeuvre, his whole body of work from the 1970's till now you will find he is a dedicated and gifted aviator who designed and built from the ground up his own airplane then flew the same across both the Atlantic, and the Pacific in the pre GPS era. He has had a successful career as both a writer and an engineer, given flesh to his dreams, this last piece may not be a point of view I agree with but I'm not going to organize a lynch mob either.