Originally Posted by
cardiomd
The posters here are truly unfamiliar with the way that GA pilots, airfoils, and operations take place, and want to force your way of flying / thinking onto them. This is why my experiences are similar to expert GA pilots, not freight dogs or jet jocks. Unless you are pulling G's in the pattern, ASI give appropriate info and safety margin. If you are pulling G's in the patten or don't have a good feel for the airplane, then IMO you have bigger problems.
I'd say judge by the scoreboard, not naiive idealism. I don't fly my 182 anywhere near the edges of the envelope (without intentionally doing so), and an AOA gauge would not help my type of flying. After the initial fun factor I'd rarely even look at it.
If you need one in your GA plane, go ahead and install one! I never stop anybody from improving their own safety, but don't legislate for others. My "position" remains unchanged!
The first part of your statement that I quoted is pure presumption (sprinkled with what comes across as some arrogance, as well). Many, many folks on here also fly GA. Me, for one, who you've dismissed in the past. I've flown (and still fly) GA, airliners, and military fighters. With that broad experience, one would hope you would listen to those who are vastly more experienced than yourself.
The second part of your statement that I quoted shows an ignorance of the safety statistics. What's the number one cause of GA accidents? Isn't it loss of control? And how often do airliners fly anywhere near the edge of the envelope? And yet, many airliners have AOA!
So, addition of AOA (according to the FAA, NTSB, AOPA, and pretty much everyone who knows about aeronautics, pilots and flying) will decrease GA accidents--not solve all loss of control incidents, but they will definitely decrease. Maybe not for some certain pilots, however ...