Re. Litigation Frenzy - OT

["Al Marrin" <amarrin@xxxxxxx>]

I think some of this may be more a matter of "deep pockets syndrome."  Three 
examples from the aviation community. 1) Aircraft owner has a dispute with airport 
operator.  Aircraft owner takes a photographer up for a flight in his Piper cub.  
Plane is seriously overloaded.  Airport operator, trying to prevent the pilot from 
leaving without settling the dispute, parks a van accross the runway.  Pilot 
attempts to take off anyway and crashes.  Survivors sue Piper because even though 
the plane was equiped as built decades ago, it wasn't equiped as a new plane would 
be.  2) Student pilot on cross country flight gets weathered in.  His instructor 
says don't return until he gives the student the OK.  Student ignores instructer and 
flies into bad weather, crashing into a mountain.  Survivors sue the instructor, 
aircraft owner, FAA, and Cessna.  3)  Instructor signs student off for a cross 
country to a specific location.  Student never arrives.  CAP begins search.  
Student's family threaten instructor with law suit.  Student turns up in a different 
city where he went to visit relatives instead of the location he was directed to go 
to (I have personal knowledge of the last incident as my wife was the instructor in 
this case and we were very concerned not only about the fate of the student but of 
our future as well).  I wish Richard luck and hope he can resolve his legal issues.
	AJM
	
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Not an official opinion of the University of Florida
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Al Marrin, Computer Applications Coordinator
University of Florida, Information Systems
Technical Support
33 Tigert Hall, PO Box 113275
Gainesville, Fl 32611-2073
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