Roger Long wrote:
You didn't answer my question. Are you a pilot or just spouting?

Roger, there was a time in my life when I made pocket money by putting
8 and 9 year old kids into boats shoving them off into lake Ontario and
yelling at them (er,, that is teaching them sailing). Not many of them
actually learned to sail well but most learned how to get on and off
the dock by themselves by the end of the course and no one was ever
hurt badly enough to need more than a little hand holding. The day
that you can get 20 preteens to take off and land small planes using
the same methodology is the day that I will admit that flying is as
easy and low risk as boating.

Anyway, we've gotten off track here. I'm sure that flying is riskier
and harder than boating (in general), but I'm willing to let you have
the last word on it. The real question is, does the government have a
compelling public interest in requiring licenses or training for boat
operators. As a life long boater who has crossed oceans in small
boats, weathered storms off shore in small boats, and completed the
course and practical work for an Australian boaters license, it is my
opinion that few if any lives would be saved by licensing because
licensing can't teach good boating and because not many folks die
boating anyway.

-- Tom.

Neither a pilot nor just spouting.