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Comment by nvy | Hacker News Reader

It's an open secret in the aviation community that large numbers of aging boomers are medically unfit to fly but are able to maintain their medicals, for a variety of reasons.

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I personally don’t think that people that age should be driving even a car in public. Any time I am stuck behind a car driving slow, eg. doing 30 on a 60, it’s an old person. It’s dangerous, nearly seen so many accidents with people overtaking.

But then again, if it’s someone’s own plane and there’s little risk to anyone but themself, then maybe fire in. But wow should the insurance be through the roof.

I try to be sympathetic to older drivers. I can't imagine what it's like to be 70+, have no immediate family or friends, but still be a half an hour from the closest grocery store.

Until we properly take care of our elders, I don't know what else they can do.

Meals On Wheels, et alia are saviours, imho.

Same thing for children. One of the hardest things to watch as a parent is kids who are utterly trapped by urban hell infrastructure. Society doesn't treat people without cars well at all.

Another reason self driving cars will be one of the greatest inventions in our lifetimes!

A bandaid to a society being built on car reliance. Even as a fit and healthy person with a car, getting anywhere in that kind of city is such a chore.

My wife's grandfather drove like a bat out of hell. He wasn't safe either.

Is there any more you can say about (1) how you know this and/or (2) whether there are reports or books that talk about this at all?

This is the main way: https://www.faa.gov/licenses_certificates/airmen_certificati...

Lots of old pilots in the general aviation community are on BasicMed.

FAA studied the results of BasicMed and found no statistically significant differences in crash rate between BasicMed and FAA/AME issued physicals.

https://www.faa.gov/sites/faa.gov/files/data_research/resear...

I doubt there are reports. Such is the nature of open secrets. Once they're reported in an official fashion they cease to be "secret" and regulators' hands are forced.

So you have no personal connection and no knowledge of any particular reports. That doesn't make you wrong, but surely you can understand how reading this and not knowing what you know, this raises every possible red flag for unsubstantiated internet speculation.

>So you have no personal connection

What gives you this idea?

>no knowledge of any particular reports.

Correct

>every possible red flag

Hahaha, believe whatever you want to believe. What possible motivation could I have to make this up?

>What gives you this idea?

I mean I asked about this, and at best you are playing coy games by kinda-sorta implying knowledge without owning it when specifically asked.

>Hahaha, believe whatever you want to believe. What possible motivation could I have to make this up?

I can only say I'm profoundly disappointed on how this response reflects on your information literacy.

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