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When It's Time to Quit...


Notes:

There will be times, because of the messenger's clumsiness or the patient's recalcitrance, that the hints, suggestions, and eventually the directives to give up PIC flying will be completely and adamantly unheeded.

If safety is involved, as it surely is with piloting, then it will sometimes be necessary to cloture the patient.

If the pilot has a medical certificate, a letter to the FAA Aviation Medical Certification department in Oklahoma City will result in a letter to the airman requiring a psychometric assessment. This is expensive to the airman, and may address his ability to function loosely as an adult, but may miss subtle impairment that affects complex piloting tasks.

If the pilot is in a club, it's best to take all actions by assembling a group of members that the patient likes and respects, and have a group discussion: ask the patient regarding his own concerns about his flying. Give him a chance again to take himself down. Then present observations of behavior that has been concerning to individuals in the club, especially including incidents, without drawing conclusions. Give him another chance to draw his own conclusions. Only if this doesn't get the desired result, then present him with a fait accompli.

Surely there are quicker ways to get him out of the sky, and you are welcome to be as aggressive and blunt as you wish; this technique is designed to maximize the chance of preserving friendships.