My favorite writer made me smile today with her references to my airline, “Air Wings” (www.FlyWingsAir.com). Today’s traveler is truly frustrated and seeks respite from the aggravation and hassles associated with commercial air travel. To that end, “Wings Air” exists. Our company was founded on the idea that air travel could be enjoyable again. Wealthy people have long known the advantages of private air travel, and been willing to pay the additional costs of charter service. “Wings Air” offers the luxuries of this type of transportation without the exorbitant costs. Air fares to Charleston, SC, Destin, Florida, St. Simons Island, GA, and Hilton Head Island, SC (on our airline) rival those of commercial carriers with one big exception: NO BIG AIRPORT HASSLES! Commercial airline travel is slowing to a crawl because of flight consolidation, congestion around airports, and, of course, today’s subject: security. Increased security is a fact of life when it comes to this kind of travel. We are stuck with it. The “Wings-Air” alternative in our area of the country is made possible because we don’t fly from big airports. We are not encumbered by security as is mandated today in commercial terminals. The flight personnel come into direct contact with each and every passenger on our flights. Typically, those people that would like to cause harm on board an airliner would want to be very inconspicuous, blend in with all of the rest, if you like. There can be no “blending in” on our flights. There are only 7 passenger seats available, and the kind of person that might want to do something bad would stand out like a sore thumb. Their luggage is subject to handling and scrutiny up close as well. Suspicious cargo is easily caught. Frankly, I can’t imagine why anyone would want to try to use a small plane to commit a terrorist act anyway. We just wouldn’t make that big of an impact. So logic by itself indicates a safer flight. We get questions every day about the safety of smaller, general aviation aircraft as opposed to airliners. Our smaller aircraft are crewed by very experienced pilots and enjoy an excellent safety record. The pilot in command has demonstrated his/or her proficiency to the FAA every six months as long as he has flown charter aircraft. The airplanes are maintained to a very high standard. Safety concerns are not really an issue. Another carrier in the northeast, which was truly our business model (Cape Air) has been flying the same type of equipment for 12+ years and has an exemplary safety record and each year over 600,000 passengers fly from Logan Airport to Hyannis, Nantucket, and Martha’s Vineyard regularly. The proof is in the pudding! Just for fun, let me describe the typical “Wings Air” experience. Obviously there is no need to describe the painful commercial experience. We have ALL been there!A Wings passenger typically arrives at the airport about 5-10 minutes prior to the departure time that THEY asked for. Baggage is loaded from their car right into the aircraft by flight and ground personnel. Their beverage requests have already been filled by our base attendants, and as soon as all of the passengers have arrived, they board the aircraft. A short safety briefing is conduc with the passengers by the pilot, and subsequently the plane departs. An hour and fifteen minutes later, our passengers have enjoyed a fast trip to the beach in leather seats, and air conditioned comfort. The typical air traveler going through the commercial airport is still in line at the security desk. Gotta love that security! Come fly with us sometime Ilana! (www.FlyWingsAir.com
Lunatic Government Occupies Airports
“[O]fficials keep telling the believing ‘Boobus Americanus’ that safety lies in pretending everyone is equally weighted in his propensity to blow up an airplane. If we were on the lookout for an abortion clinic saboteur, would we be patting down Islamists or Southern Baptist survivalists? In every other whodunit, behavioral scientists attempt to construct a criminal profile of the suspect. In the case of Islamic terrorism, however, the state won’t even use the compelling evidence it has.”
And:
“Compiling a composite of the criminals most likely to hijack an airline or blow up a building isn’t hard. Try as they may to confuse our congenitally compromised caretakers, the terrorists have seemingly been unable to recruit to their cause people with first names like Eric or Olaf and surnames like Edwards or Christensen.”
The excerpts are from this week’s column, “Lunatic Government Occupies Airports.”
Flying Free
America, Government, Individualism Vs. Collectivism, Liberty, Private Property
As travel by air becomes more tormenting, charter planes are going to become a viable option. In fact, I’d be investing in these companies now. As charter planes are used with greater frequency, more suppliers will enter the market to take care of demand. Eventually, prices will become more feasible.
Charter companies, I am sure, are putting together good packages as we speak, for business people who have to fly frequently. Or for people like me who tolerated the odd pat down, but refuse to let the Transportation Security Administration thieves steal my Rene Guinot toner and my powder compact.
I can’t afford a charter flight, but longtime reader Robert Rupard might change that. Other than his splendid reading habits, Robert is president of the charter “Wings Air“—it offers great rates. His motto: “On Wings Air, You’re Already There.” Fly with Robert, and you can avoid the mandatory molestations in the state-occupied airports. No lost Baggage either.
If you’re going to any of the destinations Robert frequents, be sure to make your reservations. Also check out my weekly column tonight, which deals with government goons gone wild in the airports. And while you’re at it, why not read a golden oldie, “Whose Property is it Anyway?”.
Israel Has Something To Be Proud Of
In Israel, the reckoning over Lebanon began even before the ceasefire went into effect. Soldiers were questioning the mission. Reserve soldiers are returning home with a kitbag full of complaints,” writesAkiva Eldar of Ha’aretz newspaper. The news media was buzzing with reports about failures of intelligence, funding, and execution at the highest echelons.
As they witnessed rockets and missiles raining down on northern Israel, ordinary Israelis began grumbling about how their prime minister failed to do much more than get their men killed and level Lebanon. Now they’re calling Olmert’s stint a plain failure. Many of Israel’s pointy heads are predicting he won’t last.
Indeed, politicians and military men appear to be fair game in that country. There’s none of this, “It’s treason to criticize the troops and the commander-in-chief during a war.” Why, Israeli soldiers themselves joined in committing treason American style.
Practically nobody in Israel denies the war was a whopping failure (that camp is biggest in the US). There is no attempt, as in the US, to create a parallel universe, a Third Dimension, where reality is reversed to comport with political spin. (We even have a cable channel dedicated to sanitizing Iraq.)
Contrast the atmosphere in Israel with that in the US.
Iraq is a disgrace, a blot. The invasion was unprovoked, conducted in ignorance of Iraqi history and fractious ethnic and religious makeup. (The British fought the identical insurrection in 1920.) America’s actions in Iraq have caused thousands of civilian deaths, destroyed infrastructure, halted oil production, and saddled the American taxpayer with the burden, in perpetuity, it would appear, because to leave is to “cut and run,” say the Treason Twits.
Yet an entire military-media-industrial-congressional-complex has risen to smear anyone who states these facts. The “reality based community” is called “anti-war, anti-America, traitors, Bush-haters.”
A month after the failed war commenced, Israelis are ready to string up their leaders. Three years after the catastrophic invasion of Iraq, a good number of Americans are still quite willing to hang any sensible individual who so much as hints at the need to fire the goons in charge.