----- Original Message
: Re: Fuel tank grounding
>
>
> <snip>
>
> > Another length of copper wire joins the triangle to the airplane
> >ground and thence to the engine ground. I'm hoping that this, combined
with
> >a damp rag and an inbread fear of thunderstorms, should keep me safe.
>
> -----------------------------------------------
>
> safe
>
> Etymology: Middle English sauf, from Old French, from
> Latin salvus safe, healthy; akin to Latin solidus
> solid, Greek holos whole, safe, Sanskrit sarva entire
> Date: 14th century
>
> 1 : free from harm or risk
> 2 : secure from threat of danger, harm, or loss
> 3 : affording safety or security from danger, risk, or difficulty
> ----------------------------------------------
>
> I've worked around too many lawyers . . . "safe" is
> a word I'd like to erase from the lexicon of airplanespeak.
> Airplanes are dangerous as hell . . .they have whirrly
> things up front that will mince you in a heartbeat. A
> few seconds of inattention to maintaining a comfortable
> position INSIDE the envelope of predictable, useful
> and comfortable operation and you, your machine and
> anyone in close proximity may wish they'd never gotten
> out of bed that day.
>
> One of the first things a lawyer wants to do is get
> you to defend the safety of your product. I prefer
> to put the examination on a different footing, "No sir,
> in the hands of inattentive, unqualified or evil
> persons, this gizmo can be the source of great harm.
> I submit therefore that it is NOT safe."
>
> From that point on, if the conversation is to continue,
> focus needs to shift to operators of the gizmo. I recall
> a conversation I had with a lady standing in line with
> me at a convenience store. There was a security guard
> for some organization a few folks ahead of us in the
> line. He had a heavy-duty hog-leg holstered on his
> hip. She expressed discomfort about the weapon.
>
> This prompted some thoughts about conditions that
> surround a potential hazard. For example, holstered
> as it was, the gun represented no threat I could
> perceive. If he had pulled the gun out to inspect
> it, the threat level would elevate but if
> it appeared that the action was by responsible
> folks, there is still little cause for concern.
> If the gun were out and the holder was yelling
> at some perp, "Stop or I'll drop you!", the
> threat level is obviously severe. It's the same
> gun in all cases. Safe? Only in the context of
> its surroundings.
>
> Taking the cap off a container of fuel is akin to
> pulling a gun from its holster - the threat level
> moves up a notch. Depending on handling technique
> and equipment used during the transfer the threat
> elevates IRRESPECTIVE of any notions we may harbor
> about being "safe".
>
> We can victimize ourselves by using this word too
> loosely. "Safe" can elicit a sense of
> security that encourages inattentive or ill-
> informed behavior from which the unhappy
> statistics are counted. These machines we enjoy
> so much are no different than automobiles, chain
> saws or firearms . . . none are inherently
> "secure from threat of danger, harm, or loss".
> However, in the hands of informed, responsible
> users they are tools of great utility and satisfaction.
>
> Bob . . .
>
> |-------------------------------------------------------|
> | There is a great difference between knowing and |
> | understanding: you can know a lot about something and |
> | not really understand it. -C.F. Kettering- |
> |-------------------------------------------------------|
|