Freedom from Licensing

The truth is, that all of us have been programmed from birth to expect licensing or permission for many activities that are innocent enough to be considered personal responsibility. Therefore to discover that circumstances have contrived to put a freedom back in our hands is a welcome turn of events which should be exercised - for three reasons (1)  To assure ourselves and others that we don't need licensing to be responsible and (2)  to establish a precedent in the event the  licensing  agencies  decide to reconsider and (3)  to overcome the habit of blindly accepting the establishment of socialist policies which subtract freedoms.

To regress a little, I am not saying that licensing in the public realm is unnecessary-- On the road, it compels individuals to train and achieve standards, where they are to operate vehicles that carry others and collision and death are possible. The same rationale is there to protect air travelers. Where one set of flight controls and two human beings are the means of safeguarding the lives of many innocent passengers, demonstrating competence to operate the aircraft in advance is a necessary step. It makes insurance companies breathe easier as well, for it is they, who would have to payout the claims for multiple deaths and equipment loss, should one incompetent or troubled person make a tragic decision that resulted in a death or injury claim.

But now Ultralight Aviation comes onto the scene. Aircraft designed to carry one person in airspace where there is little or no commercial  traffic, and where a commitment to protect people on the ground is a common sense consideration undertaken by the pilot, licensing has no purpose. The only one at risk is the pilot and his machine.