Sport Pilot Talk

Back in the 90’s when phones systems were CDMA, you could dial up in a major city like NY from 2500-3000 feet and play havoc with cell sites. Not so much a problem these days, but still against the rules.

Flying back from Cali this past summer at 11,500” over the desert, my phone rings. Had a friend, also a pilot call, had no idea I was ferrying the plane back and couldn’t believe I was airborne at that altitude getting a call. And I had no idea I could receive a call. Never looked to see if I had a signal, was just using ForeFlight with my Garmin avionics. Who Knew?

MrMorden wrote:

TimTaylor wrote: I've NEVER cheated on my taxes in 50 years of filing taxes.

I respectfully submit that you literally have no idea whether you have "cheated" on your taxes, in the eyes of the IRS. Nobody does. Just like everybody else, You can only do your best and hope the glaring eye of federal fury does not fall upon you. If they want to get you on a tax violation, they will.

You "respectfully" call me a liar? I just completed my 51st tax return. I find it quite easy. And no, I have NEVER cheated on my taxes.

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Re: E/AB buyers guide
by TimTaylor » Wed Dec 19, 2018 7:06 pm

I think I am going to stop posting here. My values are far different than most here and my "more liberal" viewpoints are at odds with most here. Expressing my opinions and views here is little more than pissing in the wind. I've tried to leave before, but keep getting sucked into threads that interest me. I'll try to resist in the future. I find posting here is more frustrating than rewarding."

I think folks are confusing cheating with erring. The first implies intent. The second just acknowledges human fallibility (and reflects the reality of complex and confusing rules).

drseti wrote:I think folks are confusing cheating with erring. The first implies intent. The second just acknowledges human fallibility (and reflects the reality of complex and confusing rules).

Only one "folk." Most reasonable people know the difference.

MrMorden wrote:

TimTaylor wrote: I've NEVER cheated on my taxes in 50 years of filing taxes.

A few years ago, Money magazine gave the same tax information to ten top tax accounting firms, and asked them to prepare returns based on that information. All ten came up with different tax liability numbers.

I respectfully submit that you literally have no idea whether you have "cheated" on your taxes, in the eyes of the IRS. Nobody does. Just like everybody else, You can only do your best and hope the glaring eye of federal fury does not fall upon you. If they want to get you on a tax violation, they will.

Our tax department at my company tells the IRS the rules and laws and our interpretations because they dont know themselves.

I too think of myself as a rule follower except for stupid rules then it is our civic duty to thwart the rules openly and notoriously.

Atrosa wrote:

MrMorden wrote:

TimTaylor wrote: I've NEVER cheated on my taxes in 50 years of filing taxes.

A few years ago, Money magazine gave the same tax information to ten top tax accounting firms, and asked them to prepare returns based on that information. All ten came up with different tax liability numbers.

I respectfully submit that you literally have no idea whether you have "cheated" on your taxes, in the eyes of the IRS. Nobody does. Just like everybody else, You can only do your best and hope the glaring eye of federal fury does not fall upon you. If they want to get you on a tax violation, they will.

Our tax department at my company tells the IRS the rules and laws and our interpretations because they dont know themselves.

I too think of myself as a rule follower except for stupid rules then it is our civic duty to thwart the rules openly and notoriously.

No, it's our civic duty to follow the laws of this country. Work to get them changed if you think they are stupid. Maybe that's what you meant, but it's impossible to tell. Fortunately, you don't get to pick and choose which laws to follow based on your opinion of which are stupid or not.

There are at about 5,000 federal criminal laws, with close to 300,000 regulations that can be enforced criminally.

With so many, often conflicting , laws on the books, chances are we all are felons ... despite your best intentions.

How do you know ?

That’s actually the whole point - with so many laws ( tax related , criminal etc ) and so many of these quite open ended , I doubt there is a single entity capable of determining one way or another.

It is slowly turning into Soviet block style “Show me the man and I’ll find you the crime.”

I don't think there's any pilot who's been flying as long as I have (58 years) who's never broken an FAR. The best we can hope to say is that we've never done so intentionally.

Another topic that went off into the weeds, thanks for steering us back Paul.

Here's a video that explains why you can't use your phone on a plane.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JYAq-7sOzXQ

TimTaylor wrote:Fortunately, you don't get to pick and choose which laws to follow based on your opinion of which are stupid or not.

Actually, you do.

FastEddieB wrote:

TimTaylor wrote:Fortunately, you don't get to pick and choose which laws to follow based on your opinion of which are stupid or not.

Actually, you do.

Yes, if you're a person of low character. Otherwise, you do not pick and choose. As I stated earlier, good character is out of vogue right now with many people. That was my original point about people who cheat on their taxes.

As it relates to this thread, I turn off my cell phone when flying. Of course, you would use it in an emergency.

TimTaylor wrote: Yes, if you're a person of low character. Otherwise, you do not pick and choose.

I’m very much a “by the book” sort of guy. And I don’t cheat on my taxes.

But I think it’s a matter of degree.

Scenario: You’re at a Bahamas out island with zero services. On preflight, you notice your right strobe is not working.

Do you spend the night, and possibly up to a week or more waiting for a new strobe power supply and getting a mechanic shuttled in from FL to make the repair? It is, after all, required equipment. If so, good on you - you are indeed a person of high character.

I dare say many - probably most - pilots would run the risk of flying back to FL sans one strobe. Not condoning such behavior, but real life can throw an awful lot of “edge” cases at you. And we’re all adults doing our best to stay legal - and safe - as best we can. I just don’t think it’s as clear cut as you’re making it out to be.

To me, that case is clear cut. You fly home with one strobe out. That's not what I am talking about here. I'm talking about someone who bragged to me about making $60,000 profit per car refurbishing 1960's muscle cars and getting paid in $9,000 checks so he doesn't have to report his profit as taxable income. I'm talking about someone I know who charges almost all her expenses to her husband's business as a tax write-off, even though they have nothing to do with the business. I'm talking about someone I know who just took a bunch of stuff to Good Will for her relative who does not itemize. So, she said she would take the write-off.

All of these people are right-wing Trump supporters who sit on the front pew in their Southern Baptist church every Sunday. The hypocrisy is palpable.

I'm probably adding gasoline to the fire but can't resist.....

So I assume everyone is paying their state's Use Tax for all those tax free items they order from Amazon?