Oh, for Pete's sake: 91-year-old World War II pilot not allowed to sit in Spitfire

WWII pilot not allowed to sit in plane (Link)

A 91-year-old World War II pilot was banned from sitting in a restored Spitfire fighter plane at a museum in Stoke-on-Trent, England.

Museum officials cited health and safety risks when they told Eric Carter he could not climb in the cockpit of the Spitfire at the Potteries Museum and Art Gallery, The Sun reported.

"You couldn't make it up. I used to fly those things every day fighting the Germans -- now that really was a health and safety concern!" Carter said. "To think that I couldn't sit in a stationary Spitfire in case I got hurt. I just wish the Luftwaffe had been so caring. The people at the museum had their reasons, but I had to laugh."

According to the Stoke-on-Trent City Council, "there wasn't a proper seat in the plane and the paint on the plane contained traces of radioactive radium."

Yeah. The poor old guy might get radium poisoning and die in the next 20 years....

Well....it's a museum...I'm sure there's other places he could go to to sit in one and maybe even take a flight in one. I could say I want to sit on the wooly mammoth because I used to ride them back in the day battling t-rex's, doesn't mean they'd let me.

reply to post by Ex_CT2


There must be other places he can go to sit in one. Rules are meant to be for everybody, even when they seem backwards like this.

Why can't he wait for an air show or something to go and sit in one?

Seriously, guys? That's what you get out of this--that he could go find one somewhere else? And woolly mammoths? If nothing else, it would have been a great photo-op and good publicity for the place. Have we so completely lost our sense of humanity and our respect for history that we can't bend a little and to hell with the liabilities AND the rules?

What the hell is this world coming to?

reply to post by Ex_CT2


Mate, if i was there i would have let him hop in. He obviously deserves it with the service he has comitted to his country

reply to post by daaskapital

Thank you. That's all I'm saying.

Originally posted by ZeussusZ
reply to post by Ex_CT2

 

There must be other places he can go to sit in one. Rules are meant to be for everybody, even when they seem backwards like this.

Rules are generally meant for everyone, indeed. They aren't meant to be blind tyranny though. (sigh) A little discretion in how they are applied is called for and if employees can't be trusted to show that discretion, it's the employees who need replaced, not one very elderly man asking for a last thrill by just sitting in a place. For shame on the museum people.

Common sense has gone from rare to endangered species.

Why are you acting like this is the worst thing in the world? It's a museum. How many times do you get to touch # at a museum let alone sit in a plane. If they can bend for him, they can bend for anyone. Rules are rules. He can sit in one that's not in a museum. He's 91 friggin years old. What if he fell or something getting in or out? "To hell with the liabilities?" Yeah right! Who ever let the guy into the plane would have lost their job. Use a little common sense here.

reply to post by apodictic

He deserves to sit in that plane since it is because of him and people like him that we have what we do. It is called personal responsibility obviously something you as well as many others don't know about.

He's 91 yrs old, so if he fell and possibly died then that's what happened and he died doing something that he totally loved doing.

This is what's wrong with this world "liability" he was willing to take the liability. Lawyers have really screwed this world up by helping people sue for burning themselves with a cup of coffee.

Where's your common sense!

Originally posted by apodictic
Why are you acting like this is the worst thing in the world? It's a museum. How many times do you get to touch # at a museum let alone sit in a plane. If they can bend for him, they can bend for anyone. Rules are rules. He can sit in one that's not in a museum. He's 91 friggin years old. What if he fell or something getting in or out? "To hell with the liabilities?" Yeah right! Who ever let the guy into the plane would have lost their job. Use a little common sense here.

How many times do you get someone who FLEW one of those looking around? I'd say not often at all. They should have let him sit in it, but if there was no seat I could see it being unsafe, even though him flying that thing back in the day wasn't safe either

Just because someone is 91 doesn't mean they are handicap. For all we know this guy could be in great shape.

If he could climb up in it I would have said sure let him relive his younger years. We can only imagine what seeing that does for him in his mind. It's something we won't understand.

I hope he finds another one and can get in that one

reply to post by IncognitoGhostman


Once again, it's a museum not an amusement park....

Why is everyone glossing over the one key bit of information here?
The plane did not have a proper seat.
No seat, no sit.

This is just silly. Arguing over this nonsense.

What if a museum bought an expensive famous painting from the 1930s and invited the now blind 90 year old artist to its opening, and he decided he should be able to rework it with his hands shaking all over the place? but he didnt have a brush so he just wanted to use his thumb and some spit?

lol

or what if an old man who used to live in your house decided he wanted to sit on your toilet? but your toilet was broken?

sorry, just being a jerk.


fact is, museums were not made so old people can pretend they live in the past. or like apodictic said, they are not amusement parks for old people.
they are made so future generations know where they come from.

yes he was a veteran,
and yes he can find another plane to sit in if he really wants to.
both very valid points

now, if this spitfire was the same one he had flown in the war... well. then you would have something worth bitching about.

Originally posted by BohemianBrim


now, if this spitfire was the same one he had flown in the war... well. then you would have something worth bitching about.

I would definitely agree with that.

Man whats up with everyone wanting and willing to submit to rules and regulations.


Who cares!

This man is 91 years old and is probably going to die within 5 years, let him have his moment of nostalgia.

edit: he had a no seat to sit on? well props to the old man!

If it's the same Spitfire that used to be rusting away outside during my childhood, then I can't understand why they didn't think to include a damn seat in it's refurb.
The old guy wants to perch himself in it then they should let him, I for one cant see him breaking his neck getting in an out of something he used to fly in.
Other half knows the guy who probably provided most of restoration and also makes brand spanking new working ones. I don't see why the council can't contact him to have a seat fitted..He might do it purely for the good will and publicity.

Stoke is conceptual home of the Spitfire, the museum itself needs some injection of interest. It's such a silly decision. Years ago when the damn thing was outside the dome was so trashed everyone used to sit in it.

Originally posted by daaskapital
Why can't he wait for an air show or something to go and sit in one?

cause the guy is 91, and could go at like any second