midlifeflyer
Touchdown! Greaser!
Yesterday I played the role of the presiding judge in a round of a mock trial competition. Some of you may be familiar with the program. The American Mock Trial Association is the governing body of an annual collegiate mock trial competition. It's not just for potential lawyers. Both lawyers and witnesses are also scored on the quality of their presentation. So we get a fair share of budding actors as well. One witness in the round I heard, a simple fact witness, created the backstory of being of a fortune teller. The competition also attracts students who find this more valuable for developing certain skills than debating teams.
So, what's the aviation connection?
Well, this year's case is Felder v. Koller Campbell Air, LLC. It's a wrongful death case brought by a surviving spouse. In the scenario, Morgan Felder joined VFR-only private pilot Reese Campbell (one of the owners of Koller Campbell Air) for an evening flight over a lake. The airplane ended up crashing into a nearby mountain, killing both pilot and passenger. The primary issue as presented by the teams in the round I judged, was whether the accident was caused by Reese flying in deteriorating weather conditions or by a catastrophic engine failure.
It was fun watching the teams deal with the aviation issues. None of them (not even the "experts") were pilots so there were gaps even a newbie private pilot could fill in but an excellent job overall. I was particularly impressed with an argument between the attorneys about the scope of the NTSB report exclusionary rule.
Best witness was D.B. Gelfand, a show pilot, who testified for the plaintiff that Reese made bad weather decisions which led to the crash. The student who played the role came complete with flight suit and the swagger of the self-styled greatest pilot and remained in character throughout.
So, what's the aviation connection?
Well, this year's case is Felder v. Koller Campbell Air, LLC. It's a wrongful death case brought by a surviving spouse. In the scenario, Morgan Felder joined VFR-only private pilot Reese Campbell (one of the owners of Koller Campbell Air) for an evening flight over a lake. The airplane ended up crashing into a nearby mountain, killing both pilot and passenger. The primary issue as presented by the teams in the round I judged, was whether the accident was caused by Reese flying in deteriorating weather conditions or by a catastrophic engine failure.
It was fun watching the teams deal with the aviation issues. None of them (not even the "experts") were pilots so there were gaps even a newbie private pilot could fill in but an excellent job overall. I was particularly impressed with an argument between the attorneys about the scope of the NTSB report exclusionary rule.
Best witness was D.B. Gelfand, a show pilot, who testified for the plaintiff that Reese made bad weather decisions which led to the crash. The student who played the role came complete with flight suit and the swagger of the self-styled greatest pilot and remained in character throughout.