Friday, April 12, 1996 | 11:59 a.m.
IN the frustrating race between asphalt and increasing traffic, there's a glimmer of hope for the resort corridor.
The latest monorail study shows the feasibility of running a line from the Stratosphere Tower to downtown, most likely along Main Street. The line would whisk tourists between the two resort areas without the irritating delays of surface traffic.
The study, commissioned by the Stratosphere and the Boyd Gaming Co., also has implications for public transit elsewhere. Jakes Associates, the authors of the study, say monorails could be extended to other parts of the corridor -- the Las Vegas Convention Center, McCarran International Airport, Sam's Town, the Showboat and major Strip properties.
Jakes' study is the latest to get on the bandwagon for public transit. Another study eyed linking Strip properties from Tropicana Boulevard north as far as Sahara Avenue.
And to give the concept substance, one successful monorail already is in place -- from MGM Grand to Bally's. That conveyance carries nearly a half million people a month.
Monorails and other off-street public transit are getting more serious consideration than before, because of worsening gridlock.
Monorails from downtown to the airport should be expanded to other parts of the city. It's clear other alternatives to driving on congested streets are needed as the community continues to grow. Traffic may be a future inhibitor of tourist corridor growth.
This latest plan will not only ease traffic and pollution, but it could make traveling a pleasure again.
THURSDAY'S tragic air crash that killed a 7-year-old girl shows the Federal Aviation Administration's rules are woefully inadequate or, at least, poorly enforced.
Jessica Dubroff, her father, Lloyd, and flight instructor Joe Reid died shortly after takeoff in a rainstorm at Cheyenne, Wyo., as the girl was trying to set a record as the youngest person to fly across America. The plane had left Half Moon Bay, Calif., and was planning to arrive today in Falmouth, Mass.
Jessica was attempting to break the 1995 record set by 8-year-old Killian Moss of Phoenix, who broke the 1994 record of 9-year-old Rachel Carter, of Ramona, Calif. Some families have been using their children to set aviation records, regardless of the risk.
Worries about encouraging children to take such risks drove "The Guinness Book of Records," to stop listing the "youngest pilot" category. But some parents were not listening.
FAA rules require a minimum age of 16 for a pilot's license. Anyone younger is considered to be a passenger, and a flight instructor is legally responsible for the aircraft. But on the Dubroff plane, instructor Reid was reportedly told not to touch the controls unless there was an emergency and Lloyd was reportedly in the back seat.
Piloting aircraft requires adult judgment based on experience and technical know-how. Competence in the air is beyond the capacity of a child the age of Jessica. The FAA should stop this foolish practice and bar anyone under the age of 16 from the cockpit before another parent decides to risk his child's life for a paltry record.
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