Why do wealthy fly their own planes?

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The small plane that crashed Tuesday on Route 287 was based at Teterboro Airport.

The Record's coverage of the fiery plane crash that killed five leaves a lot of unanswered questions, including why some wealthy men insist on piloting their own planes instead of flying first class with highly trained commercial crews.


Readers hoping for some insight into the mind-set of investment banker Jeffrey F. Buckalew, 45, and other small-plane pilots encounter two Page 1 stories filled with a lot of extraneous detail about the executive's charitable giving, his devotion to his children and how fast his plane could fly. 


The main story discusses the potential of icing as well as smoke "billowing" from a wing of the single-engine aircraft. 


This bizarre line appears on the continuation page (A-10): "Witnesses described a plane so unbridled they initially thought it was part of a stunt show."


Other unanswered questions: 


Was Buckalew and his Manhattan firm, Greenhill & Co., involved in the country's financial meltdown? 


Why would Buckalew risk his death and the deaths of his family and a colleague who was married and had three children by exposing them to the vagaries of weather, mechanical failure or faulty maintenance?


Road hog


If readers thought the line about the plane being "unbridled" and "part of a stunt show" was unusual, what do they think of the Road Warrior column reviewing unrelated incidents of malfunctioning planes landing safely on highways (L-1)?


Road Warrior John Cichowski ran out of ideas for his commuting column years ago, so when he heard Buckalew's plane crashed on Route 287, he flew into action, knowing he could wring a piece out of the tragedy, using the excuse that the deaths occurred on a "road" or "highway."


I wonder how relatives of the Buckalew family feel about the column headline, which says "highways have saved pilots," but suggesting the investment banker had run out of "luck."


Cichowski even offers advice to small-plane pilots on what to do when their engines stop while they are in the air. Of course, there's no indication the engine of Buckalew's plane stopped before the crash.


The column is a low point in a series of irrelevant and nonsensical Road Warrior pieces in recent years, but head Assignment Editor Deirdre Sykes doesn't seem to care one way or the other.


Hackensack news


On L-6 today, Hackensack reporter Stephanie Akin catches up to her weekly competition, reporting concern over the city's mounting legal bills.


She reports "the city and its insurers paid a total of $3.8 million in legal fees this year and in 2010, according to city documents obtained" by residents.


But one of the headlines states: "Hackensack officials defend $7.6M as cheaper than settling."


I couldn't find the "$7.6 million" figure anywhere in Akin's story.


How to ruin spinach


For the fastest way to ruin 5 pounds of fresh spinach, see the recipe on F-2 of Better Living today.


Food Editor Susan Leigh Sherrill continues to promote free celebrity cookbooks rather than modify the recipes to make them healthier for readers.


Santa Claus controversy


On A-20, two letters to the editor say a Dec. 18 article on the Better Living front, "The Santa mystique," could have been read by children who believe in him and should not have been displayed so prominently or been published in the first place.


One of the writers is Rene Mack, a freelancer who once reviewed restaurants for The Record.