I hope he loses his license but he needs a very thorough beating too. My fists were curling up listening to you. My baby don't fly (1968 first gen KE10 Corolla) but after 33 years of driving it and keeping it up, I'm kind of fond of it and don't take kindly to folks messing with it. I'd have to find a way other than renting my plane out...however careful you try to be...someone is still going to treat it like a rental.
Im half away from PPL and I spent 11 minutes of my life hearing something that I will never forget, you gave me chills. Thank you for time and effort making this video.
I'm an a&p maintenance tech in training; we discuss this all the time, and watch with interest blancolirio's analysis videos. Our instructors foster a culture of "see something, say something," because of our ticket being pulled if we allow a bad inspection to slip by on our signature.
I have been an aerobatic pilot for years and was well trained. I never attempted or performed any stress manuvers in anything but my Marchetti F260. I owned other Piper aircraft at the same time and never even contemplated an aerobatic manuver. She is absolutely correct. Stay within your own personal limits and the limits of the aircraft.
Sounds like this former club member should be responsible for the inspection charges. A very foolish thing to do, especially with the potential spar issues with Cherokees...
Not only the charge of this inspection but his license should be suspended. It s not less dangerous than landing without clearance or busting a Bravo airspace. License suspended, going through theoretical class regulation chapter again.
I lost my brother and sister in law in a GA crash, this touches home. He belong to a flying club and the NTSB never determined why the plane failed. I’d report him and sue him.
There are only a few certified GA four seater single-engine aircraft that are certified in aerobatic category as well as normal and utility and ONLY those models/serial numbers of those aircraft that in their POH (Pilot Operating Handbook) specifically outline the allowed aerobatic maneuvers and limitations. Pilotsvmust be properlybtrained and they must compy with appropriatly rated parachute requirement for both, pilot and co pilot, and all applicable aerobatics practice requiremets such as airspace, altitude etc. Two rare models of airplanes come to mind, that Beechcraft Bonanza Aerbatic model F33C and Beechcraft Musketeer III Custom Aerobatic such as written about quite well by by Budd Davison: www.airbum.com/pireps/PirepBeechAkroMusketeer.html In other words, do not be foolish! Doing aerobatics outside of the FAA certified limits isn't wise for any pilot to attempt not to mention it can be hazardous to the health of those on board.
@@erinchillmusic8930 Yep and those who subsequently fly these aircraft unknowingly of what high stress maneuvers/loads they have been placed under. And if there was a breakup in flight, this irresponsible pilot’s actions have now become criminal.....
If anyone thinks she is going over board then let’s see if you want to fly a plane with your kids or mom with a wing or chassis damage from stress fractures unseen then you’ll understand
This reminds me of the B52 captain that everyone ignored his dangerous behavior while flying and he killed himself and all of the crew in front of a crowd of people at an airshow. Very sad. What scares me the most is what if you didn't find out and had an emergency in unexpected weather and it put stress at the points that you were talking about. Very scary. GOD BLESS YOU AND YOUR FAMILY and fly safe. 🤠
Yeah I remember that B-52 incident, that was at Fairchild AFB Spokane WA, in 1994. It was only a few days after an unbalanced airman shot and killed a bunch of people at the base medical clinic. Col. Arthur "Bud" Holland, despite being universally recognized as a pilot with exceptional stick and rudder skills, had been called out repeatedly for his Reckless and dangerous flying. It had been reported to superiors many times but was consistently disregarded and never documented in writing anywhere. Then the commanders of that bomb Squadron kept changing and the incoming Commander would have no idea of the man's history when he was notified of a new incident. They just kept going off the man's record which was basically clean and showed that he was probably the best B-52 pilot the Air Force ever had up until that point. He kept getting verbal reprimands and the one time his squadron commander tried to have him grounded , he was overruled. The men who flew with him knew how dangerous he was. Many airmen refused to fly with him but the brass continue to believe that Bud Holland was the second coming because there was no written record of the multiple incidence of unsafe airmanship. That incident wasn't actually during an airshow however, it was a practice for the air show that was upcoming. There was a small crowd in the bleachers watching the practice flight but that was because the navigator on Czar 52 was retiring and this was to be his Fini flight. I don't remember the gentleman's name however. It's really awful when you think about it. They were ready to have a ceremony and a party for the man but instead watched him fall to the Earth in a B-52 that disintegrated into an enormous fire ball. The copilot's wife and sons were also watching from their base housing. Breaks my heart to think about it now. That crash is used as a case study at the Air Force Academy now and one of the co-pilot Sons became an Airforce officer himself. He gives speeches at the Academy regarding the incident now and the lessons learned from it. There were a lot of lessons learned from that tragedy, some of the lessons were showcased in this video as well. My father used to say to me, a smart man learns from his mistakes but a wise man learns from the mistakes of others.
Yeah I remember that goon, flew over top of a moutian at like five feet! They should have stopped him then. You know there is always one, who thinks he's so cool and bitchen that no one knocks him on his ass early enough to stop that shit.
Club member here. Very sorry that all this happened. Very glad to see you and the board handling so well. Certainly a reportable offense and never ok to jack around with other people’s planes and lives. Very sorry it’s a hard video to make, you guys did a great job on this video.
Even the best club can have someone like this. You never know until they are up in the air alone in your plane. Seems like people have lost all respect for other peoples hard work.
if there are no concequeces there is no change. If this guy/girls parents didn't teach him that shame of them but shame on us all if you allow it. Report him and take him to court; there is no other possible outcome.
Wow, this is the most powerful safety message I have seen in my 30 years in aviation. I'm a CFI in Australia with about 4000 in Warriors. I work for a large school and we have been very aware of the AD and the cause for it's issue. So glad to see your aircraft is Ok. Best of wishes and safe flying from Australia.
Sorry you’re having to deal with this, it sucks. As an owner, I have some understanding of the betrayal you must be feeling. A truly repentant person would both, come clean about the full extent of the activity and offer to pay the full restitution (cost of inspections, etc..). This person being worried about the consequences to his certificate shows the selfish pride that’s part of his character. This is the kind of person you don’t want in your life in any way. It appears that there might have been other people onboard during the acrobatic maneuvers. If that’s the case, that puts this at a whole different level. A person who willfully and knowingly puts others at significant unnecessary risk should not have PIC privileges, ever, and should be facing civil and possible criminal penalties. A person of this character has no place in aviation.
@@nesoddenbefalsforening6436 I dunno, anyone dumb enough to fly that plane in that manner needs to be on video and audio the whole time. Better yet, ground them permanently before they kill someone.
I stumbled on this today and it really hit home. I got my private back in 1995. I did all of my training in a 172 and although I got my certificate in 4 months, start to finish, I had at least 4 CFIs along the way. One in particular I will never forget. He was my 3rd CFI and I was not too far from my check ride. During one lesson, at night, he wanted to roll the airplane. Here I was completely green but thank God I had enough sense to stop him. It was a brief battle of wills and I was terrified; not of a roll per-se but NOT in a 172! . I refused to fly with him again but unknown to me at the time he had mis-trained me on short field landings. Looking back, it was crazy and dangerous the way he taught it. He told me he was from Arkansas and that this was how it was done on his family farm. Needless to say, I did this same thing during my check ride and was immediately failed! I went on to pass with a few more hours of traiing and continue to fly to this day with no incidents or accidents. Thank you for sharing your story with all of us.
It’s not a mistake, it’s willful, intentional non-compliance. Great call on Turing him in to the FAA. There’s no excuse for his behavior. Get your representatives involved too. FAA headquarters has a legislative liaison office. If they receive a formal inquiry from even a staffer, it rolls downhill and increases the odds the individual in question will face an emergency revocation, as he should. Keep following up and celebrate the good friends who helped you through this, and the lessons you learned.
What's even worse is that there's literally an aerobatics school at KGKY with planes that are actually rated for that type of flying. There's a time and a place for tattle-telling, and this is definitely the time and place for it. I hope everything turns out okay with your baby, and I would like to see this CFI get his certs pulled - literally just went against everything that those certs stand for and displayed a severe lack of ADM and very impaired judgement. Like you said, not only is that "pilot" a risk to himself and his passengers, but also to every single other person that flies a plane that he's ever been behind the controls of.
Sounds like someone that should only be able to fly simulators. There’s no place in our hobby for people that are so willing to risk other people’s lives.
@@bobbyc2768 some flight schools will rent time in their simulator, also they can build a gaming setup for flight sim 2020 or other game simulator setups.
@@jonathanhuman7333 I heard the flight schools will but they don't let you do acrobatics you that wouldn't be good to do IRL, just like they don't let people crash in simulators cause they say it builds bad habits or something. If you're not a student and are just trying to do it for fun would that still apply?
@@Aleksandar6ix True, the pilot community is not immune to "stupid", however that is not an excuse to condone such behavior. This individual should not be a pilot.
Thank you for making this video Christy. Hopefully it will help prevent some of this kind of idiocy in the future by hearing you project the hard truth. The person that did this deserves a revoked certificate and has no business flying and putting anyone at risk. They also owe you and the club an apology, payment for all inspections, inconvenience, stress and lost time. I’m sorry to hear you had to deal with this and luckily there was no damage.
Thank you with all my heart for this video. I hope there are 10 million views. This video not only applies to airplanes. It applies to all aspects of our lives. When integrity fails people die. Thank you. Sincerely Eldon
On the other hand....I used to fly with an 84-year-old CFI and he was VERY old school. He was constantly pissed off how it used to be that even in a "normal" category airplane, basic aerobatics were OK. And stress limits of +3.8 and -1.52 Gs means you can get away with aileron rolls (a one G maneuver, done correctly), no problem. Many people know about Tex Johnston's barrel roll in a 707 in 1955. So while someone shouldn't be doing aerobatics in your airplane, it isn't necessarily the end of the world. Remember that in bad weather sometimes airplanes end up doing unintentional "aerobatics" anyway...I think it's a good idea to learn to handle those situations (in a proper category of airplane) before it happens.
i say both he needs to pay $$$ all of the cost , have his ticket punched and his ass kicked and never be allowed to get recertification ! Too much at stake for this idiot to get away with it !!
Christy, Thanks for sharing your story. I am a big fan of the channel & I really enjoy & appreciate all the content you & Dan put out there! You two are making GA safer one episode at a time. I am sorry that you had to experience such recklessness by that member, but I am very glad that you found out as your safety & life was jeopardized….glad to hear an accident was avoided! That member’s action was criminal!
I agree. I have a friend who wants to learn to fly and when I mentioned it to my wife, she suggested that we syndicate our aircraft and make him a joint-owner when he passes. I told her that whilst some syndicates can work very well, others are a great way to lose friends and that by giving up a share in our aircraft, we’d also lose exclusive control. Right now, I know exactly how that aircraft is treated because every time she goes up, I am at the controls. What Christy says about not being rich but having to make sacrifices is absolutely bang-on. There are sacrifices I am prepared to make in order to enjoy the privilege of taking to the sky and there are sacrifices that I am not. I am not prepared to sacrifice the control I have over my beloved sky-chariot nor risk its integrity because I trust both of our lives to that airframe.
The best place for an airplane when you’re not flying it is locked inside a private hanger. I looked into a leaseback 30 years ago and decided it simply wasn’t worth it. It didn’t even seem I could break even. I buy the plane, am responsible for the maintenance, repairs, and upgrades. And then I turn it over to virtual strangers so they can abuse it, break it, wear out the engine, and run up the airframe time.
I once consider leasing my 150 but I ended up deciding against. Even with well intentioned people, they may simply forget or not know about little things, like leaning on the ground to prevent spark plug fouling. Regardless what they do, you as the owner is stuck with the problem...
Well i have to say im glad there are people who do lease backs because if there weren't i dont think i would have ever been able to afford to purchase a plane and get my private certificate.
All it took was for my 172 to not be topped off after letting an instructor friend use it for training one time. I understand how leasing can off set owning, but sometimes it’s just not worth it.
And it's jerks like this that is going to ruin it for the rest of us that truly appreciate the privilege of being a club member. I honestly have always treated other people's stuff better than I would my own out of respect. I am so sorry to hear that happened to such a kind person like you Christy.
So sorry for the situation, as a warrior owner it hit home. I think that guy should be financially responsible for all the inspection costs. It’s only fair.
This video is why I elected to avoid doing any form of leaseback when I bought my Cherokee. I'm so thankful I was able to afford to do get my plane without having to put it in a position to be used (and potentially abused) by others.
As an AP, I will say it likely isnt that it can't do it...once. Its just a matter of how many times before fatigue sets in. That is the part that is not calculated thoroughly in engineering(at least in older ones). Good on you for a full fatigue inspection though.
It really depends on how proficient and skilled the pilot is and the particular manoeuvres they did. The fact he thought it was ok to it in an aircraft not rated for aerobatics, with passengers and likely doesn’t have aerobatics rating (I’m ex helicopter so I just assume that’s a thing) tells me he likely didn’t do a great job at keeping the aircraft within its limits.
@@joenenninger971 Exactly. Many aerobatic maneuvers can be done within normal positive 1G limits...especially “loops and barrel rolls”. Lots of assumptions and missing information in this video to make any kind of judgement on this particular incident. As an AME it’s great that she took the appropriate maintenance steps though, and this is a great message for future idiots.
Christy, you are indeed ABSOLUTELY justified in your outrage. People who do this are not only arrogantly stupid, they are seldom good enough sticks to keep from overstressing the airframe. I speak as a 25,000 hour professional pilot, flight instructor and aerobatic competition pilot. DO NOT EVER fly aerobatics in a non- aerobatic certificated airplane. And then, never do aerobatics without EXTENSIVE training. PERIOD. Get this clown out of the sky, he has broken a sacred trust.
@@pilotchristy Christy, one other thing. Watch your engine carefully. One of the stills made it appear the airplane was in sustained inverted flight, which of course, implies negative G. Unless positive load was kept on the airplane, the engine will have lost oil pressure during the negative G. Being injected, it most likely continued running at set power until the fuel in the lines from the tank was exhausted. Almost better to have a carburetor which would quit immediately. If you are on oil analysis, that should alert you to impending bearing failure. Good luck.
You had a moral, if not a legal duty to report this cowboy. Not to have done so potentially puts innocent people at risk. That's me with 45000 hours of military flying on 8 different aircraft types. Thanks for being so honest and Good Luck in the future.
Great video - every CFI should watch - we don’t have many pilots that operate in reckless manner but those that do we need to stand up and do the right thing. Thank you
Oh my goodness, Christy! I have a rock in the pit of my stomach hearing this awful story. What type of person would be so cavalier? That is such a betrayal! Thankfully you were informed of these reckless actions. Ugh. I hope he paid for that inspection!
This is the main reason why I read the POH each of every aircraft i fly to make sure to know what category the planes rated and try to keep it within the specs of the aircraft when I’m just doing normal Flight maneuvers love your videos keep up the good work and keep being a inspiration Role Models for safety for the aviation community.
thanks for sharing. i lost a brother to an airplane coming apart and is one of the reasons i am building my own so i know it from nose to tail and will keep it at my place.
Thank you so much for making this video. This video should be part and highly stressed to student pilots during their training process. Again thank you for this video.
I suspect that this individual has done this in the past as well. Hopefully the Feds will take his logbook for evidence and research his rental activities. There are a lot of folks put at risk here.
Right on Christy. That guy should not be flying anything, not even a kite. It's sad that he was so stupid to not realize that he could be doing unseen damage that could have gotten others killed.
Wow Christy, what that pilot did is unexcusable and hope severe repercussions are heading his way. I'm glad the airframe is ok, and hope the powerplant is as well. Thanks for sharing your experience, I know that was hard. Keep rocking young lady. 🤘🇺🇸🛩️
I fly a Navajo here in England. The cockpit has a placard which says No Acrobatic Manoeuvres Approved. You would think the placard is unnecessary but 40 years ago a young hot shot pilot was looping a Navajo and pulled the wings off it, leaving a wreckage trail nearly 2 miles long. (G-LCCO accident report is online). It wasn’t his aeroplane either.
Make sure this guy pays for all the inspections & AD's on 51W's airframe AND engine. Two separate inspections to the wing spar no more than 50hrs apart...Moses < (A&P since 1974)
Well said. Not only a threat to immediate failure as you pointed out, but latent failure. Many of our aircraft are 50 years old or older with a lifetime of use that the renter doesn’t know except what was written into the log books. I know this was a tough video to make, but thank you for doing it.
This pilot that did exceed the airframe limits should have his ticket punched! Sorry but that's the only way this works, trust, at least has to be recert. and pay for any and all damages+ be liable for future unknown damages!
I also have heard from a relative that her father routinely rolled a 182 on several occasions. She felt it was okay because he was "that good." These events were a couple years prior, and her father had died of other reasons. She asked if I had ever rolled an airplane airplane. I said yes, in one that was designed for it. A Decathlon. She almost made me feel "chicken." How many times I've heard pilots talk about doing these sort of things. Thank you!
I can relate to that. In the late 70;s I took flying lessons in a Piper Warrior 150. The instructor was teaching me spiral dives. She started with the normal entry procedure and then told me to take it and recover. She progressed to steeper dives, no problem. I guess she got bored. Yoke full right, hard back and rudder kicked full left. I was staring straight ahead at the ground below which was rotating counterclockwise. I waited for her to say "take it" nothing. I looked over, she was staring straight ahead. I quickly glanced at gauges, rate of decent pinned, air speed over 200. I said "I got it". Carb heat on throttle back, roll out of the rotation. The yoke pushed back due to trim, i stopped it. I was looking at sky and the dash seemed to rise up. I leveled out carb heat off throttle up, lots of ear pain. I decided that the lesson was over, back to airport. The following week back at the airport I overheard a conversation about the plane, wrinkles were found in the wings. An experience I will never forget.
A barrel roll puts no extra stress on the wing spar, (unless you add more maneuvers to it that exert G's).. Not saying you should do it. Just reminding people of the physics.
@@beagle7622 If you do any procedure wrong you can pretty much snap the wings off ANY airplane. But an alerion roll is a 1 G maneuver. That doesn't mean you jump in someone else plane and start doing them. She has a right to be pissed, I just didn't want people to come with a conclusion that they are structurally unsafe. You know how the internet is :)
@@dennisnbrown ALL rolls are a 1 G maneuver. Period. The airplane makes no difference. When you add forward or back pressure, you will of course increase the wing loading, but not a center stick roll.
@@dennisnbrown Correct and incorrect. No it wont rotate without loosing altitude. If you dont force back pressure and if you accept the altitude loss it will fall naturally at 1 G as it rotates. This is pretty much all aircraft. This is also why you enter the maneuver in a nose high attitude, then when the roll is complete you should be level again.
Christy, I am so sorry to hear about what happened to your airplane. I am an employee with Piper Aircraft and one of the first graduates of their apprentice program and currently work building the wings for the M600 model, but through the program I had many hands in building cherokees and even had the honor to do work on the 5000th Archer that we rolled off the final line. To see you so emotional over what happened is a great example of why I take so much pride in ensuring quality to every plane I touch and never let a mistake or something that isnt right move forward in production, so to see someone abusing one of our planes especially one thst doesn't belong to them is upsetting! thank you for this video
You have enough evidence....file the complaint...pull his ticket. Until that happens...he will do it, again, until he becomes an NTSB investigation. You have an obligation to the publics' safety. Damn his "goals and wishes". His future victim/s have goals and wishes, too. Not fair to them, if his wreckless attitude ends their life.
Christy, I'm 100% with you here. My dad flies in an aeroclub with 250 other pilots, I don't know how many hours I got as a passenger. Still, we have to put our trust in the other pilots.
I agree with Christy when it comes to flying an aircraft that is in the normal category. But there are some people commenting about seeing certain maneuvers being done in a Cessna 152. They did make a Cessna 152 Aerobat. These aircraft are strengthened for higher G maneuvers (still with limitations). My point is that not all Cessna 152's can be assumed to be normal / utility category aircraft. Good thing you had your spar checked on the Piper Cherokee, at least it would put your mind at ease. Fly safe everyone, and live to fly another day.
No pilot can really believe that max wing and airframe loads on an airplane or FAA rules are mere suggestions. The guy should lose his license forever.
Being allowed to fly another person's airplane is such a gift and it should be respected. Even if you think the risk is not there to do these things, you still don't becuase it's spitting in the face of the person who gave you the opportunity to fly. It really comes down to respect and even stupidity.
There is an old saying: "One mans trash is another mans Teasure!!!" Some people dont care or respect other peoples property.....plain and simple!!! This goes for anything that can be rented ( airplanes..automobiles..boats...etc )... I remember an old "Jackass" movie where the "Jackass" guys went and rented a new car and went out and totally trashed it ( busted windows..crashed it into things that dented the car all over..it looked like it had been in a crash derby race... They then took it back to the rental place...laughing and said " here you go!!!"..... They didn't think it was funny at the rental..and I think they might have called the police!! What I remember the most was that the audience was laughing and howling like it was just great!!! That movie is probably twenty years old by now...but I thought about that when I saw your story.... It's 2021 and that mentality is here right now... And it's getting worse!!! Sorry you had to go through that trauma..but what if you didn't know what been done to your airplane and you had been on a long x- country???? You should stick this " jackass"with the overhaul bill and sue if you have to!! This was dangerous and negligent!!!!! Be safe!!!
Christy that sucks. I had a Cherokee 180 in the early 90s and had my Instructer give rides to all her friends and sky tours . After a friend let me know she was giving joy rides I confronted her and told her she could only use the plane to practice maneuvers for another rating. She continued to do the same thing behind my back. I finally took the keys back from her. 2 weeks later went flying at night and had an engine out in IMC landed safely at an airport. Mechanic told me once he removed 2 jogs and looked at the pistons they were toasted do to excessive leaning. That’s what get for letting my Instuctor use my plane.
Wow Christy! I clicked on the video expecting it to be a story about some other Cherokee, not the Wong Warrior!!!! I'm an under 100 hour pilot who hasn't even flown in 20 years....I've done some super risky, "sketch" stuff in combat zones. That said, at no time as a student or rookie certificated pilot have I ever been in the least bit confused about the requirements for aerobatic flight nor would the thought have entered my mind to try that BS in any aircraft not rated for it! As much as I despise bureaucracy in general...this clown needs his ticket pulled!
Good for you! My instructor did that with me 2x in a Mooney 2000 Eagle...He got fired and everyone was mad, but those guys are still alive and flying! 🤗
I am a non-pilot amateur aviation historian and aviation officiannado. Thank you for sharing this horrific story with us. I admire your sincere passion for this issue and I am very glad to hear that your beloved aircraft is OK. What upsets me beyond the arrogance and negligence of the pilot who abused your aircraft, is the fact that I saw that people had given your video "thumbs down." Shame on them for doing so! For me, this indicates that they didn't listen to what you said. I pray that they don't kill themselves or anyone else from their recklessness.
It's refreshing to see someone who is PASSIONATE enough about their subject to be emotional in front of Aviation Peers who can be quite opinionated, YOU GO GIRL!! Always remember, Bad things can happen when GREAT people do NOTHING. And for the 38 that dislike this video, I hope when she all comes apart you don't take an innocent person with you.
I'm so sorry this happened to your plane and hopefully the inspection gives you peace of mind. I've not started my PPL yet, but you can be sure that I'll treat any plane I happen to fly as if it were my own.
Well put. Similar thing happened to my Aircraft so after all inspections were done and it was deemed safe I sold it. At one time my aircraft with a 124 knot vne. Was recorded at 163 knots. So we had the engineers do an over speed inspection on the airframe and the engine. All issues were done by instructors at the flight school. One day we hope to own an aircraft again, but it will never ever go on line. As all trust in flight schools has gone.
Thanks, Christy, for making us all aware of this totally unacceptable, irresponsible , and potentially lethal behavior. Whoever the culprit is should not be allowed to pilot any airplane.
Great video. I rent, and I truly appreciate owners who lease back their aircraft so they can be rented. I treat the planes I rent as though they are my own, I report squawks and am ready to report and accept responsibility if I mess something up. I fly the airplanes the way the owners ask. It concerns me that there are people like this out there. Good for you for taking this so seriously. For what it's worth, I agree with your decision to report this. General Aviation does not need pilots like this flying. The stakes are too high.
During my sons freshman year at Embry Riddle, that crash occurred involving the aircraft that lost a wing. My son had known of the pilot, they did have a class together, although they were just acquaintances. He told me that it was a sad day on campus. He heard the playback recording of the tower trying to contact them. Very sad for the families, and students at Riddle. I’m glad though, that your airplane is ok.
My blood is boiling listening to this story. I'm so sorry you had to go through this Christy! This person should lose their license; they do not have the right mindset to be a pilot. I hope you and the club go after this person and their insurance for the inspections and any repairs they've incurred. Owning an airplane is expensive enough and as you've said you've made sacrifices to make it possible. This jerk should make it more expensive for you and the other members of the club.
Don't know why I'm getting lectured in airplane safety when me or anyone I know will likely never get behind the wheel of a plane 😂😂 lol. That's crazy what people will do.
I flew a Piper J-3 in the 80's just foe relaxation. It was part of the Geneseo flying club and an antique. I never horsed on the craft, always being so careful. The aircraft seemed to like me, all aircraft have a personality that really lets you know what t thinks of you. The J-3 was "low and slow" and it stayed hat way in my hands. I got greasy dirty at the club helping others maintain their aircraft, and loved every minute of it. We did have some incidents, mostly from pilots that didn't have enough time in type, some weather related, and one that ate a 7,000 volt power line in a real classic, a Beech Staggerwing. My favorite ride was in FiFi, one of the last B-29's in existence still flying. I heard of another flying but haven't seen it yet. I still fly, but didn't pass my flight physical 10 years ago, but I have friends that fly, and they let me get some time in under their supervision. Flying is very much a fun time, until you get stupid and make a smoking hole in a field somewhere. The pre flight check is the most crucial thing you can do for yourself and those on the ground. You see even a small thing wrong, you ground the plane until it gets fixed or checked out. If you don't feel good yourself, you ground yourself voluntarily. Those of you who want to learn how to fly, remember that.
Great video..i am now a new subscriber!..my wife and i just purchased a 1979 Tomahawk and are looking forward to many years of safe and enjoyable flying..its truly a privilege to fly. Take care and thanks for the video!
During my flight training many years ago the young instructor with me at the time in an early general aviation non aerobatic 152 put the aircraft through a nicely executed barrel roll at the end of the lesson before we returned to Ardmore. I said to him, 'Is this okay in a non Aerobat?' 'Yes', he said, 'It's perfectly safe provided you do it properly with no 'G'. Hmm! The aircraft certainly 'felt' okay to me at the time, as it did not seem to be undergoing any noticeable stresses, and there was no sensation of any negative or positive 'G'. He did this as we usually did our training flights in an Aerobat in which there were indeed visible stresses applied to the tail assembly during each rotation of a fairly prolonged vertical spin, for example. The whole assembly would noticeably 'flex and twist' back and forth with each full hard rotation, quite alarming me at the time. This same adventurous guy had me doing loops in the Aerobat at 4 hours' of total flight training time .. neutral rudder ..wings level ..full throttle ..carb heat ..lower the nose slightly ..build some speed ..pull back hard into the stomach ..look left and watch the port wingtip come to vertical ..look back up above through the skylight ..pull back power passing through the vertical ..watch the ground coming back up and around from below ..ease the back elevator exponentially to level attitude ..apply light power ..carb heat off ..level flight. He was a good teacher I thought. After just one loop I felt enough comfortable doing that again anytime. The trouble is becoming familiar with aerobatic maneuvers tends to make standard general aviation transport and training aircraft subsequently quite dull to fly. Sorry. Aerobatic aircraft are wonderful things. Svetlana Kapanina flight vids are enthralling. But I absolutely agree aerobatic operations in an aircraft not designed for the stresses involved should NEVER be carried out. Even a neutral 'G' barrel roll perfectly executed. That shouldn't have been done . . !
Being a pilot goes well beyond the card you carry. This individual clearly doesn’t grasp the totality of the many responsibilities that come with piloting an aircraft. Glad that someone did the right thing to let you know-their actions protected you, your family, the club members, your aircraft, and all on the ground from what would eventually happen. ...It is unlikely someone actually trained in aerobatics would decide to perform those maneuvers in your aircraft-and regardless of training, have demonstrated a completely reckless attitude-beyond reckless (had to delete the word I really wanted to use). We all need to thank you for sharing this situation with us and in helping everyone remember that there are some real lines that should ever be crossed. ...And... if they are, everyone needs to stand up and take action. Glad this ended the way it did, and that your beloved plane is OK-and no one was hurt or worse. Wow. What craziness! We stand with you.
Christy I’ve been a fan for a long time & watched you grow. It broke my heart to see you like this. I was a paratrooper for years & cowboys like him were gone pretty fast. This cowboy needs to be bounced, be accountable financially & barred from flying period! He’s a disaster waiting to happen. I hope she’s ok, gentle winds & soft landings to you both.
I read a article in a aviation magazine where this new private pilot was flying with some friends and they talked him into to doing some spins. He had done some in training so he figured ok, he got into a spin and his friends were having a blast laughing etc, little did they know that the pilot was in deep shit, he couldn't get it to pull out, he was trying everything and nothing was working, he started to panic and was scared to death, his passengers were unaware the whole time. Lucking he was at a last ditch effort and finally pull it off, shaking like a leaf, covered in sweat and his passengers wanted more. He learned his lesson. His buddy's never even knew how close they came to a grizzly end. This story and this video is hopefully something people take to heart. I know I have. I fly very safe I always try to think ahead and try not to get stuck where you can't handle something. I think they call it, stay in front of your plane and not behind it. Her story is dead on about being so disrespted and taking advantage of its hard to put into words. I bet even though her plane got clean bill of health she will ALWAYS have that in the back of her head. It's just not right.
Even many high time pilots kill themselves in all kinds of situations because they forget to maintain airspeed and forget how to use the RUDDER. Videos all over RU-vid showing crashes that could have been avoided by simply applying the correct RUDDER input at the correct time.
As a retired CFII this hits close to home. Our flight school had a number of lease backs (we leased from the owners). Abuse of these airplanes would have had serious financial impact on those owners. It also jeopardized my life and my students lives plus anyone we could have killed or injured when we hit the ground. Flight schools and their CFI's by necessity approach the legal limits of the aircraft during training. Commercial ticket students are required to perform 60 degree banking turns while holding altitude in order to get that ticket. That is why we prefer to train in a utility class plane (the Cessna 150/152 come to mind). An overstressed airframe can no longer be trusted to take that type of maneuver. Especially over and over again. Whether or not the FAA pulls his ticket, suspends it or requires him to take remedial training it is absolutely necessary for them to be aware of his actions. It is mind boggling to think that someone is that stupid. By the way, the CFI and examiner who trained and approved him will be investigated as well. Multiple students exhibiting this type of behavior can cause a CFI lose their rating. Rightfully so.
The anger over inconvenience at having to ground the aircraft for an inspection to deem it flight-worthy is quite understandable but I think that non-pilots often don’t understand the intimacy pilots have with their aircraft. I think some car or bike enthusiasts come close but even they don’t spend the sort of time we do on pre-flight inspections EVERY time we take our aircraft out. We trust our airframes with our lives and the lives of our friends and families and we form a special kind of bond with our sky-chariots. What is evident from your telling of this story is that aside from the inconvenience, cost, and concerns over safety, on a personal level, this was a massive betrayal of your trust. Not only were you aiming to offset the cost of ownership for yourself, you were making aviation more accessible to others. In an ideal world where the people involved are all honourable and responsible, this should be a huge win-win for all. Sadly, it takes just one person’s recklessness to jeopardise the situation for everyone and your anger and pain comes across very clearly in this video. I hope that sickening feeling soon subsides and that you never have to go through that again.
What. The. Hell. I’m amazed you’re as calm as you are, to be honest. Behavior like that is appalling, and I hope they punch his ticket. FAA has their new philosophy of not being heavy handed with enforcement for honest mistakes. This isn’t one of those cases. This is deliberate, flagrant disregard for the regs, and for the safety of aviators and people on the ground.
Small errors that become rational educational moments are one thing.... and this sort of crap is NOT in that category.. This is deadly behavior and needs to be addressed with serious intervention.
Thank you for this video. I agree this is an instance where the FISDO needs to know a pilot is doing something that puts him and others in danger. I would hope the person is removed from the club. I would also recommend you notify other clubs in the area and inform them of what happened and who the person was. They can make their own determination but at least they will have all of the facts. Imagine if another club lets him in and he pulls this stunt again but with a passenger. The club will be able to honestly say they didn’t know about his antics but you will know. I agree with Dan, snitching is not good, but in this instance it’s information other clubs need to know to protect their members. I hope the engine is ok. Good luck.
@pilotchristy You are doing the right thing & your anger is justified. I would make sure to sue him after the FISDO takes action. Snitching is tattling on someone because you want to harm or otherwise inconvenience them or attain some other benefit to yourself. Calling the FISDO is your duty when life & property are at stake & will save you money on your insurance later down the road.
I worked with a former Vietnam war F-4 pilot who owned a Cessna A-150. An aerobatic Cessna 150. When he did aerobatic maneuvers he did a close inspection of his aircraft looking for wrinkled skin and loose or overstressed fasteners. You are correct, you and everyone else need to report stoopid folks who do dangerous things to the local FSDO.
Not only did this person risk lives by flying upside down, but he actually had someone on the wing tip to take pictures of it, DEFINITELY risking their life. What a shame. Seriously though, I feel for you. I’d be pissed too. Pray for this pilot. I’m glad the wing warrior is good and eddy current.
