Wing walking thrill rides shut down, pilot/operator loses license

ElPaso Pilot said:
The Masons explained that they only bill their customers for the three-hour ground training that takes place before the flight. The wing walking that happens after the training is “free of charge.”
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Honest, I was only paying her so she'd listen to my boring stories at the bar. The stuff she did in the car after was all free.

The argument that it's not commercial is silly.
 
Such a shame. Great operation. Very safe. Exceptional instruction.
Reminds me of the dual P-40 I flew that the FAA in its infinite wisdom shut down also. Another very safe, excellent operation.
I felt totally prepared and safe.
In addition, a parachute would be a dangerous accessory to have wing walking.
As far as altitude, it was up at 5000’ AGL. That lady must’ve had Superman vision.
2020-03-10 094559-1259131.jpeg2019-09-29 185148-64249.jpeg
 
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I say if somebody wants to improve the Gene Pool by removing themselves, let them.
 
X3 Skier said:
I say if somebody wants to improve the Gene Pool by removing themselves, let them.
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Well some of us like to live life to the fullest. Ya gotta go sometime. Doesn’t really matter when or how.
 
camorton said:
Yeah, I actually witnessed this activity at KSZP about two months ago. It seemed so crazy at the time, I thought I must have misunderstood what was going on.

Glad to hear the FAA stepped in before someone got hurt.

C.
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They didn’t need to step in. The operation was safe and fun.
 
Cwspilot said:
Well some of us like to live life to the fullest. Ya gotta go sometime. Doesn’t really matter when or how.
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Well... yeah... it kinda does, to most of us. I try not to do things that are going to make people hearing or reading about my death respond with, "Well, that was pretty effing stupid", or words to that effect.
 
DaleB said:
Well... yeah... it kinda does, to most of us. I try not to do things that are going to make people hearing or reading about my death respond with, "Well, that was pretty effing stupid", or words to that effect.
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That’s because people are too worried about or involved with staying alive rather than living.
 
skyking3286 said:
Having money to burn for a thrill and intelligence aren’t always the same. There are a lot of NTSB reports to that affect.
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Capt. Geoffrey Thorpe said:
One has to wonder how long this tether is and how someone would get back on to the airplane while hanging from it...
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When I did it I looked at the tether as more moral support than anything. Lol
I figured if I fell, there was no way I was climbing back in plane. I’d probably make a hellova racket banging against the fuselage.
Fantastic experience though!
 
Cwspilot said:
They didn’t need to step in. The operation was safe and fun.
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I would like more information on what they did, a safety line so they could not fall off and what else, could be as safe or safer than jumping out of a good plane with a parachute. I am not one that would like to do that but I am sure their are plenty of people that might like to try that if it were safe as something like that could be.
 
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brien23 said:
I would like more information on what they did, a safety line so they could not fall off and what else, could be as safe or safer than jumping out of a good plane with a parachute. I am not one that would like to do that but I am sure their are plenty of people that might like to try that if it were safe as something like that could be.
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The ground school was very good. Dry run of what to do once up there. Both top and bottom wing maneuvers. There is a tether. However, I looked at it as more of a morale booster and thinking, “man I am going to make one heck of a rumble against the fuselage if I fall”. lol.
She told us what to expect as far as wind resistance. We got as many dry runs as we needed to feel confident and safe.
I never once questioned safety. Had a blast!
 
ElPaso Pilot said:
Customer video review of the experience below, with multiple GoPro angles.

1st half is training, 2nd half is their flight experience.

Interestingly to me, acrobatics also were done in the “Harry Potter broomstick” position, with no restraints other than the trailing tether wire. Customer just holds on.

The top wing activities had the customer hip-belted to the vertical support frame.

Also much care to have the customer walk out to their position without stepping on the fabric. There appears to be wing-walk patches on the ribs, with instruction not to lose footing in the wind and punch a hole in the wing fabric.

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Untrue. There are footholds/stirrups and a racing web belt around your waist. All positive G maneuvers. What else do you need? Lower wing you ride the javelin wrapping legs and arms around it.
 
So there I was…

Downtown Tucson between a temp concrete barrier and a 18 wheeler in summer, no a/c, pax side triangle vent open, wife/kid riding in chase car with a/c… and I got the cat.

It got restless. Nose out the vent window, my world goes into slow motion… front paws up, back paws up, whoooof… out he goes!

I lunge, get his tail… WHAP WHAP WHAP WHAP goes the cat against the pax window. OMG! Tail slipping SLOWLY. WHAP WHAP WHAP. Swerving with a loaded car trailer, 18 wheeler breaks off, I undo seat belt, readjust to middle…

WHAP WHAP WHAP… tail slipping, pinching for all I’m worth… wondering how much therapy is gonna be for family witnessing cat go right under 9 of 18 wheels…. WHAP WHAP WHAP

Let go steering, roll down window. Regain control of vehicle, let go steering grab cat, throw on floorboard, regain control, roll up window (manual windows), regain control, slide back behind wheel, and WOW! Did that just happen?!!!!

Meanwhile… wife is like “Lex, Mike is losing a jacket or something out the window, pull up beside and tell him…”

Lex is like… ya, no, we’ll stay right here! Ha!
 
Cwspilot said:
That’s because people are too worried about or involved with staying alive rather than living.
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Most of us try to do both - you know, stay alive long enough to enjoy living. When I was young and remarkably stupid, I liked the whole "live fast, die young, leave a good-looking corpse" credo... then I grew up, and astonishingly enough still manage to have a lot of fun.

You do you, have a ball.
 
DaleB said:
Most of us try to do both - you know, stay alive long enough to enjoy living. When I was young and remarkably stupid, I liked the whole "live fast, die young, leave a good-looking corpse" credo... then I grew up, and astonishingly enough still manage to have a lot of fun.

You do you, have a ball.
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That’s still my mantra and I’m turning 60.
Like the Blondie song, “Die Young, Stay pretty. Live fast ‘cause it won’t last”.
 
Yesterday I learned about the parameters for obstacle clearance on IR departures.
Today I learned yet another reason why you should not transport cats in cars.
And I remember that I miss the little vent windows.
It's been a good week!
 
And it took them 12 years to come to that conclusion. What a joke.
 
12 accident free years is more pertinent to the issue here.

With adult customers willing to take the risk, why not?

I would not have been interested in such a ride, at any age, but I do not ride motor cycles either, since abut 30 years old.

Never seriously considered parachute jumping or bungee jumping either, but those are legal risky endeavors.

I have worn a parachute when flying aerobatics. And in a crippled C 47, which did make it to an airport.
 
geezer said:
12 accident free years is more pertinent to the issue here.
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I disagree. You pay for ground school and we’ll give you a wingwalking ride for free seems to be a pretty clearcut case of trying to skirt the regs. If it’s safe, why not just work with the FAA to find a way to make it legal?
 
Wheels said:
Yeah, they had been doing it for 12 years apparently without hurting anyone. He obviously hadn’t put any thought into what he needed to do to reduce the risks involved.
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What more could be done to reduce the risks?
 
Not possible and dangerous. You would not be able to access the upper wing safely. Inadvertent deployment of the chute would be disastrous. General mobility wearing the chute would be much more of a safety issue.
 
For some reason William Shatner seemed to get really upset when he witnessed a similar situation.
 
I wonder how much insurance this outfit had and at what cost? Obviously not a big enough expense to deter operations.
 
Cwspilot said:
Not possible and dangerous. You would not be able to access the upper wing safely. Inadvertent deployment of the chute would be disastrous. General mobility wearing the chute would be much more of a safety issue.
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you consider THAT to be dangerous?

:eek:
 
Bob Noel said:
you consider THAT to be dangerous?

:eek:
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A chute deployment while tethered to the plane? Yeah. If the cordage doesn't break imaging trying to control the plane with all that drag on one side, assuming it doesn't wrap around the elevator/rudder also.
 
I actually understand that chute deployment would be really bad

Plenty of ways to protect against an unintended deployment

I was simply amazed at the contrast
 
EdFred said:
It's all relative. You look at him as much of the general population looks at us. And if the fatality rate in that operation is 0, it is statistically safer than our segment - even though it doesn't look safer.
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And I don’t think of GA being safe at all, so…

I’m not saying not to do it…heck, I wouldn’t mind trying it myself. But, you’re fooling yourself calling it safe.
 
Cwspilot said:
Not possible and dangerous. You would not be able to access the upper wing safely. Inadvertent deployment of the chute would be disastrous. General mobility wearing the chute would be much more of a safety issue.
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Are you losing money or something on this outfit being shut down? Why so passionate about defending them?
 
ateamer said:
Are you losing money or something on this outfit being shut down? Why so passionate about defending them?
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Because it’s a shame. Good people. Great operation when I attended the school. Same thing with the dual P-40 I flew. FAA shut them down also. Best experience I have had with an exceptional pilot.
I’m tired of government protecting me from myself. They allowed the guy to operate for 12 flippin years and now it’s “hey, you’re a bad pilot”? BS
 
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