Yeah, you're right, there's definitely nothing in his videos that would make me not want to fly with him.
I'd much rather fly with him than Malibu Flyer.
You said he’s a nice guy. I’m assuming that means you know him. If he’s your friend you should talk to him before he’s your dead friend.
I think most of the comments here are motivated by a strong urge felt by most pilots to make it clear to everyone that didn’t notice that what he’s doing is not ok and extremely dangerous
mistakes reading plates are a big deal. It can kill you very quickly.
He's an acquaintance. He's based at the airport where I have my plane annualed and we have mutual friends. He's exceptionally kind and good to talk to, and values safety. He also knows the aircraft he operates exceptionally and takes criticism to heart. I think the biggest problem is people going on the extremist offensive, especially when it is crying wolf (like with the ILS that people thought was below mins and really wasn't).
Two plates. Easy ones. And it's not as if it were the first time.
See, the problem isn't mistakes. Jerry is hardly the only YouTuber who makes them and leaves them in. The difference between Jerry and most others which I think causes most of the negativity, is that Jerry makes the same ones over and over and rarely if ever owns them.
A good example is the misreading of this approach chart. Constant banter and distraction in a critical phase of flight. Two pilots misread a dirt simple approach plate. Their assessment? The controller "screwed up." So they cancel IFR, and, incorrectly believing they are too high, do a completely unnecessary steep spiral on a perfectly normal approach. (As an aside, note the excellent lesson in the domino effect of a series of mistakes.)
Pointed out in milder comments, Jerry's response is not, "oops yes, we messed that up." It's an insistence that the controller should have read the chart to him (yes, really).
Problem is, it's nothing new. I mentioned my favorite Fullerton SID episode earlier. In one of his dive-bombing ILS into OAK (which he knows like the back of his hand) he gets thrown because he gets vectored to the final approach course instead of direct GROVE!
I actually like Jerry. And yes, there are one ir two cases in which comments have led to positive procedural changes. But, overall, it is the consistency of this kind of behavior and the insistence that his mistakes are not his fault that I think leads to most of the hateful comments.
Changes to known procedures can throw a lot of people. The one time I didn't get "fly heading 120 after OCN" heading home threw me, and I asked a question. The controller even seemed annoyed, which was silly, given that he should have known what I was expecting.
I don't disagree that he's done certain problematic things, but is that on most of his flight?
Really??? It's no big deal because "the airplane would have alerted them"?
Yeah, that's not what I'm saying.
I'm glad you pointed that out. One thing we can all do to reduce risk is adopt an attitude where anytime somebody surprises us in a way like this controller did - no matter how firmly we believe we are right and they are confused - is to use that surprise as a trigger to take a step back, assess the big picture, retrace our steps, and question how we could have made a mistake that could have led to that statement. I've caught myself that way countless times. It can be simple things like a wrong altimeter setting. It can be more severe things like missing a fix in my flight plan or misreading an altitude constraint.
So: Instead of dismissing the surprise with a "he's wrong", ask yourself: "why would he think that?" What you find out might save your life one day.
- Martin
I'm not surprised you're the one saying something reasonable here, because that's how you always are. It's why I always enjoy you perspective.
Why did both of them miss that on the instruction? Was it how they were reading the chart? How the controller was delivering the vector? Their excessive chatter? They had plates on iPads, the 750s and the G600s, so you'd think they'd have spotted it. Both are experience IFR pilots, regardless of our opinions of them. Why would they miss this? Could we miss this?
This last video, uploaded yesterday, he calls left downwind at an untowered field and proceeds to enter right downwind. When called out by a commenter he said that another pilot in the pattern was "clearly a lowtime pilot or student".
The other one I remember was when he almost turned an OEI demonstration into a VMC roll demonstration.
One thing I can't take away from the guy, he's got a bigger bank account than I do. That's a nice flipping airplane.
And for God's sake, how does Steve-O get a 709 ride and this guy doesn't?
I don't think Steve got a 709 ride. I think they
Dude, there is a group of pilots here talking about this guy because WE ALL share the airspace with him... or we are underneath him. I don't care if hes nice, or not... he is putting himself, his pax and people on the ground at risk. This generates discussion on a forum about flying. He is putting himself out there. I am sure there are people who don't like other aviation Vloggers, however if they are flying safely they don't open themselves up to such criticism. As mentioned, if I knew this guy and liked him, I would be letting him know I am concerned. And for the record, I have watched his videos for a while.
Yeah, and pilots like to act like sewing circles, gossiping about who can do what better. You also presume folks don't say something when it needs to be said.
I assume standards are higher for professionals like SteveO.
Tom
Steve is exercising commercial pilot privileges. Jerry is flying Part 91 personal and maybe business flights. There is a difference to the FSDO.
My understanding was that it touched on the 135 side of things (empty leg maybe? I don't remember the details) and that's why the FSDO made a mountain out of that particular molehill. To be fair, FSDO makes mountains out of molehills for a living and I digress....
Does he even do 135 work with the TBM? I thought those were all 91 business flights?
