Citation hits a utility pole during an approach...

Key words..."impact with a telephone pole".
If he was competent, he would never have been less than 11' AGL. That's enough information to make a judgment. Maybe he didn't set the altimeter, that's still incompetent. The only good thing is that his six passengers didn't die from terminal dumbass.
 
Ah, yes.

David Riggs’ L39 at the start of that video, eh?

Brings in a whole ‘nuther conversation about pilot skills and low level flying.

https://fearoflanding.com/accidents/the-incredible-story-of-david-riggs/
jet.jpg
 
Is there a difference? I always thought the use of “bold” in the old saying was just a polite stupid.

But yes. That’s pretty much what I was trying to say.
It was mostly done in humor but since you want serious...ya, I think there is a difference. A bold pilot definition might include some of the folks who take pioneering steps. Sometimes other methods existed which would have gotten to the same or similar points but required much more time and resources. The bold ones stepped up and took the ‘practical’ test for the engineers.

So while ‘bold’ might have been a euphemism for stupid I think it’s inappropriate. Call’em like ya see’em.
 
Ah, yes.

David Riggs’ L39 at the start of that video, eh?

Brings in a whole ‘nuther conversation about pilot skills and low level flying.

https://fearoflanding.com/accidents/the-incredible-story-of-david-riggs/
jet.jpg
Loved the video of the low-passes over the pier with the 911 phone call audio. LOL
And the tard monkeys who told their children "run for the car, flail your arms and scream your lungs off, we need to cause panic". I wonder what country they claimed the "invading bombers" were from. I think the current popular choice is North Korea (I've had numerous morons suggest that lately in their fear-mongering :) ).
Though in no way am I trying to condone Mr. Riggs' low-level flying. Just laughing at the dumbazzess' reactions. :)
Imagine if we told them "no worries, it's just another experienced pilot ... though his license has been suspended numerous times". :D
 
The worst part about all this is is that the pilot is still employed by the same company, flying their new Citation and flies in the exact same show-boat manner he did prior to this accident.
 
Showing this to my wife, "Don't you just look at your altitude, say, that's far off, then ... go up?"

I think the Citation was able to go faster due to the golf ball effect from all those dents and dimples!
 
The worst part about all this is is that the pilot is still employed by the same company, flying their new Citation and flies in the exact same show-boat manner he did prior to this accident.

Link?

Maybe he still has copies of the photos of the Aruba trip the owner and his mistress went on in the previous jet. LOL.

Kidding. Well, kinda. Who the hell knows in privately owned bizjets why people get and stay hired who fly poorly enough to wreck airplanes and almost kill several people. It’s a mystery.

If anyone is reading and wants a pilot who doesn’t care in the slightest who’s in the back with you on the Aruba trip, and won’t hit electrical poles during Instrument approaches and break your jet, I’m game. Give me a call.

Hahahaha. :) :) :)
 
Link?

Maybe he still has copies of the photos of the Aruba trip the owner and his mistress went on in the previous jet. LOL.

Kidding. Well, kinda. Who the hell knows in privately owned bizjets why people get and stay hired who fly poorly enough to wreck airplanes and almost kill several people. It’s a mystery.

If anyone is reading and wants a pilot who doesn’t care in the slightest who’s in the back with you on the Aruba trip, and won’t hit electrical poles during Instrument approaches and break your jet, I’m game. Give me a call.

Hahahaha. :) :) :)
Prove that you’ve never hit a pole on an approach. I betcha covered it up.
 
Prove that you’ve never hit a pole on an approach. I betcha covered it up.

Hahaha. True. I can’t prove it.

Trust me. Hahahaha.

Hmmm. Don’t believe me?

See? This is why I can’t have a career in politics. Dang it. :)
 
Link?

Maybe he still has copies of the photos of the Aruba trip the owner and his mistress went on in the previous jet. LOL.

Kidding. Well, kinda. Who the hell knows in privately owned bizjets why people get and stay hired who fly poorly enough to wreck airplanes and almost kill several people. It’s a mystery.

If anyone is reading and wants a pilot who doesn’t care in the slightest who’s in the back with you on the Aruba trip, and won’t hit electrical poles during Instrument approaches and break your jet, I’m game. Give me a call.

Hahahaha. :) :) :)


I know his boss. I've heard the story first hand from his boss and him. I often share the traffic pattern with him and his fighterjet Citation. He alleges he didn't do anything wrong and "The FAA is gonna find me guilty no matter what". That was before he got his punishment (6 month suspension). The feds were called on his behavior before and none were terribly surprised when the inevitable happened. I could tell a hundred stories about the guy and his flying and what I've seen.
 
I know his boss. I've heard the story first hand from his boss and him. I often share the traffic pattern with him and his fighterjet Citation. He alleges he didn't do anything wrong and "The FAA is gonna find me guilty no matter what". That was before he got his punishment (6 month suspension). The feds were called on his behavior before and none were terribly surprised when the inevitable happened. I could tell a hundred stories about the guy and his flying and what I've seen.

Sad. But I believe you. There’s all kinds out there.

One of these days I’ll tell a story about a really really strange duck I met once who came to an impromptu lunch at the airport... a friend who’s kid was looking for flying jobs had met him, he flew for a local freight operator, and after we all had a nice lunch and I heard his stories, I pulled the kid aside and told him to stay the hell away from the dude and any jobs he might be pushing.

Kid still hasn’t found a flying job (well he did and the pan he quit, but that’s a whole different story), and I feel a little guilty about that, and shouldn’t, but do.

I’d like to think I had a small role in saving the kid either being dead, or being a statistic and having a black mark on his pro pilot record, though.

The dude that came to lunch was downright crazy. He did seem to get himself around in some terrible equipment just fine every night hauling the freight, but he’d never make it in a two-pilot cockpit. Don’t know how else to describe him.

Some Aviation jobs just match the weirdos, and that’s fine if they can’t kill anybody but themselves. I worry about the guys like this one who have jobs where they can kill a bunch of passengers.

Maybe I’m just getting old, but the more I learn about Aviation instruction and testing, the less I want to be in the back seat of any airplane I don’t know the pilot personally. Heh. Maybe that’s not an uncommon feeling, but I know I feel it now more than ever. :)
 
Maybe I’m just getting old, but the more I learn about Aviation instruction and testing, the less I want to be in the back seat of any airplane I don’t know the pilot personally. Heh. Maybe that’s not an uncommon feeling, but I know I feel it now more than ever. :)
Maybe it is getting old. I don't know, I've felt that way for at least 15 years. It's part of why I don't fly commercial unless I absolutely have to. (And yes, I realize that's an irrational attitude to have.)
 
Maybe it is getting old. I don't know, I've felt that way for at least 15 years. It's part of why I don't fly commercial unless I absolutely have to. (And yes, I realize that's an irrational attitude to have.)
I don't mind flying with the big boys, or even US regionals. But you get overseas or to small 135 operators, no thanks. I have a good friend with more money than he could ever spend, I told him when you charter (which he does often), always take the most expensive option.
 
I don't mind flying with the big boys, or even US regionals. But you get overseas or to small 135 operators, no thanks. I have a good friend with more money than he could ever spend, I told him when you charter (which he does often), always take the most expensive option.
The "most expensive option" landed a Falcon in the grass next to the runway at Aspen not too long ago. :eek:
 
I don't mind flying with the big boys, or even US regionals. But you get overseas or to small 135 operators, no thanks. I have a good friend with more money than he could ever spend, I told him when you charter (which he does often), always take the most expensive option.
Intellectually, I agree. As I said, it's an irrational attitude. The safety record of part 121 operators in the US is exemplary. On a gut level, every time I get onto a commercial flight I'm acutely aware of the fact that I don't know the pilot and have no reason to trust his judgment other than his credentials.

There's also the fact that it inevitably means being subjected to TSA's invasive "screening" procedures, which usually involve my luggage being roughly opened, emptied, and the interior contents randomly repacked. If I have to, I'll do it, but otherwise, no thanks.
 
Maybe it is getting old. I don't know, I've felt that way for at least 15 years. It's part of why I don't fly commercial unless I absolutely have to. (And yes, I realize that's an irrational attitude to have.)

I don't mind the US majors that generally have a good, standardized training and qualification program. Most regionals are fine, though there are some pilots that make me look a bit askance. Fortunately, the majors drive most of the requirements in the regionals.

Internationally, and third-world are entirely different matters.

Corporate aviation is pretty good with the big frax outfits and dedicated (corporate owned) aircraft. Some of the 135 operations, however.....

Intellectually, I agree. As I said, it's an irrational attitude. The safety record of part 121 operators in the US is exemplary. On a gut level, every time I get onto a commercial flight I'm acutely aware of the fact that I don't know the pilot and have no reason to trust his judgment other than his credentials.

There's also the fact that it inevitably means being subjected to TSA's invasive "screening" procedures, which usually involve my luggage being roughly opened, emptied, and the interior contents randomly repacked. If I have to, I'll do it, but otherwise, no thanks.

The last point is a key reason that I dislike flying on the major carriers, along with the personal groping and abuse of the passengers by the TSA (including one that informed me that I had no rights, not even First Amendment rights, at the airport and especially at the TSA screening). Some of them don't even know their own rules or are on power trips. PreCheck helps with that a LOT.

You add in the airline's anti-customer attitudes and shrinking seat pitch (and race to the bottom) and it's outright unpleasant.

Unfortunately, if you want to travel to far-away places the airlines are the only reasonable option. Along the NE Corridor, Amtrak rocks!
 
PreCheck helps with that a LOT.

You add in the airline's anti-customer attitudes and shrinking seat pitch (and race to the bottom) and it's outright unpleasant.

Unfortunately, if you want to travel to far-away places the airlines are the only reasonable option. Along the NE Corridor, Amtrak rocks!

I don't know about Amtrak (not much of an option on the PNW), but I agree completely about the 121 carriers. Self loading cargo on a pressurized aluminum mailing tube. Given that I'm writing this from Milan, you know that I go places where riding (it isn't "flying") the airlines is the only realistic option. Did I mention how much I dislike the direction the airlines are going?
 
New to the forum and just saw and read this entire post.

My question is how can you hit something even in a jet at approach speeds at 10 feet off the ground, feel that impact and react fast enough to pull up before hitting the ground. Even the impact of the pole had to be violent to the aircraft as evident in the photos. I would have thought that impact would have been enough to cause the loss of altitude of 10 feet.

I am not gonna bash the pilot or any pilot because I do not know them or the situation they were in. But I would have to say that is one lucky pilot to not have killed anyone.
 
New to the forum and just saw and read this entire post.

My question is how can you hit something even in a jet at approach speeds at 10 feet off the ground, feel that impact and react fast enough to pull up before hitting the ground. Even the impact of the pole had to be violent to the aircraft as evident in the photos. I would have thought that impact would have been enough to cause the loss of altitude of 10 feet.

I am not gonna bash the pilot or any pilot because I do not know them or the situation they were in. But I would have to say that is one lucky pilot to not have killed anyone.
Well...he sure killed the pole...:)
 

Rolling a cabin class twin with pax while pouring tea backhanded?

Cabin class twin jet actually. He first supposedly did it in the military transport version of the Sabreliner. The Commander came later.
 
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