Cub pucker factor

[steingar]

OK, so you live in your world, others live in theirs. Lotta judgment on the personal decisions of others from someone who I'm sure has little if any J-3 experience, float experience, and off-airport experience. What do you care if there's a chance he scrapes a wingtip on the branches? It's his ****.

True, but this is a chat board on which I gave my opinion. Sorry you don't agree.

I'm sure a working bush pilot would laugh at your "perilous" description of this landing. I'd guess you have a similar viewpoint on professional bush flying, and aerobatic airshow flying...both totally outside your realm of experience and comfort.

Whoa there cowboy. Here we come to the "gain" part of the equation. Bush and aerobatic pilots (and agricultural pilots) have a dangerous job, but its a job, and it has to be done. The gain is livelihood. You wouldn't hear me denigrate their choices in the least.

I see it all the time in aerobatics....non-experienced folks castigating experienced folks for flying in a certain way. Everyone can judge their own skill and comfort level. If yours is limited to windless, CAVU days and 6,000' paved runways, then that's great. Others' are different.

I can't disagree. I think very differently of those who perform serious aerobatics in a controlled environment with appropriate safety gear than those who do loops at low altitude to impress their girlfriends.

 

[Ted]

Oh for Pete's sake, you know I don't know the first thing about it, spoke from ignorance, and recanted.

I know that, but you should make it more evident that you realize you don't know that, too.

 

[Ken Ibold]

I know that, but you should make it more evident that you realize you don't know that, too.

Oh let's not go arguing over who killed who. This is supposed to be a happy occasion!!

 

[Ted]

Oh let's not go arguing over who killed who. This is supposed to be a happy occasion!!

Don't you know how these things go?

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to celebrate the argument over who's right and who's not, and eventually have it decay into a discussion about ******."

 

[Capt. Geoffrey Thorpe]

Looked to me that all he had to do was keep it to the left of the centerline of the ditch and he was good to go.

Wouldn't want to do it in a big cross wind, but on a reasonably calm day it doesn't look all that hard ('cept for the water part - I've never done that). How much runway width does one typically use?

 

[EdFred]

Looked to me that all he had to do was keep it to the left of the centerline of the ditch and he was good to go.

Wouldn't want to do it in a big cross wind, but on a reasonably calm day it doesn't look all that hard ('cept for the water part - I've never done that). How much runway width does one typically use?

As wide as the floats are.

Of course I was always landing on bigger lakes and never had a crosswind.

 

[Jim_R]

I seriously doubt the landing in question was not at the performance envelope of the aircraft, since the bushes were right off the wingtips. Someone mentioned that it was a parts run. I don't push the envelope of myself or my aircraft for parts. They can be moved. What did the pilots have to gain? A hundred dollars to move their parts? I think it is utterly foolish to risk a $50K airplane and your life for a hundred dollars.

Nobody mentioned it was a parts run.

It's the pilot's home turf (or pond). The pilot said he flies it to his property so he can swap the floats for wheels "at the end of the season".

The plane's been in the family since 1954. You don't know and I don't know how long that dude's been flying that plane into that puddle. He could have been doing it for 40 years. Maybe those bushes weren't even there when he learned how to master that approach.

If the dude knows his plane and his property, and can control the plane, and doesn't do stupid things like try to fly in when it's gusty...who are we to second-guess his ability to do that safely based on a 60 second, 3-inch-square video?

Next, let's hear criticism of Bob Hoover for taking unnecessary risk, for no better reason than to show a crowd of gawkers that you can dead-stick a twin onto the runway on one wheel with the wingtip inches off the ground, then hop over to the other wheel and do the same thing.

Not everyone who squeezes out the last bit of performance is a daredevil. Some just know their equipment and their skills very, very well.

 

[Richard]

Jeez, you guys would **** up a wet dream. I wonder if the ditch was down in Louisiana...where they do that every day.

Expanding a bit on what Adam said, I may not have the requisite skill but I am up to the challenge. That is some fun kind of flying.

 

[Tom-D]

It's called proficiency, if you aren't, you could screw the landing up in lake Michigan.

 

[flyingcheesehead]

There seems to be a very risk-averse attitude on this (and other) forums - often harshly questioning the choices one might make.

I'd agree. There's a big propensity to make statements of "Oh, I would have [whatever]." I call bull****.

Yup. It's the "message board effect." If only we were all as good as our message board personae are, we'd all be super-duper-awesome pilots.

I "knew" this to some extent, but it wasn't until someone on here said that they NEVER did a particular thing which could be risky, when I had watched them do that exact thing with my own eyes, that I realized how strong the effect is.

Don't you know how these things go?

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to celebrate the argument over who's right and who's not, and eventually have it decay into a discussion about ******."

Hahaaaa! Ted, FTW!

 

[TwoTwoLeft]

I thought it was pretty darn cool. Looks like he had everything under control to me

God forbid someone should have fun in an airplane.

 

[Tristar]

Funny the first thing I thought of was, "gee, I hope he doesn't poke a hole in his fabric with those branches."

 

[jpflys]

Landing is cool, I would be more concerned with standing on float behind prop if I hit obstruction in water.

 

[Arbiter419]

Landing is cool, I would be more concerned with standing on float behind prop if I hit obstruction in water.

Yeah, that was my only real problem with the video. Not even a problem really, just bothered me a little. I don't like being that close to moving props.