Old and Bold or Old and Stupid

Tristar

Tristar

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Apr 7, 2005
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Tristar
I just got this email from a long time member of my old EAA group. He's either old and bold or old and stupid....I believe its the last.

"About 3 months ago a 83 year old guy came out to our EAA club interested in Gyro Copters. We had one member with one parked inside hanger. He and the Gyro owner got together and he found one to buy about 2-3 weeks ago. He said he did not need lessons as these things are simple to fly. He was suppose to take a flight lesson a week ago, but don't think he made it. Also, he had zero familiarization with a Gyro. I did not even know he had got it until today. I had just gotten out to the airpark and a few minutes later sirens were blazing and police and ambulance arrived and went to one of the hanger down the line which was the hanger that old guy had found space for his Copter. Apparently, he was running the engine with the doors close, no chocks, standing by the cockpit outside, in front of the pusher prop. Can only assume that after he started the engine, it somehow lurched forward and sheared off his left shoulder and arm. I imagine he died instantly and body stuff was all over the area. The nose of the Gyro was partly through the big hanger door and the big blade hit the door and put a big gash in the door. I guess he had the hanger door only partially open. The plastic pusher blade was quite damaged."

Apparently, some do not grow wiser with age.
 
Yeah, I don't think bold even enters the equation.

As Doc Bruce says...

Sigh.
 
Another lesson here: if you make it past 80 despite not using the sense you were born with, don't assume your luck will last indefinitely.

Awful way to go, but wow, not very smart. And yes, it sure does make us all look bad.
 
Ouch! Well, if he had managed to live through it, chances are he'd be more wise and less bold. Unfortunately he's just less old.
 
I don't know what it is about gyrocopters, but they seem to attract an odd bunch. There's a guy the airport in HXF who is building such a contraption. I hope he'll merely hurt himself rather than kill himself with that thing. Last I saw of him, he was taxi testing it last fall where it was making the most god-awful racket imaginable. turns out instead of buying that "overpriced" teleflex cable to spin up the rotor, he McGuyvered up a contraption that used a weedwhacker engine. Man the thing is as ugly as it sounds! :yikes:
 
Since there are no certificated gyrocopters (or if there are they are truly few and far between) I imagine there is a bit of a selection for those who would build and fly them. While they are touted as being quite safe, I have read about in inordinate number of horrible accidents involving them.
 
Old and stupid. Maybe he just hadn't had the opportunity to be quite that stupid previously?
 
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