Dear Concerned Pilots;
My name is B....
(The designer of our website and mother of four, ages 3 to 16.)
Regarding:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o8Vf79tCDT0
Although our website, , is still on the Internet, I
have been unable to update it since its last update, so the aircraft stats
and phone numbers are incorrect. N46474 and N9112C are still insured for
commercial [aerial tours, rental, and instruction] use; but N8187V, N79079
and N5771M are no longer available for rental and instruction. We have
been weathering the current economic conditions. N8187V, N79079 and
N5711M are only being used by friends and family. And K....., the
pilot of 79079 in the video, has 600+ hours of MEL experience. This was his first soft field
landing and take-off. I have attempted pilot training, and I can land a 172, but children and business
distraction have kept me from being focused on the goal of being a
certificated pilot. I was in the plane during the filming of this video.
In the following comosition, I have interjected my own comments into the
supportive quotes from the pilot community in brackets [] .
-The author of the video, N8837M
scnewsps@bresnan.net Scott Newpower writes:
"A friend of ours has about 20 acres a little southwest of Billings and
they have a 1200 foot strip on their property. They have a fly in every
Labor Day weekend [my friend, too]. Here's some video of me taken by
somebody that was there that day. There was very little wind and when I
landed it was 94 degrees. A little storm moved thru while we were there [a
cloth-wing plane nearly took off and was tipped on its wing tip - no real
damage - by the tire/tie-down] and the takeoff temp was probably 80-85.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yn1dD_A1ojE&feature=channel [Yep, I
sincerely agree, Mr. Newpower; you did a nice job.]
"At the same fly in was this guy. This is a 172 with the standard 150 HP
[actually, a beautiful, 1-year-old, just 100+hour 160HP from Western
Skyways]. The camera guy didn't get the camera started in time but he took
off with two people [pilot and passenger 380 lbs] and full or nearly full
flaps [short/soft field take-off]. At the end of the runway is a county
road. He had to haul back on the stick to clear the road. Almost exactly
1/2 mile from the departure end is a set of power lines, that is what he's
turning for. He never got high enough to clear the power lines until well
after he completed his 270 degree turn. Notice that when he goes behind
the trees it sounds like the engine gets cut, we thought he decided to
crash land in the field, that's why you see the guy running in the clip.
"Yep, I'm in the video [me, too, inside the plane.]. The camera pans
across me a couple times, I'm standing with the guy that owns the white
Cub in the videos, we work at the tower together. That flight was about 15
minutes before I took off. I am familiar with the airplane as it is
locally based, although I don't know the owner. There were a few people at
the fly in that knew him and the video will get back to him. [The “wife”
speaking in the video is not the pilot’s spouse-I was in the plane, but
the voice in the video is suspected to belong to the wife of a recently
certificated pilot who learned in 79079 before its new engine and joined
Kris on a day-trip a few months ago.] We're a relatively small pilot
community here so word of mouth travels fast. I won't be calling FSDO. We
in ATC, especially those of us that are pilots, don't want to be lumped in
with the long arm of the FAA law. We have a reputation as being the good
guys of the FAA in our local area and we want to keep it that way.
quote from -N8837M
scnewsps@bresnan.net Scott Newpower
>From
www.pilotsofamerica.com
Henning (also in aopa.forum) of Australia says:
"It's actually very typical flying for cattle mustering. That too is done
down on the deck, flaps deployed and near minimum controllable airspeed. I
didn't see anything done in that video that isn't done by working pilots
on a routine basis around the world. Since you have no clue as to the
pilot’s background, perhaps all this commentary is a bit over the top. I
didn't see anything done that I haven't spent entire days doing including
flying under the wires."
Kent Shook WI
"Well, I hope you're right and he was just demonstrating his slow-flight
skills, but he alarmed at least a few people [By the way, beer was
available for easily excited, non-pilot guests] on the ground at the
airport [note from Scott: “A friend of ours has about 20 acres a little
southwest of Billings and they have a 1200 foot strip on their property.”]
(whom he buzzed). If he truly were in complete control of the plane during
the flight, then I gotta give him credit...slow flight with steep turns at
extremely low altitude takes nerve and skill far beyond what most pilots
possess." [He is skilled, as a pilot, and an EMT, and a
carpenter/handyman, guardsman/veteran. No one can question that. But he
sometimes thinks he’s Superman… Well, sometimes he is.]
>From Aopa.forum
Wabower in AOPA.forum
"If this is the scariest, is it fair to assume you haven't flown with many
primary students?"
SGS 1-26 of AOPA.forum
'Eh... whatever. With freedom comes the freedom to be stupid. That is true
freedom right there. And you putzes want to rat him out. tsk tsk tsk."
1kpfan of AOPA.forum
'it is such a fine line... maybe he is actually that good at slow flight.
But of course that can't be it, he must be
stupid."
Wally Roberts, who likes to spar with the FAA, says:
"He looked like "good stick" to me. If he was violating a traffic pattern
(which we really don't know) then he had bad manners.
This is part of the freedom AOPA has insisted upon at uncontrolled
airports when the weather is good, and I agree with that principle
totally."
Sportster of AOPA.FORUM
"They were having a flour bombing contest, he has some flour on his gear.
[The unfilmed 5 minutes was a second attempt to "deploy” the second flour
bomb, which had hung intact on the wheel, and was noticed on the return to
our home airport.] He was having a great time [He enjoyed the challenge,
but I did not, because this is outside of my experience and comfort zone.]
and the crowd probably enjoyed it. Sounded like a couple of nervous
Nellies making the commentary. Didn't understand all the comments about
flaps, that’s what you use in slow flight.
"Interesting to see all the judgmental commentary. Wonder some people walk
out the door in the morning."
___________________________________________________________________________
As for taking appropriate action: I have reviewed the video with “the
pilot”, and encouraged him to review it with more experienced pilots whose
opinions he respects. He has already started that process.
I also expressed my opinion to him that he should stick to flying his
Cessna 310, since he is good at that, and stop scaring the less
experienced/educated by flying my 172 like a WWII fighter jock.
Should an FAA inspector contact us, Kris will respond with the
appropriate, respectful, red-blooded American pilot, EMT,
carpenter/handyman, guardsman/veteran, attitude – doing what ever is
necessary to “maintain an even strain” and keep his certification in good
standing. [I, on the other hand, am inclined to be more violent. 'might
explain my own lack of a certificate.
