Re: Not the Kind of Press We Need


Subject:    Re: Not the Kind of Press We Need
From:    KingCJ6@aol.com
Date:    Sun Nov 15 - 7:04 PM
Here's the issue, the actions of this idiot may well impact all in the  
experimental community:

"The incident has prompted the Federal Aviation  Administration to take a 
harder look at hundreds of experimental exhibition  aircraft in its Western 
Pacific region: California, Arizona, Nevada and Hawaii.  There are about 
5,600 planes with that designation in the United States,  including aircraft 
like Riggs' 1973 Aero Vodochody L-39 Albatros, one of the  most popular Soviet

bloc trainers during the Cold War."

A note from the President of the T-34 Association on their problems:

"...On December 10, 2004, three days after the third crash, the FAA  
grounded the entire fleet. It took us six months to get them flying, with  
significant flight restrictions. We still have 2/3 of our fleet operating under

those restrictions and they will all be grounded next May 15 if we don't get 
the  next AMOC approved and a calendar extension to the AD. It has been and 
is a five  year nightmare."

While this was a fatigue related issue with the T-34's, the FAA has no  
compelling reason to keep us flying and every reason to look for plausible  
reasons to mitigate any losses we, as a flying community, may  present.  The 
T-34's were at least allowed to taxi their aircraft for  maintenance purposes 
during the grounding.

Dave 


In a message dated 11/15/2009 6:29:10 P.M. Pacific Standard Time,  
eric@buffaloskyline.com writes:

-->  Yak-List message posted by: Eric Wobschall  <eric@buffaloskyline.com>

Frank, I share your distaste for  political over-reaction without  
knowing the big picture.  Predictable, though.

Screaming in, unannounced on the Santa Monica Pier  in an Albatross is  
the height of stupidity and the "government"  could hardly be expected  
to ignored it. We as airshow types might  have been thrilled, but this  
(the pier) was not an actual airshow  location, and It scared the hell  
out of people. It might not be fair  to punish everyone, but what do  
you expect?

The reality is  that the "entire class" that you refer to (meaning us)  
is a niche  group, and the outcry is by the greater community  
(supposedly).  Under those circumstances, you can expect politicians to  
come down  in deference to the majority every time, especially where  
the  behavior was apparently reckless. If we're to be allowed waivers  
and  other things we need, this can't be accepted by us, either. Having   
said this, I would hope that any (government) sanction would be   
directed only towards the offending pilot. Not always realistic,   
unfortunately.

I only know what i read about it here, and in the  articles attached,  
and from the video clip. So, admittedly, I'm  characterizing the  
actions of the L-39 pilot with the caveat that we  may not know all of  
the details. For example, he may have thought he  had permission from  
someone who denied it later after the pubic  reaction. Even if that  
were the case, I think most airshow pilots  have enough imagination to  
realize such a stunt has a high disaster  potential (and I mean that in  
the P.R. sense).

Airshow  performers are special individuals, and that's why people want  
to  watch them. But let's remember that arranging for airshow events,   
practice boxes and all of the other things we love takes countless   
hours of organization, red tape cutting and arse kissing by many   
people. To undo all of that in one stroke is really  bone-headed.

Finally, anyone who's been around this business knows that  the  
military is not set up to train pilots in planes that aren't  currently  
in the fleet. In most cases, civilian pilots are the only  ones answer.  
Try explaining that to the general public during the  political s**t  
storm that follows an unfortunate event like this.  Better to not open  
that can of worms in the first place,  huh?

Incidentally, I love your links page, Frank... Top of my favorites  list.


On Nov 15, 2009, at 7:54 PM, Frank wrote:

> -->  Yak-List message posted by: "Frank" <frank@orionite.com>
>
>  Personally, I'm not too much worried about a publicity stunt gone   
> awry.
>
> I'm worried about our Governments response to  it.
>
> The usual response is to punish the entire class because  one kid  
> chewed bubble gum.
>
> In other words, why  does our gov take the knee jerk reaction of  
> punishing everybody  for the actions of a few?
>
> That's the biggest tragedy of things  like this (which I don't  
> consider a big deal  by-the-way).
>
>  Frank




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