Very nice! Here's something a little different. Aerobatics in a glider, as shown with a wingtip camera. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9mGTNffSEc4
Well, maybe if whiny NIMBYs like the jackmule who started stopthestunts.com would shut up and stop appealing to our overly litigious and mollycoddling system, we could do things like that here. Zoltan Veres is my hero. I hope to one day be able to do 1/10 of what he does with the Extra. IIRC, he holds every certificate possible and is type rated up to a 757. A true airman...the Laird Hamilton of Aviation (for you surfers out there
How to NOT win friends and influence people. http://www.latimes.com/videobeta/watch/?watch=410bd0e4-afa6-4cab-a045-b43903e33c5f&cat=empty&src=front This little stunt resulted in the pilot's ticket getting pulled, plus additional penalties.
I agree its moronic and I don't have a FAR in front of me. I will need to watch again, but appears most of the flight is over water and they pull up to the side and before people. There are a few areas where this could be illegal... 1) Within 1000 ft. of people and not able to make safe landing - were they within 1000 ft. of the people and would the water or beech not be considered a safe landing? 2) Speed limit - no FAR in front of me, but some air spaces 250 kt. or lower speed limit. 3) Aerobatic maneuvers - I now seem to remember a few rolls which would be aerobatic and illegal that low without special approval. The chandelles and pull ups aren't necessarily illegal. Just saying that I think there were several illegal maneuvers and I would like to read the FAA report, but I don't think there is as much illegal about it as the casual observer would think. As an example now and then in the Super D I like to do a low approach and then soft to short field type departure. It is legal as long as I don't exceed around 170 kts. (I need to look up exact number), can execute a safe landing which over the numbers I would still be able to land it, and I don't do any aerobatic maneuver. Some pilots just call it an inspection and wildlife clearing pass.
I dunno...I think they were definitely busting the "not over an open air assembly" rule. Plus, they were absolutely beyond 30 degrees of pitch below 1500'. I'd also say that the speed they were flying at exceeded that which would allow for a safe landing on the beach or water. I agree, though, that it probably looks worse to the "aeronautically uneducated" (like the folks who ran screaming, probably thinking Osama had hijacked a fighter plane and they were about to get strafed) than it really is and probably isn't much more hazardous than an airshow routine. Of course, you know you're going to get busted hard for that, there's just no way around it. Inciting mass hysteria? They'll find something...
I'm sure glad that I did my " fooling around" 63 years ago. I would have been in the stew by now if the FAA was what it is now.
HA! Yeah, I was talking to an older gentleman the other day who was longing for the good ol' days when you could "fly under power lines and buzz your friend's houses" without fear of losing your ticket. Not so sure I'd be into all that, though.