Etiquette

[Tom Martin]

I have had a Dad put his kid on my wing. I have had a kid run up behind my wing, engine running and Mom and Dad smiling while I get ready to taxi! I have had student pilots, on two occasions, Moncton NB, open my canopy get into my airplane and mess with the controls after hours when I was tied down!
However, if there are kids around, I ask the parent if I can lift their child into my seat and I show them what the stick does. I tell them to be very careful, and they are. These kids are the future of aviation even if they never fly a plane. They will be the public, the lawmakers, the noise complainers etc. They will remember the pilot who shouted at them for touching an airplane.
People are fascinated by airplanes, I was. If you do not want people to touch your plane you should probably leave it in the hangar.

[maniago]

Originally Posted by madhun

Good afternoon Sir.

It took every ounce of restraint not to unleash on this pleasant old fellow who felt the need to repeatedly stroke the paint on my rudder at a recent air Show!

Q! You old dog! Shhhhhh. Dont tell the other guys we hang out with the enemy lol!

[Plummit]

Last week I stopped for fuel at Big Bear and another plane taxies right up behind me in line. I'm thinking that now I'll have to pull my plane out by hand so I don't prop-blast this idiot and I've got a bad knee.

The guy gets out and walks up to me and asks if my plane is an RV-10. I confirmed that it is and then he informs me that he makes a fuel-quantity tester for my plane and wants to know if he can show it to me. After I agree, he pulls out this rather large glass tube with markings on it and sticks it in the fuel tank that I just filled and hadn't capped yet!

Nobody to blame but myself, but I sure learned a lesson!

-Marc

[judoka5051]

Whenever someone wants to help me move my plane in or out of the hangar; I ask them to watch a wingtip to make sure I don't hit anything. Gives them something constructive to do,,, without touching anything.

[6 Gun]

In the real world most of us do far more damage to our planes than a kid could ever do.
1.Bad hard Landings
2.Slip of the screw driver
3.Flying in rain and knocking paint off
4.Hangar rash
5.Fuel nozzle
6.Bird strike
7.Taking cowl off
8.Ect....,

Lighten up share the joy if someone get to help you push your airplane in the hangar I'm sure it makes them feel proud and it might be the only time they ever get to help with an airplane.But if you don't no worry you will still be a jerk.
Bob

[DNeufeld]

Originally Posted by 6 Gun

In the real world most of us do far more damage to our planes than a kid could ever do.
1.Bad hard Landings
2.Slip of the screw driver
3.Flying in rain and knocking paint off
4.Hangar rash
5.Fuel nozzle
6.Bird strike
7.Taking cowl off
8.Ect....,

Lighten up share the joy if someone get to help you push your airplane in the hangar I'm sure it makes them feel proud and it might be the only time they ever get to help with an airplane.But if you don't no worry you will still be a jerk.
Bob

If this is how you treat yours, you're not allowed to touch this jerks plane! And get off my lawn!

[airguy]

Originally Posted by 6 Gun

In the real world most of us do far more damage to our planes than a kid could ever do.
1.Bad hard Landings
2.Slip of the screw driver
3.Flying in rain and knocking paint off
4.Hangar rash
5.Fuel nozzle
6.Bird strike
7.Taking cowl off
8.Ect....,

Lighten up share the joy if someone get to help you push your airplane in the hangar I'm sure it makes them feel proud and it might be the only time they ever get to help with an airplane.But if you don't no worry you will still be a jerk.
Bob

That may be - but it's mine to tear up, not someone elses.

[Canadian_JOY]

Many valid points here indeed. I'd like to share another one, a very recent experience.

Several weeks ago our EAA chapter held it's annual Fly In Breakfast. I had our Glasair Sportsman project all spiffed up, with all the avionics running and the doors wide open, sitting in our carefully roped-off hangar. The hangar doors were open and inviting. I spent the entire morning there talking to people. By the time I got done I think I had counted 20 kids that I had hoisted into the pilot's seat. Three of these showed particular interest.

Fast forward to this past Tuesday. I was able to take two of these kids up for flights as Young Eagles (in our flying airplane). The mom was insistent on paying for gas but I refused and later sent her a photo I had taken in flight. The photo showed her daughter flying the airplane all by herself, with the biggest smile on her face. She could hardly believe that she was flying the airplane. She did so with astounding smoothness, and followed up with a stream of thanks on the ground, as did her older brother following his flight.

Cost of that Young Eagles flight? 1 Big Smile. Paid in full!

Yes, we like to pamper our airplanes. In the grand scheme of things, if we're lucky one of those very inquisitive kids that leaves nose prints on the canopy will one day come to cherish the exhilaration and beauty of flight. I'll keep cleaning off the nose prints in hopes my airplane will be the one that lights a spark in the next generation.

[jeffsvan]

Once I had driven up to my hangar. Another car pulled up behind me.
I got out and walked up to my hangar door. I unlocked it and walked into the dark hangar (my light switch is on the left wall). A man (stranger to me) walked in behind me so close he was practically stepping on the backs of my shoes. He scared the living **** out of me. Never introduced himself. He was looking for our field mechanic and was told he was in my hangar.

Earlier the mechanic was in my hangar, but was long gone.

No introduction, no sorry for the intrusion, nothing. walked away miffed the mechanic was not inside. These are individual County hangars and I pay the rent and electric bill.

I thought that was crossing some boundaries.


We have another guy on our field, been a hangar renter for years. He keeps an aircraft and classic cars in his hangar. He obviously keeps nothing else because he borrows everything he needs from everyone. Wrenches, rags, sharpie markers, quart of oil, screwdrivers, creeper, wax, etc. you get the picture... Most of the time you never get the item back. If you try to make an excuse he gets miffed you aren't willing to rifle through your things to give him what he needs. Keep in mind I'm just a blue collar working man. I recently found out this man is a high paid attorney in a very high end part of town. He can obviously afford to buy his own.

[Michael Burbidge]

Originally Posted by 6 Gun

In the real world most of us do far more damage to our planes than a kid could ever do.
1.Bad hard Landings
2.Slip of the screw driver
3.Flying in rain and knocking paint off
4.Hangar rash
5.Fuel nozzle
6.Bird strike
7.Taking cowl off
8.Ect....,

Lighten up share the joy if someone get to help you push your airplane in the hangar I'm sure it makes them feel proud and it might be the only time they ever get to help with an airplane.But if you don't no worry you will still be a jerk.
Bob

I certainly don't condone disrespecting others property, but I have to agree with Bob.

The contrast between this thread and the pictures of Vlad's visit to the grass strip in BC are interesting to me. People are climbing all over Vlad's airplane like ants. Several appear to be leaning against the wing in the group picture.

Draw you own conclusions.

Michael-