Aviation Courtesy / Dumb Stunts

[jrs14855]

Nah, the rattlesnakes take care of them.

[DaleB]

I do both...

When I put the plane away I do a post-flight inspection, because I would really HATE to go to the hangar to go flying, and find something broken that's going to take a while to fix... and know it sat there broken while I could have been fixing it. It's also a lot quicker to check the oil in the Rotax while it's nice and hot.

Pre-flight I just have to do an abbreviated inspection. Walk around, double-check hardware, check tires, look for evidence of leaks and make sure no bugs, rodents or birds have taken up residence.

[plehrke]

Very good article and lots of good commentary here in this thread. My opinion is that there will always be the cavalier (please insert your definition on what that means) pilots out there. It is just human nature. These pilot's will tend to migrate to very capable aircraft, like a RVs. I agree with the article's attempt to change behavior but I believe there will be little impact on the few that are just wired to be cavaliers. An alternate approach to the articles shunning bad behavior is educate. Ask the pilot what is his/her contingency for engine out or bird strike at that low altitude. Do it in context of your education with an attempt at making him/her aware of the risk and consequence.

Areas to address the issue that I think may be more impactful is in pilot training and education. Student pilots need to understand better the risks; know that airshow performers have many hours of training and practice. I am a firm believer in everyone should decide for themselves what is risky and what is safe. It is a very personal decision but needs to be an informed decision. In high school my drivers education class showed hours of video of crashes and mangled cars and bodies. I don't recommend this for pilot training but believe risk should be in the syllabus. Maybe it has been added in the 35 years since I took pilot training, but wasn't when I learned to fly. My flying is all about managing risk.

Another area to help with this issue is to get more media coverage of all the excellent, safe, well trained pilots that are out there. Instead of just getting local news to cover accidents and air shows (both that showcase aviation as risky), we need to get more main stream media (and aviation media) to also cover the training that goes on before an airshow. Show the perfessionalism involved with formation flying. Give insight into the pilot briefings and safety measures for air racing. List can go on and on.

I will attempt to influence those I can to be safer but it will not attempt to make their flying decisions for them or require them to accept only my defined level of risk. It comes down to education. Educate them and let all make their own decisions. This also pertains to passengers. We need to educate pilot's that their passengers need be told what their risk level is for a particular flight so they can decide if they wish to take a ride.

[scsmith]

I thought I would add some observations to counter-balance the theme of "those RV pilots" that was expressed in Lauren Paine's article and reflected on in Van's article.

A couple of weeks ago there was a fly-in for RVs at Benton Field in Redding, CA. Its about a 45-minute flight from Ashland, so I just popped on down to say hi and have a burger and see what other RVs might show up. I expected a handful and was surprised to see over 30.

During my descent and arrival monitoring the field unicom, I overheard several RVs arrive, enter the pattern, land and taxi. Then on departure and climb out, I overheard several more. There were also a number of arrivals and departures while I was on the ground.

I have to say how impressed I was with the level of professionalism on the radio, flying courtesy, and airmanship that was demonstrated by ALL the RVs I saw that day. Although it would seem the perfect venue to invite a little bit of showboating, there was none. Not even one high-speed fly-by.

I felt that as a community, all the RVs there were good ambassadors for flying, for home-builts, and for RVs. I'm sure we will be welcomed back next year.

[rv6n6r]

All this debating about what's specifically safe or legal seems kind of silly to me. I think most of us know just plain dumb or discourteous when we see it (or do it). Structured, disciplined formation flight improves flying skills, is enjoyable to watch, and safe when done right. "Bouncing" someone you don't even know in a low and slow is just plain childish. It comes down to common sense and the recognition that what you do has the potential of contributing to an unfavorable stereotype of RVers (or worse).

[randylervold]

Originally Posted by rv6n6r

All this debating about what's specifically safe or legal seems kind of silly to me. I think most of us know just plain dumb or discourteous when we see it (or do it). Structured, disciplined formation flight improves flying skills, is enjoyable to watch, and safe when done right. "Bouncing" someone you don't even know in a low and slow is just plain childish. It comes down to common sense and the recognition that what you do has the potential of contributing to an unfavorable stereotype of RVers (or worse).

Ditto Randall's comments.

Common sense, good judgement, and professional courtesy should be what we all aspire to and the core values of the pilot culture that we are part of. If enough of us demonstrate that consistently it will steer the culture to higher ground. Occasionally there will be those who are oblivious to the cultures values, but we can minimize it by always setting a good example.

[scsmith]

Originally Posted by randylervold

Ditto Randall's comments.

Common sense, good judgement, and professional courtesy should be what we all aspire to and the core values of the pilot culture that we are part of. If enough of us demonstrate that consistently it will steer the culture to higher ground. Occasionally there will be those who are oblivious to the cultures values, but we can minimize it by always setting a good example.

Exactly what I mean by saying we are all ambassadors for RVs and for GA in general.

[edneff]

different folks have different limitations, both for their aircraft and skill set.

if you do something that is on the edge of your, or your airplanes limitations, your risk increases astronomically.

If you train well and become proficient, the "risk" of a given maneuver goes down.

Hard to draw a clear line and say something is safe or unsafe in all circumstances, but it's easy to see that a maneuver that involves an uninformed and potentially unwilling participant can't be considered smart or safe.

[jrs14855]

Generalaviationnews.com has an interesting article about a man identified only as Crop Duster. Humorous story from a different era.

[togaflyer]

Risk vs Reward.

As the pilot in command you are responsible and accountable for the safety of your crew/passengers, your aircraft, and anyone on the ground below you. In high risk operations such as search and rescue, the pilot must evaluate the risks willing to be taken in order to complete the mission. When the risks becomes to great, the mission is scrubbed. No matter the level of experience or the number of hours a pilot has, every pilot needs to consider this. I have seen many innocent passengers who trusted their pilot to make the right decisions become a victim because of poor piloting decisions.