Are pilots really this stupid?

[Wolfala]

Some times, things happen that you just can't make up. This was one of those days. About a week ago, a Duchess had a prop-strike on its left engine, so it was noted as being down for maintenance. As I was taxiing with a student, I see someone in the Duchess getting ready to go from the run up area to takeoff.

I thought to myself, wait...isn't that the same Duchess that had the strike? So a quick check of the scheduler through the iPhone and sure enough, it was. He got clearance to takeoff - I got on tower frq and got his clearance canceled when mentioning the prop-strike to tower and ordered the guy over to the maintenance shed.

Who could possibly be stupid enough to try and fly a plane with a few inches shaved off the tips - a student maybe? Nope, the A&P owner who worked for United. That was just disgraceful - and the mother****er tried to lecture me about not getting on a federal frequency and getting him nailed - well ****, there was no ferry permit; and what if it were a student that was too stupid to pre-flight and augured in at 500 feet? If anything, I was saving his life. He tried pulling the being a pilot for 35 years bull****, but I don't know anyone worth their salt as an A&P or pilot who would fly with a bent prop to wherever - especially without a ferry permit and think its ok. I can't even begin to figure out how many regs that guy busted on the mechanics side or the pilots. Just think the whole thing was disgraceful. The fact he worked for United didn't inspire much faith either.

Fast forward to 2pm, a V-tail Bo can't get his gear extended and tower is working him. He's talking, and an instructor steps right on him for about 30 seconds. This Emmy award winner was at the run-up area, and tower - much to my amazement told the guy (i'm working an emergency - I am not working you anymore since you don't know when to shut up - go back to the ramp, you are not leaving the ground.) And the instructor had the balls to argue with her when the guy above is debating whether or not to goto Moffett and get foam laid down to belly it in.

I mean, there is selfish, and then there is a level of idiocy that makes you want to take a baseball bat to the guys knees.

Rant off.

[EskimoJoe]

Originally posted by Wolfala

I mean, there is selfish, and then there is a level of idiocy that makes you want to take a baseball bat to the guys knees.

Rant off.

I'm 14, and I myself think I have more common sense then a few of them

[DiabloTX]

Note to self...never ever EVER fly on United.

[SD67]

Darwin works in mysterious ways...
BUT [RANT]
It's clueless dweebs like this that cause the accidents that are giving GA a bad rep. We've got to fight tooth and nail to gain credibility in the publics' eyes these day thanks to the political hype since 9/11.
The media and the political point scorers jump all over even the minor incidents as examples of how dangerous light aircraft are to the public and seize these opportunities to sell up valuable airfields to developers. Make no mistake, greedy councils regard our airfields with jealous eyes. All they can see is land development cash, they cannot see the lost infrastructure, the lost emergency capability, the lost training and many other potential benefits associated with having a working airfield in the community.[/RANT]
Sorry about that, we've has a spate of land grabs by local councils over here....

[Golfer]

[devilsadvocate]
How'd you know the aircraft wasn't repaired or there wasn't any ferry paperwork before you got on your iPhone and saved the day?  Did you preflight it before him or talk with MX about the specific airplane?

If it was a student pilot (who I'd presume would have a rated instructor if in a light twin) inquiring as to whether or not they were aware of the propeller condition would have been enough for them to taxi sheepishly back to the ramp and learn a very valuable lesson.  

I'm not sure if you over sensationalized "getting his clearance cancelled and ordering him to the MX hangar" or not but the methods you describe aren't quite up there with being professional.  

That said when I'm taxiing around one day with a hatch open or my keys dangling from the lock I hope someone does speak up.  I'd also like to think they'd have the good taste to be a little more tactful. [/devilsadvocate]

No comments regarding part B of your post.

[Estel]

[Wolf's advocate]

But anyway he was right. Better to down a/c wich is fully ok even to collect it's wreckages in the area.

[/Wolf's advocate]

[BBBB]

Originally posted by Golfer
[devilsadvocate]
How'd you know the aircraft wasn't repaired or there wasn't any ferry paperwork before you got on your iPhone and saved the day?  Did you preflight it before him or talk with MX about the specific airplane?

If it was a student pilot (who I'd presume would have a rated instructor if in a light twin) inquiring as to whether or not they were aware of the propeller condition would have been enough for them to taxi sheepishly back to the ramp and learn a very valuable lesson.  

I'm not sure if you over sensationalized "getting his clearance cancelled and ordering him to the MX hangar" or not but the methods you describe aren't quite up there with being professional.  

That said when I'm taxiing around one day with a hatch open or my keys dangling from the lock I hope someone does speak up.  I'd also like to think they'd have the good taste to be a little more tactful. [/devilsadvocate]

No comments regarding part B of your post.

 I agree fully. I think in some ways you over stepped your boundaries Wolf. You could have ended up looking like a real jerk if it had panned out like Golfer described. I would advise to save the Iphone heroics for finding last minute reservations and movie times.

[cpxxx]

Better to look like a jerk and apologise later than to go and view the charred corpses of the pilot and whoever he killed on the ground and wonder if you could have stopped him.

Over the years I've known pilots who were walking dead men and everyone knew it. One took three other people with him when he tried one scud run too many and hit a hill.   Another flew a Mooney and never seemed to able to keep it on the runway when landing. Yet another, ignored his pilot friends who literally begged him to stay on the ground. He died too.

Most of the time no one did anything to stop them. They just watched and waited for the inevitable.

[cav58d]

It sucks that this even needs to be said, but who knows how spiteful this guy is and if he will try and seek revenge.  If I were you, I would be extra thorough on my next couple preflights...

[REP0MAN]

Uh-o.

Being the MAC addict that I am; I forsee this thread becoming the fault of the iPhone and would calmly ask that all of you refrain from blaming the far superior iPhone for any wrong-doing in this matter. No matter how stupid a pilot, or this poster, may or may not be; that is of no fault of the glorious piece of Apple genius we call the iPhone.

 

[Captain Virgil Hilts]

Yes, by all means, let the gomer kill himself next time, and use the phone to call the rescue squad, the FAA, and the NTSB.


Arrogance, the number one cause of plane crashes.

[Bodhi]

Thats a tough one Wolf.  If I was the guy and had replaced the prop, I'd be pretty damn pissed you did it over the freq's. 

My other side though says good for you for getting him grounded.  No idiot flies an aircraft with ANYTYPE of prop strike.  It is just too damn dangerous.  The counter argument of "Just let him die" is not valid either.  That idiot does not decide when / where the prop /engine comes apart and kills him allowing the aircraft to come to rest wherever it happens to fall, perhaps on someone's home or business. 

All in all, you did the right thing even though it was not the most tactful.

[Fishu]

If the prop had been fixed it still wouldn't been a reason to rave at the guy who got the t/o clearance canceled. That means there's someone who cares about your life and the others, something to be grateful about. It's not nice, but better than everyone ignoring a possible case of recklessness.

[Wolfala]

 I agree fully. I think in some ways you over stepped your boundaries Wolf. You could have ended up looking like a real jerk if it had panned out like Golfer described. I would advise to save the Iphone heroics for finding last minute reservations and movie times.

Just figure out this new UI we got for the BBS. First a couple of things. The guy didnot have a ferry permit. That's not reallybthe worst of it. If you pulled the cowl on this engine you would run away with a quickness. There is nothing in the regs that say you can ferry a plane with a bent prop. He'll the prop shop wouldn't sign it off. Second, he couldn't produce a permit when I asked. Third, if you looked at his logbooks, they look like they were done in crayon. I.e entries like "annual done"...that's it. The plane disappeared from the field. What probslly will happen is he took it to a hanger, cutbyhe blade down from 76 inches to 74 and pocketed the insurance tear down money. So...bunch of
mechs are livid about falsification of records the guy is doing, which we xan certainly nail him on, nevermind that he's having students flying on a compromised engine.

no, I am not overstepping my bounds.

[Dnil]

thats all the logs say, "annual done".  yikes, the fsdo here would have a field day on that.