"Pumpkin" questions

[Blackwulf]

Since we have a lot of R/L pilots and A&P types on here, I figured this would be the best place to toss out some questions.
I was watching a few minutes of the show they have about flying in Alaska, and the owners were worried about getting an aircraft out for inspection.  The narrator said it would be a "Pumpkin" and be stranded if it did not get inspected in time. The implication was that it would never be flyable again.
This did not make sense to me.  Would the FAA really ground a plane permanently from a missed inspection?  Also, couldn't it be re-certified if inspected at a later date?  Why couldn't they bring in a mechanic to do the inspection if the plane was grounded, or are inspections only carried out at specially licensed sights? Couldn't they get a temporary flight permit later if they had to to bring it to the inspection station if nothing else?
If not, then how do these old planes get restored and re-certified?  I have no plans to own a plane (I couldn't pass a flight physical and get a pilot license due to heart issues even if I had the money) but I am curious.  I also suspect the usual hyperbole these "reality' shows like to do, so I am also making somewhat of a BS call on the show by asking.

[Tigger29]

I don't think that by pumpkin they meant that it would be out of service permanently... rather it would be out of service until they could arrange to get the FAA inspection carried out where it is parked, and that could take weeks (if not months) especially up there in Alaska.  I'm familiar with the show and from what I understand, every aircraft gets used every day whenever possible, as airplanes that do not fly do not make money for the company.

Even if it were pumpkined (since when did pumpkin become a verb?) for only a week, that's still a whole weeks worth of revenue lost to the company.  It would be like having a three-bay auto repair shop that is always busy.  If one of the lifts goes out, you lose the use of that bay until it gets fixed... meaning a 33% drop in revenue during that time.  Needless to say you'd much rather do everything you can to keep it from going down before that happens so that you wouldn't be without use of it.

I will also add that while I enjoy that show, they do tend to "over-dramatize" things.  There was one landing they showed where the guy was flying a grandmother, mother, and infant daughter to an airstrip, and during approach the narrator claimed that he determined that the crosswinds were too high for a safe landing, especially with people on board.  He made a go around and landed on the second attempt (dead center, no crabbing, perfect landing by the way) and when out of the plane and they were doing their interviews, you could see no sign of any significant wind anywhere.  Personally I think the first landing attempt (flyover) is normal practice for these dirt strips, to make sure no big holes or debris were present before landing on it but that's simply too boring for most people who watch the show.

My point is that even if that plane had been pumpkined, it probably wouldn't have been THAT BIG of a deal, but the narrator has to make it a dramatic moment.  You kind of have to take all of those things with a grain of salt.

Speaking of over-dramatizing things, remember that episode of American Chopper that Junior got fired?  Just before that happened, remember the scene where Jr and Sr got in the fight in the office and Jr walked out and Sr kicked the refrigerator across the room?  If you look closely, you'll see the mini-fridge with the microwave on top of it against the wall.  As he kicks it away you can see the electrical outlet right behind them and it is very obvious that nothing is plugged in to it.  Also, the fridge and microwave move freely when he kicks them, nothing hanging them up.. no cords holding them back...just BAM across the room.  How many offices do you know of that have a fridge and a microwave that aren't plugged in?  You can't tell me that wasn't planned...

[Blackwulf]

Yeah, like I said, the narrator seemed to be implying that it would never fly again, and I wasn't buying it.  I can see how it would especially hurt a small operation to have an aircraft out of commission though.  But you'd think that would be enough, no need to over play it by the producers.

I quit watching American Chopper a long time ago, so much was obviously staged, and I did get tired of the "fighting" all the time.  As a machinist and fabricator for many years, I did catch a lot of BS on that show, too.  Some of the "stunts" they pulled would have gotten someone fired on the spot in any shop I worked in, especially some of the unsafe things they did.  I sure wouldn't have stuck around that shop as an employee.

While some of these shows do bring up interesting points, I will be glad when the whole "reality" thing is over with.  Out of all of them, I have to confess to watching most of "Deadliest Catch" though my wife sort of pushed me into it.

I appreciate the answers, I thought I was on the right track on this, but when it comes to the Government, one never knows....

[MachFly]

If you miss an inspection you can't fly the airplane but only until you get the inspection done. The problem with that is if there is no mechanic at your airport than you have to get a mechanic to come to you.

You could also get a waver from the FAA (there is an official name for it but I can't remember it) to transport your aircraft to an airport that has a mechanic. You are only allowed to do that with the minimum crew and have to take the shortest route.
You can get the same waver to transport an "un-airworthy" aircraft from a natural disaster (hurricane, flood, ect..), or if the aircraft is overweight. Hopefully some of the other pilots here can remind me what's it called. Also since I never had to get one I can't tell you what you need to do for it, but I imagine it will be a pain in the prettythang.

[MachFly]

If you miss an inspection you can't fly the airplane but only until you get the inspection done. The problem with that is if there is no mechanic at your airport than you have to get a mechanic to come to you.

You could also get a waver from the FAA (there is an official name for it but I can't remember it) to transport your aircraft to an airport that has a mechanic. You are only allowed to do that with the minimum crew and have to take the shortest route.
You can get the same waver to transport an "un-airworthy" aircraft from a natural disaster (hurricane, flood, ect..), or if the aircraft is overweight. Hopefully some of the other pilots here can remind me what's it called. Also since I never had to get one I can't tell you what you need to do for it, but I imagine it will be a pain in the prettythang.

Can't edit the post anyone. Anyways it's called a special flight permit.