Idiot at the Gathering of Eagles

[cscotthendry]

This is for the idiot that did a reverse direction high speed runway beat up at the gathering of eagles at Watts Bridge last Saturday in a yellow low wing aircraft.

 

I hope someone got your rego number and reported you. It was the stupidest thing I've seen for a long time. Doing a runway beat up at a fly in is one thing if you do it in the active circuit direction and make a radio call. Doing it counter to the active direction with no call is just looking to kill people.

 

 

[Guest Escadrille]

This is for the idiot that did a reverse direction high speed runway beat up at the gathering of eagles at Watts Bridge last Saturday in a yellow low wing aircraft.I hope someone got your rego number and reported you. It was the stupidest thing I've seen for a long time. Doing a runway beat up at a fly in is one thing if you do it in the active circuit direction and make a radio call. Doing it counter to the active direction with no call is just looking to kill people.

I must defend this pilot partially.. I was in the aircraft (a Tecnam) next to take off and the pilot of the Harmon Rocket did give a radio call and tell us he was reversing direction...

 

Andy

 

 

[Sean]

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm?

 

a. Why did the PIC fly a reciprocal rwy?

 

b. Are "runway beat ups" legal?

 

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm?

 

 

[Ballpoint 246niner]

A shame to have a " gathering of eagles" and have a turkey fly the coup- only takes a fly in and an ego unfortunately. Announcing you are about to be an idiot does not excuse anyone for being one unless specifically being an approved fly past by CASA and the organisers or a published and communicated " missed approach in the active or duty runway direction.

 

Sounds like none of these were adhered to so well go with summary of incident No 1 I guess.

 

Sorry Scott I couldn't make it due school commitments

 

 

[fly_tornado]

straya mate: love it or go home

 

 

[kgwilson]

I guess if you own and fly a Harmon Rocket your ego is bigger than you and the aeroplane combined. 270 knots at full noise looks & sounds impressive but do it in the right direction (after the radio call) for goodness sake.

 

 

[metalman]

straya mate: love it or go home

PPPLLLLEEEEAAASSSEEEEEEEE GIVE US A "WHAT A D1CKHEAD "BUTTON!!

 

 

[Head in the clouds]

Interesting thread. There were the times when we went to, or organised fly-ins just so we had a good reason to do beat-ups, flour bombing, limbo flying, engine-offs, low-and-slow, spot landings, short landings - and did 'em by the dozens, coz it was fun. Now we're so nannified that when we have a fly-in gathering we've got to be very careful to not appear to be having fun.

 

Don't get me wrong, I'm neither for nor against it these days but I must say that "back in them old days" everyone that had enough fuel for the home trip, plus a bit, always did a 'fly-by' to say hooroo to those that hadn't left yet. In some ways it was the announcement that we'd left, because only a few of us had radios, so we'd see you 'back home' - hopefully.

 

Leaving aside the legality or otherwise, and the questionable intelligence of doing it contrary to the circuit direction, aren't beat-ups given a bit too much negative attention simply because they are something that looks more 'risky' from the ground than from the air? When you're in the air you can see the traffic and frankly, in my 40yrs of involvement with aviation I've seen thousands of them and not only never seen a related safety incident, I've never heard of one either. I have heard lots of protests about them though.

 

 

[turboplanner]

Here are two fatals:

 

http://www.atsb.gov.au/publications/investigation_reports/2006/aair/aair200607801.aspx

 

http://www.atsb.gov.au/publications/investigation_reports/1969/aair/aair196902381.aspx

 

There was another one I recall in outback SA where the pilot did a beat up along the runway to say farewell and turned straight into the radio mast, killing every one on board.

 

These are all GA, and show the hazards of colliding with objects, not having room for a misjudged aircraft response etc.

 

Other hazards are being subjected to wind shear (many pilots are yet to experience a 50' instant drop), and an engine failure becomes an Engine Failure After Take Off, usually with not enough runway to slow down enough to land.

 

 

[Guest Maj Millard]

Turbo, I'd hardly call the one with the Auster a high - speed beat up !...........................

 

 

[turboplanner]

I'd agree that it's wrong to use high speed and Auster in the same sentence. His beat up started as soon as the wheels left the ground and he stayed low made a turn to fly between two hangars, and appears to ave climbed up into the power line. If you open up the full pdf report you'll see the photos of track, strip etc.

 

 

[rocket1172]

I'm with you head in the clouds. ..... spot on.

 

 

[fly_tornado]

beat ups are the main stay of flyin entertainment. The pilot of the harmon rocket got the attention he wanted.

 

 

[facthunter]

If that's the case we had better get a "do a beat-up safely' endorsement. Plenty would not know how (but that would make it more FUN) eh? Nev

 

 

[Head in the clouds]

If that's the case we had better get a "do a beat-up safely' endorsement. Plenty would not know how (but that would make it more FUN) eh? Nev

We already have, it's called LL - Low Level

 

 

[rocket1172]

Already got mine Nev..... call it whatever, it's just low level flying. No worse than an aborted landing.

 

 

[rocket1172]

After a couple thousand hours at low level, I am qualified to say that it is the best fun you can have with your pants on! Come to think of it, it's even better than some fun I have had with my pants off!!!

 

 

[Teckair]

Beat ups can add life to flyin but they can go badly wrong.

 

 

[facthunter]

Yeah. I taught low level flying years ago. My worry is that it encourages people to do it who can't but want to show how good they are, regardless. Nev

 

 

[DWF]

After a couple thousand hours at low level, I am qualified to say that it is the best fun you can have with your pants on! Come to think of it, it's even better than some fun I have had with my pants off!!!

Beat-ups with your pants off can make you go blind!

 

 

[Guernsey]

Regarding having fun, several years ago I did a beat up in both directions at Parafield Airport.

 

I flew just in front of the control tower at 500ft into wind just above the stall then picked up speed did a 180 and did a reverse burn up at full throttle and maximum SPEED in my L4 Piper Cub, I had a ball and so did the crowd except for one guy who was heard to say on my upwind leg that he could blxxdywell walk faster than that. Oh the joy of public air displays.

 

I had to perform well because I was following the previous display which was a Sea Fury, talk about a hard act to follow.

 

Alan.

 

 

 

[facthunter]

Sure, A Cub ain't a SEA Fury. You can tell that as soon as you start the engine but you can still put on a good routine in one. There was a link to a bloke pretending to be blotto in one that takes some beating. Anyone got it? Nev

 

 

[Guernsey]

I have seen the video but not sure how to source it, my routine was similar but I was trying to fly sober.

 

Alan.

 

 

[facthunter]

He was sober, or he wouldn't have been able to do it. Nev

 

 

[turboplanner]

Landing with Facthunter in his T Jets was pretty much the same as that Cub, there were divots out of every grass verge in every State.