pointer41

I am sure to ruffle feathers and step on toes. However, I was amazed to see a photograph in the Citizen Tuesday 21 Feb of 4 Harvards of the Flying Tigers team dragging their wheels in the water in the Klipdrift Dam (wherever it is.) What were you guys thinking? I commented negatively on a photo of a Kudu dragging its wheels in the water, at Rustenburg Flying Club, as it is a poor, poor poor example of flight safety to impressionable youngsters.
Professionals doing their bit? As professional as a microlight I saw the other day dragging its wheels through some corn. The difference? The microlight pilot does not fly hundreds of families around in widebody jets.
Sis man! Do you fly with cowboy boots and spurs?






ALL PHOTOGRAPHS COPYRIGHT OF FRANS DELY

Solid Rust Twotter

It was a planned and rehearsed photo shoot for Frans Dely with CAA approval AFAIK. Check out the thread and pics on avcom.co.za.

Shrike200

Well then you won't like this little clip!

http://www.alexisparkinn.com/photoga...ub_Landing.wmv

Legendary!

522 kb download, in .wmv format.

Sir Cumference

Ponter 41. If you prepare properly, rehearse and do all the sums and all of your homework, then you can perform stunts like the Flying Lions did.

Because Jurgis Karis (spelling) does a snap roll on rotation does not mean that all PPL's are going to try and do the same at some stage.

The professionalism shown was in the preparation for the task. Think back to a flypast by a 747 during a World Cup final at Ellis Park some time ago. Unpracticed and unprepared - a potential fiasco but planned and coordinated and well thought out - Legendary!!

SC

Ray.W

By the way, they're not the 'Flying Tigers' they're the Flying Lions

napoleon

A whole lot of EGO driven tossers to a man. Bad example of what flying is about. And dont anyone quote the CAA gave permission etc as they are no better!............. the ones that think they know anything about flying that is.

J3ST3R

Pointer21 (and Napoleon for that matter),

You, me, and anyone else who sees those photos is fully aware of the fact that it is a STUNT!

If it weren't for guys like the Flying Lions pushing the limits on stunts like this, me thinks airshows would be very dull affairs. Also, if the team was not 100% confident that they could pull it off, and was not totally prepared for it, they wouldn't have done it. These are NOT reckless guys we're talking about here.

And in direct response to your post, if anything, with flying skills like that, I would WANT these guys at the controls of the widebody carrying my family.

And to the Flying Lions, respect! That was some phenomenal flying!

Jester

effortless

Whole lot of discussion on Private Pilots here.

Romeo E.T.

I fully agree that the stunt is just that, a STUNT but I disagree in the action as I personally know of 1 or 2 PPL's that have tried and some succeeded in doing this same stunt in aircraft from Piper Cubs to Cherokee 6's, the Cubs are still around today but the Cherokee 6 resides at the bottom of the dam.

These other people I mentioned here are PPL's, now-where near as profficient, proffesional, experienced and well rehersed at this exercise as the Flying Lions team is, this sort of stunt only sets a BAD Professionalism example to the general aviation pilot who might try the same stunt and possibly get away with it ....OR NOT.

If we have a spate if accidents in the near future of light aircraft ending up in the dam due to them seeing this STUNT then I hope that the members of the Flying Lions team will be held accountable for their irresponsible actions,and bad example whether they were proffesional or not.

Shrike200

Cherokee 6?! LOL, trying to do this in a tricycle is a sure ticket for a Darwin award nomination.....

Shrike200

And just out of interests sake - sure, everyone seems to agree that they practiced for this, are all experienced pilots etc. But how did they do it the first time, huh?

It's not like they went out and got some dual for their 'initial waterski', and got it stamped out in their logbooks now, is it! These guys went out and did it on their lonesome, to see if it could be done, and how. I have to say, these are fantastic photo's though, really exciting stuff!

Just some food for thought, fly safe.....

nugpot

Many, many moons ago, BC (before CAA) - there were many taildraggers skiing down the Okavango and Zambesi rivers. Methinks that at least some of the Lions learnt there.

That's not counting all the Alo's with their nosewheels on the water.

J3ST3R

Are we to assume - using your logic - that for every boy-racer that wraps himself around a tree, some racing driver should be held accountable because said boy-racer saw a race on TV?

If a novice pilot tries to perform a roll, loses it and plants his aircraft in the ground, are we to blame all the display pilots who have performed a roll in front of him?

Sir Cumference

Well said J3ST3R.

SC

pointer41

I stick to my guns, no pun intended .
To me it is a sad day if drawing attention to airshows include such stunts, and by the way, Flying "Tigers" is a pun. We might as well go barnstorming.
Personally, I think it a poor example to others, operating not one, but four aircraft so very close to the edge of disaster. I promise, with enough sums and practise I can fly an aircraft precise enough to fly through a hangar, or down a street between buildings if there was no wind. Why stop there?
If I am old school and conservative, it might be that I too did silly things as a youngster, feeling fortunate to fly still (without a harp as yet) and thus too sensitive on such issues.
The question is: just what is too sensitive? Bi all and happy landings!

Tiger Bob

I agree with J3ST3R

A stunt is a stunt. Why because it is done with an aircraft are the pilots silly twits. If a guy jumps a car over 20 busses - it is a stunt. Does that make a driver a silly twit? Come on!!

aerostar1

The only silly twit is pointer41! I cant believe how some people can be so naive! I only just registered to say that!

Ajax 28

I would love to know what all the people who seem to support this "stunt" would have said if one of the aircraft had crashed.... would you all still praise the "stunt"...? Just some food for thought...

nugpot

Yes, and if my auntie had b@lls, she would be my uncle.

The whole point is that this stunt is not nearly as way out as you seem to think. No aircraft crashed, although they did it 5 times.

Think of this as a VFR pilot seeing a CAT II approach for the first time. Absolute magic until you know how.

B Sousa

What are Airshows but Stunt flying.......As long as this is advertised and flown as such, so be it.
The Cub landing is a typical Alaska "in the bush" job. Whatever it takes to get the job done as safe as possible.......