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Old 22nd Aug 2013, 07:31
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mary meagher
 
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Oxford, UK
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The difference is that these children are family. A family of generations of wing walkers. So puts me in mind of the Flying Wallendas, a circus family dating back to the 18th century, and most known for performing highwire acts without a safety net.

The parents and grandparents know the risks. The grandfather is a well known professional stunt performer.

What upsets me is that OTHER PEOPLE'S CHILDREN whose parents do NOT understand the risk are blithely flown by relatively inexperienced pilots who have an exaggerated idea of their own competence. And in the tragedies two years ago at least one of the ATC instructors was unfit to fly, let alone do aerobatics with other people's children. The competence of the two instructors who had the previous midair over Wales is not certain.

Come on, guys. Be realistic about your abilities. Compare your hours of experience flying aircraft with your hours of experience driving a car. When you are a qualified instructor with a current medical as certified by an AME, then you can fly with consenting adults. Taking other people's children up for a jolly because you've got a PPL and 200 hours ..... and then not resisting the impulse to show off is absolutely horrifying.

But I'm just an old granny glider pilot, retired instructor with 1,800 hours in gliders, 3 diamonds, and 1,400 hours in light aircraft, IR, etc., and 18 grandchildren. I took my own grandchildren for a ride, and being up in the air was quite sufficient for their delight.
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