Step Turn
….. I thought to myself of someone wanting to waterski such a piece of history - can they not simply be happy with their opportunity to fly it at all? Or, to fly anything at all??
I am certain they derive enormous enjoyment from their flying. They are all professional pilots who choose to display in their free time.
I fully understand your enjoyment of your first flight in a Harvard but, is it possible (as SSD suggested) that if you had more hours in the type that you might be tempted to try something more ambitious than simply flying it?
If an aircraft or type is very rare, some people argue that there is a moral obligation not to risk losing it but, ultimately, that decision is for the owner(s) to make. (Some aviation enthusiasts even believe that historic aircraft should only do fly-pasts at displays, not aeros.
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I shared this 'piece of history' with a couple of friends for about four years -
Even if I'd had the opportunity to waterski it I would not have done so because I don't have sufficient skill (or courage), but I respect the right of others to do what they wish with their aircraft. (I would have been concerned if one of the friends had wanted to try water-skiing our Harvard, but would have had no concerns if the other had wanted to do it.)
Copy-cat
I learnt to fly a Harvard (actually SNJ-5 Texan) from a farm strip near Harlingen Texas many years ago, and my instructor was an experienced crop-duster. (I was required to check out in a Stearman first – wonderful aircraft.) I was lost in admiration for his precision and handling skills. Did I ever try to emulate his low level manoeuvres ? No. I didn't (and still don't) have his phenomenal ability. However, if I had tried and things ended badly, there would be no-one to blame but me. I'd be horrified at the thought that someone might criticise him for demonstrating the manoeuvres. I accept full responsibility for my own actions.
I used to display the Harvard with pilots whose experience and expertise far exceeded my own. (They flew the more exotic WW2 fighters.) The same principles applied.
If I had exceeded my own limitations it would have been no-one's fault but my own.
Risk v Benefit
Does pure enjoyment count as benefit?
A friend and I ferried his single across the Atlantic (in the days before GPS).
Risk: Realistically, even with a dry-suit, life-jacket and dinghy the chance of surviving an engine failure in the middle of the North Atlantic is close to zero.
Benefit: None - apart from the opportunity of a lifetime (for me) and, if successful, a sense of achievement and the happy memories of having done it.
Irresponsible? Unprofessional approach to flying?
It's okay to waterski a land plane, I wanna come = It's okay to speed around the blind corner, I wanna come - the way I see it.
I had the privilege of meeting Scully Levin, leader of the water-skiing Harvards, at a dinner I helped organise in Cape Town in 2009:
Link here
When I next visit South Africa I certainly intend to take up his kind invitation to fly with him and, if the flight includes some water-skiing, so much the better.
No, I don't speed around blind corners.
In our modern, risk averse, over regulated, nanny-state world, I have more than a passing admiration for people who push the boundaries and are prepared to take risks - provided, of course, that they risk only their own lives and/or that of a voluntary informed passenger. Probably my rebellious streak which I've had to keep in check.
In a world of ubiquitous phone cameras, the old adage of 'Do it once and don't go back' is sometimes even more important than it used to be.
Dan_Brown
There are two people in aviation. One is a person who tries to stay out of trouble. The other is a person who looks for trouble. Look for trouble long enough, you'll find it.
The above behavior is a sign of inexperience and or SPS. (small penis syndrome) It is not worth the risk and gives aviators a bad name.
Scully Levin is not inexperienced. He's been flying for 45 years and has more than 27,000 hours. He was Head of Training when he retired from SAA aged 60 and now flies for a smaller airline. In 30+ years of display flying (solo and formation) he has flown more than 2000 displays – and still counting.
SPS? He is one of the most highly respected pilots in South Africa and has been honoured for his enormous contribution to aviation there. He doesn't need to prove anything to anyone. He displays because he enjoys it.
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He'd be fired these days.