Flying Vet in Trouble (again!)

[pulse1]

I just saw on the BBC news that Maurice Kirk has crash landed on a road in Japan following engine failure on his latest flight around the world.

Fortunately he survived with only minor injury. The Cub G-KIRK looked a bit sorry for itself though.

[Daysleeper]

Actually he's not a vet any more... he was struck off.

So the not flying ex-vet would be more accurate.

[Genghis the Engineer]

Being a nosey blighter, and personally regarding him as a bit of a dangerous nutter - what did he get struck off for?

G

[Stafford]

Oh Dear Ghengis,

That question could open a can of worms ! I bet the first replies include words like, Rubber, Glove, Cow's, bottom, etc etc

Oops just proved myself right ;)

[Microfright]

This might explain.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/2015340.stm

[Genghis the Engineer]

Thank you Microfright for that, I may have to revise my opinion - possibly to extremely dangerous and a complete nutter.

G

[pulse1]

I was recently reading an old "Pilot" article about the last air race to Australia. Maurice Kirk flew in the same Cub he has just crashed. Apparently, when he arrived in Australia, the information pack which was given to all competitors at the start was still sealed up. He hadn't even looked at it.

[360BakTrak]

A drinking partner of Oliver Reed?!........His liver must be totally pickled!:yuk: :eek:

[shortstripper]

Oh Dear!

I'm another of those who get involved with Rubber, Glove, Cow's, bottom, etc etc on a daily basis, so I'd better be careful here! lol

He does seem a bit of a nutter, but I wonder how much hype the press gave that little report?

Clapped out plane? Well it's done a few miles so I guess it must be, mustn't it? :rolleyes:

Funnily enough I got stopped by the police once on my way to deliver a calf (I was on foot would you believe?). I made them come with me as I wasn't prepared to hang around to be questioned! So the court incident thing may have been genuine? ... though I do kind of doubt it.

I'm not trying to defend him, but all might be not quite as that press report likes to make out it is.

SS

[skydriller]

..Does anyone really believe the accuracy(sp?) of the info in the link posted above ???

Especially after the other Thread on this page about the media in general???


Regards, SD..

[Genghis the Engineer]

Clearly I wasn't there, but having met Maurice Kirk a few times, I can't honestly say it seems inconsistent with his general behaviour.

G

[B2N2]

Linky to his offical website, haven't had a chance to go through it yet..
http://www.kirkflyingvet.com/

[Taildragger]

Yeah well, I don't condone his...aherm, ... somewhat eccentric style of aviating, but I just wonder how many of you guys have flown a Cub from the UK to Oz, to New Zealand through Norfolk Island,
the Pacific and on up to Japan. I wouldn't have the balls to do it, with all the glass cockpit devices in the world, never mind on what he had available to him, GPS and dead reckoning, Single Crew, in all weathers, Day and Night........would you.?? He certainly has a way of making enemies, that's for sure, but then so has George Galloway, Tony Blair.?, John Prescott....need I add more.!!
No...he has got some good flying skills to his credit with that little lot.......I just wouldn't get in an aeroplane with him.!

[BEagle]

One of Kirk's earlier episodes:

2 Aug 97 Electronic Telegraph:

Pilot lands on golf course and asks to join the club
By David Millward

A FORMER stunt pilot surprised golfers by landing his Piper Cub near their driving range to clean a dirty windscreen.

He then took advantage of the unscheduled stop to pick up a membership form. But golfers say Maurice Kirk - nicknamed "Biggles" - is more likely to receive an official complaint than a membership card.

John Bailey, a player at Oake Manor Golf Club, near Taunton, Somerset, said: "We heard this almighty noise and thought the plane was going to crash-land. Golfers were forced to stop playing because a ball in the propeller could cause a terrible accident."

Mike King, one of the club's owners, said: "This is the second time he has tried this. He landed within 10 yards of four players. What he did was very stupid and irresponsible. He should be reported to the Civil Aviation Authority."

Mr Kirk, 52, a vet from Barry, South Wales, said he had been visiting his parents near Taunton and ran into trouble on his return. "I had an oil leak and some of it was getting on to my windscreen. I circled the area twice and only landed when I was satisfied that no one was playing golf. I popped in to ask about membership. No one complained to me at the time."

The CAA said Mr Kirk may not have committed an offence, depending on the circumstances.

[High Wing Drifter]

I'm not sure I buy much of the reporting. He strikes me as the type of chap who kicks back. No doubt he has wound up the local plod and certain individuals with the CAA (rightly or wrongly). However, going by the number of court appearances that come to nowt it does often appear to be a case of trial and error on the part of authorities.

Dangerous? In the same way that Alex Henshawe was a nutter yes. Was Alex Henshawe a nutter? I don't think so.

[QDMQDMQDM]

HWD,

May one ask whether you have met him?

QDM

[High Wing Drifter]

Not at all, I'm working purely on the myth. Then again I aint never met the plod, the CAA nor anybody else related to his 'mishaps' :D

[QDMQDMQDM]

Meeting him puts a lot of things in perspective.

QDM

[Flyin'Dutch']

Meeting him puts a lot of things in perspective.

To dissuade or confirm the opinion one could so easily form from just reading here, his website and the media in general?

Come on man, what do you mean?

:O

[jetjockey737]

He saved my cats life you know!!!!!......If the little b*****d s**ts in my kitchen again.......................................honestly he did!

I hadnt even heard of the guy until my neighbour told me about him. I then looked him up on the net and looked on pprune and I felt so bad for leaving him with that man. Then I got the bill.....sweet jesus!! I put his arrogance down to a one off, then I took the poor tabby back to see him and he was just the same..Never used him again. The cat F*****G hated him!!

[Genghis the Engineer]

Was your cat one of the ones that testified at his disciplinary hearing? :E

G

[troddenmasses]

I have flown with Maurice on quite a few occasions, and have got to know him somewhat. It is true that he has the knack of upsetting people, and loves to annoy authority. He seems to think that everybody is out to get him, and when I read all the reports about him, I tend to agree. For example, why do they put

The CAA said Mr Kirk may not have committed an offence, depending on the circumstances.

rather than

The CAA said Mr Kirk may have committed an offence, depending on the circumstances.

It is a small difference, but the first one presumes guilt until the circumstances are checked. When you read other stories about him, you see things like

Mr Kirk recently flew solo in a 22,000km race from London to Sydney in a clapped-out plane

clapped out? Have they seen it? It got there didn't it? Just because it is old doesn't mean that it is clapped out.

All in all, I am sure that he has p1ssed of lots of people over the years by being tactless, but is he really that dangerous? I don't think so, and I have had the pleasure of flying with him. His only error was being born at the wrong time. Had he been born 30 years earlier, he would undoubtably been a real war hero. Had he been born 400 years earlier, he would have been a swashbucker. Nowadays, he is a regulating authorities nightmare.

[The Trolls' Troll]

Jetjockey’s post really got me going.
In defence of M Kirk, and others, accused without the right or ability to reply, here goes:-
Whatever else has been said about M Kirk, I, over 32 years as a vet, have not heard of his ability as a vet
being questioned. Fines and run-ins with various authorities, yes, but not his basic clinical competence.
So why the exclamation marks? He saved your cat’s life, and in return you express astonishment and whinge about the bill. It costs a lot of money to equip and run a vet’s surgery . Surprisingly, the staff don’t work for nothing and the place has to provide the service 24/7, with wads of profit-sapping health and safety regulation thrown in. Profit margins in Herriot’s time(50-60yrs) ago were much better than they are now.
As to the b------d s--tting in the kitchen presumably you are referring to the cat and not Mr Kirk.
While M Kirk’s behaviour could be described as unconventional, I have yet to hear of anything of this nature.
Interesting to note that you put your own hurt feelings as a result of Mr Kirk’s arrogance, above any feelings of gratitude for saving the cat’s life. Maybe you weren’t very polite or grateful to Mr Kirk, despite his successful efforts, and induced feelings of aggression in him, expressed as arrogance. Your self-centered view of the world may be part of the reason for the little b’s inappropriate defaecation. Try and look at the world from the cat’s point of view. Cat’s are loners, not pack animals, or only to a limited extent. They acquire and hold territory by fighting and threatening. They run the risk of severe injury if they enter a dominant cat’s territory. Cats can work out who’s been around, and when, by the scent of sites of defaecation and urination, or crap and piss, if I sound a bit arrogant. That’s why they bury the stuff --- To reduce the chance of detection. Old cat’s and young cat’s are not usually good fighters, and know it. In their eyes, the great outdoors is not an option. There are other things that disturb them, such as irregular routines in the household, domestic tension , bright lights and noisy undisciplined children. Old ladies in quiet domestic routine--happy cats. Noisy couples, working irregular hours, with undisciplined children-- unhappy cats. I’m not writing a book on the subject, just trying to set you off on the right track so that you don’t have the unfortunate cat put to sleep, which I suspect you probably wouldn’t do. Like a lot of tough-sounding guys, you’ve probably got more affection for the cat than you’d ever admit to in public. People treat animals in the same way as they treat people. Instinctively, we all know this when we come across cases of animal cruelty, an uncomfortable reminder of some homo not-so-sapiens’ capacity for senseless, gratuitous violence.
“Never used him again”----How I love that phrase. Is that how you see people? As objects there to be “used” How to lower your place as quickly as possible on a doctor’s, dentist’s or vet’s priority list. Tell him or her, or imply, that he or she is privileged to be “used” by yourself, who has been so good as to bestow such a generous favour to a financial and social inferior. “Oh, thankee koind sir” replies vet , doctor, dentist doffing cap and touching forelock.
May I suggest that when buying services you are buying just that. The employment of the word--
” used,” suggests confusion as to the meanings of service and servility.
I don’t approve of all of Mr Kirk’s activities, but I do find the response of the slightly-rattled establishment absolutely fascinating. An establishment, selfish and inward-looking, that is quietly and relentlessly throttling this country with it’s sickly obsession with health, welfare and safety. The ensuing rules, however, are open to abuse and far from being used for our benefit and welfare, often end up being used as instruments of social control, against the people, rather than for them. That’s where Mr Kirk comes in.
The last paragraph, especially, of Troddenmasses’ post rings true for me. Our current feminine, child-centred, dirigiste, no-risk society may prove in the end ( if it survives), to have been a lot odder than Mr Kirk.
Why are we being inconvenienced by Islamic extremists? My own belief is that they sense this feminine, timid degeneracy in the West and long ago spotted the Achilles heel of oil dependency.
Back to the real world. The cat wants his food, a new load of washing has got to be put in the machine,
And I need another packet of very un-PC fags. Apologies for the lack of aviation content, but you started it.
Two final points. We don’t have any record of Mr Kirk’s reaction to your “using” someone else. Could it be that it was one of deep joy and relief?
“The cat F-----G hated him”
Not an uncommon reaction, to even the most loving and touchy-feely vets, I assure you. The poor old vet, in the cat’s mind, is associated with highly stressful automobile journeys, restraint, so that we can help them, separation from the security of familiar territory, with variable amounts of pain thrown in for good measure.

“ It’s Tommy this and Tommy that, and chuck him out the brute,”
But,”It’s thank you Mr Atkins, when the guns begin to shoot”

He who dares wins.

The used are a whisker away from the abused.

[Windy Militant]

I'll say he's dangerous! Anyone who can hand swing a Yak 12 is not someone to argue with! :ouch: :}

[strafer]

AWL - you may well be an utter loony, but that was a great post.

[Bahn-Jeaux]

Well to be honest, I like the mans style.
Cant say I would have the bottle to emulate but this modern day life is sooo sterile, its refreshing to have someone buck the trend.

[david viewing]

Well, Capt. Kirk got a nice sympathetic write-up on ANN (http://www.aero-news.net/index.cfm?ContentBlockID=0142d07d-5388-4c88-ba53-a0b7d04ea9fc&Dynamic=1&Range=WEEK&FromDate=10%2F21%2F2005&ToDate=10%2F28%2F2005&Category=%2Findex.cfm), somewhat re-inforcing the stereotype of the 'quirky Brit' that I meet so often on my travels in the US. No bad thing really.

[skua]

Pulse 1,

It may have been my article to which you refer. He has some piratical charm, but I can see how he gets up the nose of any regulator, just as they get up his. His technical, engineering and nav skills in getting G-KIRK around the planet are well described, but what amazed me on the London-Sydney trip was his sheer physical endurance for a man of his age.

The world would be a calmer, but much more boring, place without him. (Just like Ollie Reed in fact)

Skua

[Final 3 Greens]

For example, why do they put

quote:The CAA said Mr Kirk may not have committed an offence, depending on the circumstances.

rather than

quote:The CAA said Mr Kirk may have committed an offence, depending on the circumstances.

If the question from the newspaper was phrased in a way that presupposed that landing on a golf course was an offence, then the CAA reply, IMHO, was perfectily reasonable and the 2nd reply would have been more suggestive of presuming guilt.

[atb1943]

Strafer,

I don't think for a minute that AWL is an utter loony - I really think he is being deadly serious, and is defending a profession that is often misunderstood and much maligned. There's a lovely TV programme over here in which viewers bring their kranky creatures to the TV vet, who then proceeds to operate or treat as necessary. Fascinating.

My daughter has a pony, a Welsh B, so we know all about vets and vets' bills. All part of the game.

Now a vet who flies has got to be even more special, possibly eccentric, most likely chaotic, indupitably scatterbrained, humourous, cuddly, loving, grass-roots (hasn't he?).

When I was a kid our vet used to repair our budgies, cats, dogs, all creatures great and small (though I can't remember that there was ever an attempt to save a chicken, of which grandad had several - lower caste perhaps). His surgery was next door to our caff, so I would more likely be at his place just to chat. Plus the fact that I was sweet on his daughter.....:O

His first wife bred Pyrenean mountain dogs and judged at Crufts, he owned an Auster. I was due to accompany him on a trip to France but he eventually persuaded his new wife to go with him. They perished together on the beach at Berck-sur-Mer, having been caught by fog, in spite of a warning from the people at LT not to go. I lost a damn good pal, in the event his daughter too (though that has been repaired since :ok: ), but since then I have had a soft spot for vets. He was also an Austin 7 buff and a founder member of a certain car club. There is an race named for him that is run annually, around this time of the year I believe.

So although I am unable to affirm that Maurice and my pal would have been similar in character, there are certain recognizable parallels.

So should we on this forum be digging up murky pasts as if with relish, rather than applauding what is without doubt a fantastic achievement?

Yours aye

atb

[WrongWayCorrigan]

Bloke's proud of flying aircraft which have been grounded for technical reasons. And proud of all the engine failures.

And what about the "Captain Kirk of the Enterprise" story over the RT?

And, yes, we have met and I have seen the glove.

[unfazed]

Saw said vet at Kemble a few years ago wandering through the beer tent and food area with what looked like his young grandaughter ? Yes he had a trademark top hat on with some slogan such as "special adviser to the CAA" written on it.

He was relaxed looking and smiling and holding the young girls hand in a very protective, patient and tender manner.

Didn't look that dangerous to me, more like a bit of a showman who likes to wind up the establishment.

[WrongWayCorrigan]

court jester. i'm not sure i approve of too much jesting when safety's at stake.