Not such a good idea: float plane takes off under bridge in Ottawa
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JO, I don't think those protesting the "Granny State" under various Health and Welfare autocrats question the need for SENSIBLE regulation but the industry is rife with stupid counter productive regulations, such as, wearing of "Day Glow" vests by aircrew as they do their walk around, if they are going to get run over then whatever is running them over has already ploughed through the parked aircraft so its really quite irrelevant what colour cloths the pilot is wearing! On this subject, I sometimes fly into an airport which once was military and one thing the military do well is record keeping, it turns out that in seventy years they can find no record of anyone being run over by an aircraft,BUT, they do have records of twelve pilots/ground crew walking into props and engine intakes, so surely it would be more logical to paint props and intakes with those of-center bright markings which look like some mobile sculpture? I pointed out to one of these "Ramp Gestapos" recently that their instruction about standing right dead center front if you are guiding an aircraft, if its my vintage aircraft then I will most likely chop them up with the prop as I'm unable to see a thing over the nose, {this was at an air show by the way, and a replacement prop is a kings ransom, it however it requires no skill or money to create another human} the reply I received was," well aircraft like this shouldn't be allowed here", this was at a show with LOTS of tail dragging WW2 aircraft! One of my grandkids was recently told she should stop jumping fences with her pony by her school teacher as "its too dangerous" dear Lord what next, padded hockey pucks? I think this is the sort of stuff getting on people wicks, not legislating pure food and water standards,
Just so you know, the reflective vests are not a regulation in Canada. They've been mandated by the airport authorities themselves. And I know a guy who was run over by a vehicle on the ramp at a large European airport who would disagree with the notion that they're not a good idea. He didn't have one on and it was a dark and rainy night when the vehicle struck him. The aircraft he was walking around (757) was untouched. He spent a few days in the hospital.
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I can only presume that he was not under the aircraft, or even close to it as most would be doing the walk around, I also know of a case in which a rampy caught his bloody day glow vest in a baggage loader and was seriously mangled. I'm sure we can all find the odd obscure cases when someone gets hurt on the ramp, but pilots wearing day glow vests is not going to stop these odd incidents ,Maybe we should mandate those kids hats with the rotating beacons on top, hell we can keep grinding out these rules till everything grinds to a stop, then our jobs will be 100% safe!
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The stupidly of some of these people is hard to believe.
One day I had just finished an air display at an air show, I taxied in and parked in the place reserved for me.
As I was walking across the ramp one of the security guys runs up to me and demanded I return to my airplane because I was not wearing a green safety vest.
I asked him who was more visible, me in my bright orange flight suit that Breitling made me wear or him in his little green vest.
He insisted I could not go the mens room in the terminal without a green safety vest.....
.....I just walked past him and went in the building, when I came out to go back to my airplane the airport manager was there to stop me from returning to my airplane..
Idiots, just plain idiots
One day I had just finished an air display at an air show, I taxied in and parked in the place reserved for me.
As I was walking across the ramp one of the security guys runs up to me and demanded I return to my airplane because I was not wearing a green safety vest.
I asked him who was more visible, me in my bright orange flight suit that Breitling made me wear or him in his little green vest.
He insisted I could not go the mens room in the terminal without a green safety vest.....
.....I just walked past him and went in the building, when I came out to go back to my airplane the airport manager was there to stop me from returning to my airplane..
Idiots, just plain idiots
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Dear Clunk
Have you seen the way these rampies drive lately? As close as they can get and at a great rate of knots as well…I've seen them skid to a stop only feet away from various parts of the jet! And all I got was a wave and a grin after throwing the LC cold steely stare! (I'm told it used to throw fear into people… 
) Any way, walkarounds: I teach that one needs to also have a larger view of the airframe from a few angles to make sure that nothing gets missed, i.e.: damage or missing bits. So I back up and take in the whole view…no hiding under the wing allowed…all the while wearing my lovely vest… 
) Any way, walkarounds: I teach that one needs to also have a larger view of the airframe from a few angles to make sure that nothing gets missed, i.e.: damage or missing bits. So I back up and take in the whole view…no hiding under the wing allowed…all the while wearing my lovely vest…
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Left coaster I've been doing walk arounds since I got my first licence in 1954, yes I'm aware of the need to see the whole airframe, for a part of my somewhat varied flying career looking for bullet holes and splinter damage was fairly high on the list of things to note, however these silly vests will not stop you getting run over by untrained idiots as you state, the solution is to train Rampies to do it right, however the "on time at all costs" style of management are to blame for this attitude I believe. My wife and I recently attended a fantastic get together of a particular antique aircraft in the UK, {we do in fact own one} the manager of the airport it was held at is totally opposed to this silly "dressing up" which spoils the vintage flavour of such a meeting, and you know what? nobody was run over or taxied over by any of the aircraft which have almost no brakes and very limited control whilst on the ground, unlike the float plane which started this thread!
Last edited by clunckdriver; 15th Aug 2014 at 18:10.
I remember when YYZ first required it, we all got the nasty email. next day our white/yellow/orange painted crew van had the side stove in by some numpty in a tug. Don't expect a vest to save you, be paranoid keep your head on swivel in the airside environment. They are all trying to kill you!!!!!!!!
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Dupre, TC will check all the media, including PPrune, and make a decision on which way the wind blows, to make anything stick in this case they will have to dig deep to prove anything or any dangers to the public, notwithstanding the "experts" at both the rowing club and the Ottawa Flying Club. By the way, the CBC seemed to get it right on local TV after the initial hysteria died down.
JO, I don't think those protesting the "Granny State" under various Health and Welfare autocrats question the need for SENSIBLE regulation but the industry is rife with stupid counter productive regulations...
Last edited by pigboat; 20th Aug 2014 at 04:06.
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Pigboat, if it wernt so sad that we have come to this, it would be funny, a perfect example indeed of the stupidity of such things! Of late I have been watching the series on WW1, its a superb production and the use of modern methods to make the old movies into clear and much improved records of the horror of these times, however the caution at the start of each episode that they "may contain disturbing images" seems to be a bit redundant, are not all wars a bit like that?
Avoid imitations
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.....I just walked past him and went in the building, when I came out to go back to my airplane the airport manager was there to stop me from returning to my airplane..
Idiots, just plain idiots
Idiots, just plain idiots
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Notwithstanding everybody's raging against unnecessary regulations driven largely by the insurance industry (at least rage against the right entity), was it necessary for this chap to fly under the bridge? And if it wasn't necessary what makes it different than doing it in a land airplane after taking off from YOW?
I'm just trying to determine where people draw the "stupid" line when it comes to flying under bridges.
I'm just trying to determine where people draw the "stupid" line when it comes to flying under bridges.
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A contract our company had back in the late eighties required us to fly under a span in a Provincial park so as to get our product on some trees which were on a small outcropping under the bridge, I recently drove over the same structure and the trees we sprayed are now beutifull to look at and also have achieved the aim of preventing bank erosion, now gues what? TC had to issue a low flying waiver for this contract as it meant flying almost down the main drag of a small village {and a 600hp Ag Cat tends to be a bit on the load side!} The inspector who issued this waiver did in fact work for us after he retired, dont know where he is located right now , but it would be nice to hear his take on this Im sure.
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Doing something that is necessary, trained and sanctioned to complete a job is not what I'm talking about. Ag pilots fly under powerlines because they are trained, proficient, it is necessary at times because it's safer and they are sanctioned. Conair pilots fly very low in confined areas and steep terrain with airplanes that were never designed to do that, but they are again trained, proficient, sanctioned and do it because it's necessary.
Was flying under the Macdonald Cartier bridge necessary?
Was flying under the Macdonald Cartier bridge necessary?
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Yup .... I guess they should have frozen aviation development and pilot training methods and standards somewhere around 1960, maybe 1965 at the latest so you guys could be happy and feel like that period was (and remains) the pinnacle of aviation.
The issue in this whole matter is that in the absence of any other info other than the video and typical CBC drivel, the guy in the video apparently was using a section of the river which wasn't a licensed aerodrome within the built up area of the city ...... small picky matter under the regs.
So, as long as "there is no danger to the public" (in your perception,) then anybody should be able to do anything they feel like at any moment with an airplane? Want to land on the main street because its close to the office? Yup, sure .... why not ... as long as you don't run over granny on her way across the street to buy a loaf of bread .... what's the big deal?
The issue in this whole matter is that in the absence of any other info other than the video and typical CBC drivel, the guy in the video apparently was using a section of the river which wasn't a licensed aerodrome within the built up area of the city ...... small picky matter under the regs.
So, as long as "there is no danger to the public" (in your perception,) then anybody should be able to do anything they feel like at any moment with an airplane? Want to land on the main street because its close to the office? Yup, sure .... why not ... as long as you don't run over granny on her way across the street to buy a loaf of bread .... what's the big deal?