Blimey :zzz:

You could apply much of the above argument to reasons for not going hillwalking, mountain biking, motorcycling, practically anything other than sitting in your house pntificating on PPRuNe.

Armchair critics......
 

Oh FFS. Do you criticise aerobatic pilots for doing dangerous cunning stunts? Do you criticise horse riders for taking part in the most dangerous of sports? Do you criticise cyclists for cycling on main roads with busy traffic?

Yes, there is perceived risk in pretty much anything these days, but just because you wouldn't do it, doesn't mean it is not safe, and no reason for you to character assassinate anyone else who does. You have no idea of the skill level or experience of the pilot, or of what they are trying to,achieve.

BTW it is common practice in bush flying for washing sand off the tyres.

Riskiest place in the world is in your own house - or pulling your trousers on in the morning (5 dead doing that last year)

Dangerous to one is normal to another ..... and v.v.

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:rolleyes:

I think you're suffering from tailwheel envy.;)


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q0fByofsZvo

What's the attrition rate of aircraft doing water-skiing?
I have not seen any accident reports .... but I have not specifically looked.

My club lost a newly refurbished Robin (tricycle uc) in an "alleged" attempt to water-ski on the river Derwent. The pilot told the aaib that he had an engine failure . Mobile phone footage of the incident was accidently deleted .........

The pilot gained his Darwin award a few months later with a CFIT (unfortunately taking a female passenger with him).

If you have a good understanding of the fluid dynamics it allows you to plane below stall speed and if landing on a gravel bar or bank allows a more controlled contact point at a lower speed. This skill is very useful for some pilots.

I think that is what the judge in the Ullswater prosecution case decided too, finding our friend Mr. J. not guilty and awarding costs. Not that I would have the intestinal fortitude to try it even with a big set of Alaskans and no audience.

Here’s the well-known Kiwi Tiger Moth and Hunter pilot, Dave Phillips, having fun:

Lots of YouTube and other videos of Waterskiing..... I'd be interested to know the number of times it goes all wrong..... Not much official evidence ? So is it that risky ? Would have thought the internet would be full of mishaps and accidents but cannot find any except that idiot in the Robin

Was there a fatal waterskiing accident at an airshow in China, involving a notorious US pilot, with an innocent young Chinese interpreter passenger? A few years ago, reported on ANN, Avweb, or both

Notorious would be an understatement and the Lancair 320 used was not exactly a suitable water skiing plane.

Think that was the same guy that buzzed the tourists on Santa Monica pier.

Yep.

From what i see of the water ski operations (never done it me-self :)) there appear to be two types: Display operations done by the tiger moths, warbirds, etc. And task ops to/from gravel bars and beachs done by the big wheel STOL aircraft.

Display ops look to be mainly done at flight speed, i.e. the aircraft wings are still flying whilst the skiing is being done. Whilst task ops will generally see the aircraft slow to below wing flying speed (unless water current speed determines otherwise) and the aircraft is being supported on the water by the aqua-planning tyres.

Display ops can be 'flown' entirely at one speed whilst task ops are done at two different and site determined 'speeds'.

There are many other factors to consider so how do you train for water ski operations ?






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I'm struggling to see how flying 50miles straight and level at 2000ft for a bacon butty makes me a better pilot.
The fact that this act was successful proves he is a better pilot than I am.
Being capable of flying accurately is surely a good thing?

Down the Nile, in Sudan, in a Piper Pawnee was fun until the local croc decided to surface at just the wrong time & place. It kept you sharp and earned a cold one at the end of a long day. Young man's play time.

Better [does not equal] luckier

'Luckier' or 'better' [includes subset of] those making better decisions

Flying well is a choice. On that run to the bacon butty you can choose to fly well or not. Flying well means a takeoff that stays on centerline with a smooth lift off, a climb at a constant pitch attitude giving you the correct climb speed, cruise altitude kept plus/minus 50 feet, making all you plog times, planning a descent so that only one power reduction is needed to join the circuit, landing smoothly on centerline and at the intended touch down point, along with a whole host of little things that collectively makes the flight go smoothly and safely.

However you have to be adult enough to take the internalized satisfaction of knowing you have flown as well as you can. I know this can be difficult for people who need the ego boost from a "look at me, I am such a Sky God" stunts like watersking an aircraft.

No it means he got away with demonstrating poor pilot decision making


Want to learn to fly accurately ? Take an aerobatics course. Flying an accurate smooth linked set of aerobatics takes way more skill than watersking.

I don't think I've ever achieved the perfection you describe. So I'd have to agree that precise flight is a high skill endeavour. But then yer go and shoot yer-self in the foot...

I had a look at the thread starter post video and as I alluded to in my previous post it looks to be a training flight. If you turn the volume up it sounds like there is a slight power reduction as the aircraft approaches the gravel bar though the pilot powers up and goes round. I'd suggest if the gravel bar wern't the target and the 'spectacle' were the task then the pilot would have done the manoeuvre to track clear of the gravel bar:

https://onedrive.live.com/?authkey=%...%21123&o=OneUp


"...aerobatics takes way more skill than watersking..."

Big Pistons Forever, how do you know that. Are you commenting from practical experience ?






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