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This is the place where the majority of the warbird (aircraft that have survived military service) discussions will take place. Specialized forums may be added in the new future
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Negative ghostrider. The pattern is full.

Thu Feb 28, 2008 1:45 am

What not to do as an airline pilot: http://blog.seattlepi.nwsource.com/aero ... 132701.asp

Thu Feb 28, 2008 1:52 am

Remember the pilot that rolled the first 707? The very one in the NASM. Now that was a good time.

Thu Feb 28, 2008 3:13 am

http://www.aviationexplorer.com/707_roll_video.htm

I heard a story a few years ago that when defeat was inevitable a bunch of German fighter pilots took a JU252 ( http://www.kg200.org/images/ju52pic.jpg ) to surrender in France. Knowing they would probably never fly a fighter again they took it up and looped it a few times before landing.

Thu Feb 28, 2008 4:16 am

I sat on the living room floor as an almost 9 year old and watched Tex roll the -80 during the 56 SEAFAIR Races. I remember Bill O'Mara who was the KING TV announcer for the races (this was back when all 3 Seattle 'big' stations covered the races) about swallow his microphone describing what was going on, he was absolutely screaming on the air.
When Bill Allen retired from Boeing several years later, someone got ahold of a photo one of the flight test guys had taken of the #2 engine pod out the window, above the race course, had it blown up and it was presented to Mr. Allen. When he left the dinner, he purposely left the picture behind. :P :wink: :oops:

Thu Feb 28, 2008 5:07 am

That's not really a dangerous stunt at all. The only reason he got canned is because 1) he didn't have approval and 2) the Chinese Civil aviation authority got wind of it and Cathay Pacific had to do something to keep them off their backs.

It goes back to that old adage - you can do whatever you want in an airplane, as long as you don't get caught. IMO, he was asking for trouble. You don't do low flyby's in a major populated area with company execs on board. That is just job suicide.

It's not like he was screaming across the field at 350 knots either, but you really can't fly someone else's airplane like you own it. A completely different set of rules HAVE to be abided by when you fly paying passengers.

BTW, this isn't the first time that something like this has happened. I know a Chief Pilot at a major airline who took a Boeing product and hauled ass down a major, busy metropolitan airport at about 10 feet on it's delivery flight to the said airline. Once a picture of the "flyby" got on the internet, some people got in trouble from the "higher-ups". The FAA takes a dim view of "unplanned" aerial activities done without their permission.

You can't fly Boeing products like warbirds, they are mutually exclusive.

Fri Feb 29, 2008 10:29 pm

Oshkosh back in around 1981 I watched Tex Johnston - half roll A 707 to
inverted He maid a low pass 50 ft or sow pulled up and half rolled to
inverted and climbed out at 30 to 40 degrees then half rolled back the
way He rolled in the FAA said He was not alowed to roll the aircraft over
[ He did not ] it was awsom to watch one of the most exciting thimgs I
have seen at an airshow and the most memorable. :D 8)
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