Warbird Information Exchange

Sad, but I think it's true. Have heard rumors about such things here in TX even at a few different local airports. It's funny how someone will move next to an existing place, then start complaining about it's existence...
At our event in May I had the dubious privilege to talk to two county sheriffs who said that some parents had called in about two *low-flying planes* that *supposedly* dropped a liquid onto their 14-yr old son while turning low over their house.
Now I personally don't think the report had any credibility, and the basic description they gave of the aircraft did not match any of our arrivals or visitors exactly, we didn't have any two-ship formations up, and I don't believe that the planes were flying that low (I've got pictures of most of the arrivals). Anyhow, thankfully the officer I was talking to didn't press me to the point of my getting angry... But I was mighty upset.
He wanted to talk to the pilots, wanted to look at the planes, etc... But I knew he didn't have any warrant, so I just did some fast thinking and reasoned with him as nicely as I could. Hope I don't ever have to do that again.
I only wish I knew where the report actually came from so I could warn our folks to stay away from that house.

Ryan

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Aerial Photographer with Red Wing Aerial Photography currently based at KRBD and tailwheel CFI.
Websites: Texas Tailwheel Flight Training, DoolittleRaid.com and Lbirds.com.

The horse is prepared against the day of battle: but safety is of the LORD. - Prov. 21:31 - Train, Practice, Trust.

From the VP
"Thank you for the words of encouragement. At this point it has become a fight for aviation in general and we are going to bring down the full weight of all the advocate groups and the FAA.
It should be interesting!!
Thanks,
Travis Warthen
Vice President
Leading Edge Aviation"

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Don't touch my junk!!

I'm not sure which one I dislike the most, a NIMBY or Silver States Helicopter. If I were King, and it's probably a good thing that I'm not, there is a list of people that I would put up against the wall on my first day in power. The guy that ran Silver States Helicopter would be the first one on my list. That scumbag huckster did more damage to the helicopter training industry than anyone has ever managed to do before. Silver States was a Ponzi scheme from the very beginning and it's crash to the ground left nothing but heartache and financial ruin for countless people.

Most of the time, a NIMBY will stay in his or her hole. They only come out when somebody disturbs them or when it's time to mate. Since they tend to perform their courtship rituals at City Council Meetings and Planning and Zoning Meetings, it's best to avoid giving them a reason to show up. It's a well known fact that R-22s and un-hushed G-IIs will cause them to come out of their holes in droves. You might think they show up at these meetings to complain about General Aviation but really they are just looking for a mate so they can make little NIMBYs. They have more in common with Cicadas and Termites than they do with the rest of the non-aviation oriented public.

Have any of you ever been at a general aviation airport that was suddenly overrun by a Silver States Helicopter franchise? We tried to work with them here in St. Louis but it was useless. They had no respect for anyone else at the airport, they refused to follow rules, they drove our friendly neighbors crazy, they were involved in several near misses, and worst of all, they caused a fresh hatch of NIMBYs. And here's the kicker, the franchise was actually based at Spirit of St. Louis Airport, they just came over to Creve Coeur Airport to clog up the pattern, tear up our grass runway, and slide down the hard surface. The solution was easy. We put out a NOTAM closing the airport to helicopter training operations and waited for Silver States to fold up.

I love helicopters. Some day I would like to finish my rotor rating and own a UH-1H but here's my point. Just because a helicopter can land almost anywhere does not mean a helicopter SHOULD land anywhere. The R-22 in particular is very hard to spot and when there are four of them in the pattern with you at the same time, but none of them are really following the pattern, it's a recipe for a collision.

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Albert Stix Jr.
"Work is the curse of the drinking class"