Dumb & Dumber

Sounds like the FAA is correct in studying older planes, a study which the
AOPA is (naturally) "opposing."

What's the FAA got to do with it? The aircraft *operators* are FAR more
interested in "studying" their older planes than any government bureaucracy.

The point you continually miss is that we don't NEED a government entity
involved in GA -- or most anything else in our society. Aircraft operators
have the highest possible motivation to keep their aircraft airworthy (I.E.:
Presumably they don't want to die -- I know *I* don't.).

In my lifetime of experience, beyond the basics (road construction,
sidewalks, etc.) government doesn't solve ANYTHING. (Or, at best, after 47
years, I'm still awaiting evidence of any success.)
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

by "Jay Honeck" Jun 8, 2006 at 01:30 PM


Sounds like the FAA is correct in studying older planes, a study which
the
AOPA is (naturally) "opposing."

What's the FAA got to do with it? The aircraft *operators* are FAR more

interested in "studying" their older planes than any government
bureaucracy.

The point you continually miss is that we don't NEED a government entity
involved in GA -- or most anything else in our society. Aircraft
operators
have the highest possible motivation to keep their aircraft airworthy
(I.E.:
Presumably they don't want to die -- I know *I* don't.).

In my lifetime of experience, beyond the basics (road construction,
sidewalks, etc.) government doesn't solve ANYTHING. (Or, at best, after
47
years, I'm still awaiting evidence of any success.)



I don't like regulation much, but some is necessary to protect the public
(speed limits, auto inspections, etc.). The FAA's purported role is
ensuring safety, and as you said, you cannot be sure if a rental has been
damaged from pushing on the wing-tips.

As the planes are coming down onto homes now (another one outside Reno --
fortunately no one on the ground killed this time), the FAA must get
involved. Of course they also want to PROMOTE aviation, so they are
hopelessly conflicted.

"Stefan" wrote in message
...
Jay Honeck schrieb:

That stabilizer is designed to stand much more twisting force than any
real life girl could ever apply to it. Stefan


No. It isn't.

Karl
"Curator"
N185KG

On 2006-06-06, Stefan wrote:
That stabilizer is designed to stand much more twisting force than any
real life girl could ever apply to it.

Never underestimate the damage that can be caused by a point load at the
tip of a flight surface. I don't know about Cherokee stabilators and
girl point loads - but even a 1 mph tagging of a wingtip on a hangar can
bend spars on the inboard portion of the wing. Seemingly small point
loads on wingtips can cause all sorts of unseen damage. I believe
Highflyer has a story about a Taylorcraft spar and a compression
fracture he discovered in flight after a minor wingtip tagging incident.
Our club's C170 got a kinked aft spar after a minor wingtip tagging
incident.

--
Yes, the Reply-To email address is valid.
Oolite-Linux: an Elite tribute: http://oolite-linux.berlios.de

Since you recognized the N-number, perhaps you should tell
the owner about what you saw.


--
James H. Macklin
ATP,CFI,A&P

--
The people think the Constitution protects their rights;
But government sees it as an obstacle to be overcome.
some support
http://www.usdoj.gov/olc/secondamendment2.htm
See http://www.fija.org/ more about your rights and duties.


"Jay Honeck" wrote in message
news:kf7hg.764747$084.87755@attbi_s22...
| As we were preparing to depart the Quad Cities Air Show
yesterday (an
| outstanding show, BTW, with the Blue Angels and perfect
spring weather), I
| became aware of a Piper Warrior having difficulty a few
aircraft down from
| us.
|
| All transient aircraft had been parked in the grass off
the parallel taxiway
| for Rwy 15/33, and it seemed that this fellow was having
trouble taxiing
| back up onto the hard surface. His nosewheel was tight up
against the
| concrete lip, and he wasn't going anywhere now that he had
lost his "running
| start" at the step. I recognized the Warrior's tail
number as being a
| well-used rental bird from a nearby airport...
|
| Just as we started walking toward him to lend a hand, he
shut the engine
| down, and the door popped open. I figured he'd push the
plane back for
| another try at it, or perhaps try pulling the plane up
onto the hard surface
| with a tow bar.
|
| Instead, out popped this guy's girl friend, who proceeded
to walk back to
| the stabilator, hunch down, put her shoulder into it, and
started to PUSH
| THE PLANE BACK ON THE GRASS, straining as hard as she
could!
|
| Appalled, I started to shout something, but I was too far
away to be heard.
| In horror I watched as she pushed the plane backwards
through the grass
| about ten feet, not by pushing on anything sturdy, but by
really leaning
| into the thin aluminum, whilst her boyfriend sat all the
while quite
| comfortably strapped into his seat.
|
| Worse, she wasn't pushing down near the fuselage, where it
might take the
| load, but was rather giving her all way out at the end, by
the fiberglass
| tip, obviously unaware of the tremendous twisting force
she was exerting on
| the Piper's relatively delicate empennage.
|
| Before I could move further, she stood up, wiped her hands
on her shorts,
| and hopped back in the plane. This time he really gunned
the engine and
| popped right up onto the hard surface, and taxied merrily
away -- completely
| oblivious to the hidden damage his girlfriend may have
just wrought on that
| Warrior.
|
| If there was ever any doubt as to why we were so happy to
get out of the
| aircraft rental market, this was it. Anyone who has ever
seen the
| sturdy-yet delicate structure of the Cherokee's stabilator
knows that it was
| never designed for asymmetric twisting forces like that
girl imposed, and
| God only knows what hidden damage may have been wrought in
those few seconds
| of awesome stupidity.
| --
| Jay Honeck
| Iowa City, IA
| Pathfinder N56993
| www.AlexisParkInn.com
| "Your Aviation Destination"
|
| --
| --
| Jay Honeck
| Iowa City, IA
| Pathfinder N56993
| www.AlexisParkInn.com
| "Your Aviation Destination"
|
|

Jay Honeck wrote:
As we were preparing to depart the Quad Cities Air Show yesterday

.... snip witnessed act of complete ignorance ...

I'll add my comment to the chorus of others suggesting you clue in the
renting FBO as to what you saw the renter do with their airplane.

"Jay Honeck" wrote in message
Worse, she wasn't pushing down near the fuselage, where it might take the
load, but was rather giving her all way out at the end, by the fiberglass
tip, obviously unaware of the tremendous twisting force she was exerting
on
the Piper's relatively delicate empennage.

Not good, but sometimes structures are stronger than we might think. I've
seen where a firetruck caught the tip of an Arrow's stab. The stab was
turned 45 degrees but didn't bend. The fuselage failed in front of the stab.

D.

On 2006-06-06, Jay Honeck wrote:

All transient aircraft had been parked in the grass off the parallel taxiway
for Rwy 15/33, and it seemed that this fellow was having trouble taxiing
back up onto the hard surface. His nosewheel was tight up against the
concrete lip, and he wasn't going anywhere

And let me guess -- the elevator was at rest, fully nose-down? We
nosedragger pilots are a menace on grass. ;-)

--
Ben Jackson

http://www.ben.com/

"JH" == Jay Honeck writes:
JH whilst her boyfriend sat all the while quite comfortably
JH strapped into his seat.

JH her shorts

Damn, sounds like a fine girlfriend.

Damn, sounds like a fine girlfriend.

Agreed!

I admire her spirit, if not her knowledge. She just jumped right out and
started working, driving that aircraft backwards without a moment's
hesitation -- almost like she'd done it before.

Oh, well. I once watched a new owner push his airplane into the hangar by
pushing as hard as he could on the spinner. Stuff happens.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"