Airplane Repo The TV Series

Catalo said:
so im sitting here watching this with my dad who is not a pilot and i have to ask, how is this show legal? assuming it's all staged which i think was established on this thread or another i get they have permission sure. but one episode they were repoing an albatross it had an engine failure they landed in water and he was able to fix the blocked oil cooler. now the plane isn't airworthy since someone who presumably isnt an a&p fixed it. and they "steal" the planes by trespassing. so i'm confused how this show lives
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Because it's all fake. Just like how it's legal for fake cops to shoot innocent people on other TV shows.
 
Catalo said:
so im sitting here watching this with my dad who is not a pilot and i have to ask, how is this show legal? assuming it's all staged which i think was established on this thread or another i get they have permission sure. but one episode they were repoing an albatross it had an engine failure they landed in water and he was able to fix the blocked oil cooler. now the plane isn't airworthy since someone who presumably isnt an a&p fixed it. and they "steal" the planes by trespassing. so i'm confused how this show lives
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Just assume that nothing they SAY is happening is really happening.

There's no regulation against flying an airplane that has a PRETEND deficiency which a non-A&P has PRETENDED to fix. There's no law against PRETENDING to trespass or PRETENDING to steal airplanes. And by the way, it's not stealing if they are acting on behalf of a creditor that has a legal right to repossess the airplane.

It's drama, not a documentary.
 
Palmpilot said:
Just assume that nothing they SAY is happening is really happening.

There's no regulation against flying an airplane that has a PRETEND deficiency which a non-A&P has PRETENDED to fix. There's no law against PRETENDING to trespass or PRETENDING to steal airplanes. And by the way, it's not stealing if they are acting on behalf of a creditor that has a legal right to repossess the airplane.

It's drama, not a documentary.
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+1.....

:thumbsup:
 
N801BH said:
+1.....

:thumbsup:
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Exactly! A television is nothing more than an entertainment device like a Playstation or Xbox, The truth doesn't exist there!


Kevin Lacey is my favorite... "Yeah Baby"!!!
 
Palmpilot said:
Just assume that nothing they SAY is happening is really happening.

There's no regulation against flying an airplane that has a PRETEND deficiency which a non-A&P has PRETENDED to fix....
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There is a better reality show than 'Airplane Repo' called 'Shipping Wars' (not saying that much I admit).

Shipping Wars shows independant small truckers hauling various ridiculous things around the country.

In one episode the trucker was given a Mig-17 with the wings removed to haul to a new owner.

The new owner required the truck driver to reattach the wings so that he could start the engine and fly off in his Mig. :rofl:
 
I did see one real thing happen on a "reality" show lately: The Pawn Stars went to see Aluminum Overcast (the EAA's B-17) and took a ride in it.
 
The show is staged, but it's entertaining.

Whenever you see a reality show with the disclaimer "based on..." you know it's just them re-enacting stuff.

The original "Airplane Repo" show on Discovery actually centered around one company and it wasn't staged. It was a three part docu-series. But it was far less exciting of course. No bold confrontations and bloody noses. The show was more about tracking down the planes, meeting deadlines, getting through the legal hurdles, and how the process works.
 
Bonchie said:
The show is staged, but it's entertaining.

Whenever you see a reality show with the disclaimer "based on..." you know it's just them re-enacting stuff.
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"Reality" shows are more likely original works of fiction. You can't re-enact things that never happened.

The original "Airplane Repo" show on Discovery actually centered around one company and it wasn't staged. But it was far less exciting of course.
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I saw made-up stuff in those episodes too. Like making up a story for the sheriff's deputy that the reason they were parked outside an airport fence at night was that they wanted to get a look at some pop star's plane. Why not "We're repossession agents looking for an aircraft whose owner is in default."
 
Palmpilot said:
"
I saw made-up stuff in those episodes too. Like making up a story for the sheriff's deputy that the reason they were parked outside an airport fence at night was that they wanted to get a look at some pop star's plane. Why not "We're repossession agents looking for an aircraft whose owner is in default."
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Yes, I guess TV producers need the drama of having actors creeping around airport fences trying to penetrate the typical Fort Knox style security system that surrounds GA airports (in their imaginations).

Why not rent a C-150 and fly in on the air side if the FBO is closed and you can't guess the gate code?
 
JimNtexas said:
Yes, I guess TV producers need the drama of having actors creeping around airport fences trying to penetrate the typical Fort Knox style security system that surrounds GA airports (in their imaginations).

Why not rent a C-150 and fly in on the air side if the FBO is closed and you can't guess the gate code?
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At our airport the code is the runways lol...Real serious security there.
 
Palmpilot said:
I saw made-up stuff in those episodes too. Like making up a story for the sheriff's deputy that the reason they were parked outside an airport fence at night was that they wanted to get a look at some pop star's plane. Why not "We're repossession agents looking for an aircraft whose owner is in default."
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I mean the situations. They were repoing real planes. Whether the Sherriff was in on that bit, I don't know. Probably.

You also never saw the defaulter in that show or any dramatized confrontations mostly because those probably don't usually happen in real life.

But who cares. In the new show you get to see some cool planes in some cool places. I'm gonna guess it's viewership isn't big enough to make a dent in public perception of GA.
 
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Haha! Just watched the episode to tonight. Poor Mike Kennedy had to deal with a total blackout due to a bad battery. He had 3 small lights that were powered by the magneto and luckily the landing light was one of those.
 
I especially liked the cross-promotion of pulling in Cory and Pete from "Dangerous Flights" to help out with the Albatross.
 
48dodge said:
Haha! Just watched the episode to tonight. Poor Mike Kennedy had to deal with a total blackout due to a bad battery. He had 3 small lights that were powered by the magneto and luckily the landing light was one of those.
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I just watched that one myself. You can actually see him flip a switch downward causing a red light to illuminate and an alarm to sound...to which he responds "what was that?"

I haven't seen many episodes but that has to have been the worst. Nobody in their right mind would rush to get ahead of a thunderstorm so they can fly over an ocean at night in an airplane they know nothing about which happens to have a dead battery.
 
48dodge said:
Haha! Just watched the episode to tonight. Poor Mike Kennedy had to deal with a total blackout due to a bad battery. He had 3 small lights that were powered by the magneto and luckily the landing light was one of those.
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Not to mention that the narrator kept saying this is happening at 5000 feet when the altimeter is in plain sight reading about 940 feet. At least the tach was reading cruise power.

Then poor Mike kept saying he needed some sort of outside light to get a reference on the horizon, meanwhile looking out the left window the lights of civilization is passing under the left wing.

I understand this show is made for non-flying people, but sometimes it seems like the producers think the American public is just plain stupid.

Infiltrating a "motorcycle gang" and gaining trust in one day to repo a Seneca....:lol:

If there was a disclaimer that said something that this show is full of literary licensing made purely for entertainment value, then I would not be so critical about it.
 
Allright. Simma down now! It's TV. Relax. Super long thread so obviously interesting. I am a 60 hr student, rather embarrassed to say that this show--and having an office across from CubCrafters in Yakima--got me back into aviation after flying with my dad 40 years ago. Love the show, even w the fake portions. Enjoy all the different airplanes they are after, different airports. The one guy--alligator man--is in an ad for the some simulator company. He had some kind of inflight emergency in a jet and his sim training helped w getting the plane down. Yes, it's on my DVR....
 
I tried to watch it again last night. The pretty girl wasn't hard to look at. And of course the only way to get into an airport is climbing over barbed wire.

But when the big red "YOU'RE ABOUT TO DIE" light came on along with a klaxon in an Archer I had to give up on it.

At my age I can't afford to destroy that many brain cells in just one hour.
 
It has airplanes, better than anything else on TV :D
 
Also in the most recent episode when Kevin's new assistant went to start that Skyhawk the first time you can clearly see the mixture at idle cutoff. I think they are getting worse as the season goes on. Unfortunately I cant stop watching haha.
 
Watch the subtitles for a bit more entertainment.

Listening to the AWOS say visibility 10, it says the control tower is telling him that he won't be able to see anything. Or when the subtitles talk about him using the "R and N" approach instead of the RNAV.

I also enjoyed them saying the Challenger was doing 500mph descending through 10000 ft. I thought there were speed limits below 10000?

I have to confess - I still have it set to DVR.
 
dcotton said:
No doubt. I cannot imagine not wanting to watch the only show on TV with airplanes. Who cares how silly.
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I honestly watch it almost like someone would watch pro wrestling.
Really hope they post more Worst Place to Be a Pilot on YouTube.
 
As for the general public, it seems to at least stir some interest in GA. We gave plane rides today and one guy said he watched the show and wanted to take a ride then asked if we had ever had anyone have their plane repossessed from our field. So, it's bettern than how GA is normally displayed; as rich a-holes or death traps looking for a place to happen.
 
oregonboy109 said:
Also in the most recent episode when Kevin's new assistant went to start that Skyhawk the first time you can clearly see the mixture at idle cutoff. I think they are getting worse as the season goes on. Unfortunately I cant stop watching haha.
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The newer Skyhawks are fuel injected, and the starting procedure involves turning it over with the mixture full lean, and pushing the mixture in when it catches. (This is after priming it.)

The part I found amusing is that she was struggling to find the right key to open the door, when the windows were open, so that she could have just reached in and opened it with the inside handle.
 
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Palmpilot said:
The newer Skyhawks are fuel injected, and the starting procedure involves turning it over with the mixture full lean, and pushing the mixture in when it catches. (This is after priming it.)

The part I found amusing is that she was struggling to find the right key to open the door, when the windows were open, so that she could have just reached in and opened it with the inside handle.
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I laughed pretty hard at that, too. I guess she didn't want to set the alarm off.
 
I thought it was curious that Kennedy's truck that he was driving in the Bahamas to scout out the airport had Texas registration stickers on it.
 
:dunno:So if you've lost the electrical, does the landing light still work?:dunno:
 
Someone should make a funny YouTube video on this series comparing what would happen in that show vs. real life.

Airplane Repo: Reality Show versus Real Life :D
 
Twin_Flyer said:
:dunno:So if you've lost the electrical, does the landing light still work?:dunno:
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Thank you - worst part about the show are the "emergencies" -- such "skilled" landings with no electricity (how'd the gear and flaps come down and why is there a radio and landing lights?) or the "fuel system imbalance" so let's fly in a slip...

Although whoever said at least there are airplanes on tv, that is true, sadly I watch because there isn't much else to...
 
Yes, the Airplane Repo show has lots of errors in it, especially that pilots recognize. For me, there is such a shortage of things to see regarding GA, that I give them a pass.

I can tell you though, that at least one of the characters is a really good guy. I met him a few years ago and at that time, he said that he never has any idea what the show will look like until he watches it at the same time we do. He only sees a little of the video on their camera monitor screen after shooting and before the producers go off to edit an episode from it.

I bumped into a crop duster friend of mine yesterday afternoon landing at KPRX, a field that is neither his home field or mine. When I asked him if he was lost, he said no he was there to film a TV show, then I saw Kevin tying down his 182. My friend wanted Kevin to see my plane and we visited for a good bit. He is a solid guy and really fun to just shoot the breeze with.

SO, expect an episode about repo of a Pawnee in an upcoming episode, and don't condemn all of the individuals because they are on a hoakie show.
 
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I was in the company of Airplane Repos Ken Cage and his side kick Danny Thompson a couple of weeks back, Ken is a licensed Repo agent here in Florida and Danny is a Bounty Hunter by trade, neither are pilots or have any deep interest in aviation, Ken will repo anything if there is a buck in it for him. They told me the repos on the show are re-enactments of actual repos with bits added for "showbiz" affect otherwise it would be real boring as most real repos tend to be.
They definitely enjoy doing the show and the notoriety it's given them, Ken now describes himself as an Actor and Repo Agent.
Both guys are a lot of fun to be around very friendly and approachable and have some great stories to tell.
 
They were filming an episode up north of Atlanta (Cherokee County KCNI) last week in front of our hangar. I got a chance to talk to Mike Kennedy, who is very into airplanes. Real nice guy and kind of takes the show with a grain of salt. If you see him standing in front of a yellow T-6 this season, that is our airplane! :)
 
Rod Schneider said:
They were filming an episode up north of Atlanta (Cherokee County KCNI) last week in front of our hangar. I got a chance to talk to Mike Kennedy, who is very into airplanes. Real nice guy and kind of takes the show with a grain of salt. If you see him standing in front of a yellow T-6 this season, that is our airplane! :)
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First post....

Welcome to POA....

:cheers::cheers::cheers:
 
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