FUN maintenance day!

Iceman

Iceman

Pre-takeoff checklist
Joined
Apr 27, 2005
Messages
374
Location
Kalamazoo, MI
Display Name
Display name:
Chris
Normally a trip to get maintenance done on an aircraft is not the most fun a pilot can have. Especially if the trip requires you to spend most of your hard earned cash to get the bird up in the air again.



This trip was very different:



To get the propeller balanced

Woke up very early…plane departed SW Michigan ~6:15am

***edit***

I learned soooo much about what it takes to make/maintain a propeller with this in-depth behind the scenes action.

***edit***



Overall it was a very informative and exciting aviation day!



Here are some pictures of the day…
***Sorry guys playing it safe***














 
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Iceman said:
One experienced gentleman said he would fly in formation with us for a little while…I said please do. Oh man was that exciting, he did all sorts of cool things and we had front row seats!
Click to expand...

With all due respect to your inexperience in these matters, what those two "experienced gentlemen" did was totally unsafe and, while not in violation of 91.111 since the flight was conducted with the permission of all PIC's, in violation of two very important fundamental rules of the organizations which the FAA has authorized to sanction formation flying (FFI and FAST).
  1. Never, EVER, participate in a formation flight unless you are trained and qualified in formation flying and a full formation flight brief is conducted prior to flight.
  2. The photos you posted show two clear violations of formation doctrine. In one, the pilot in the Christen?Pitts? has lost sight of the you (the lead aircraft based on the first picture) by going in front of and belly-up to you. In another, the #2 plane is passing in front of lead.
I realize that you were not aware of the standards and procedures for formation flying, but the fact that these two did this shows that either they, too, are not aware of the rules, or that they lack the requisite discipline to follow them. Either way, stay away from these two jokers before they get you killed.
 
Ron Levy said:
With all due respect to your inexperience in these matters, what those two "experienced gentlemen" did was totally unsafe and, while not in violation of 91.111 since the flight was conducted with the permission of all PIC's, in violation of two very important fundamental rules of the organizations which the FAA has authorized to sanction formation flying (FFI and FAST).

  1. Never, EVER, participate in a formation flight unless you are trained and qualified in formation flying and a full formation flight brief is conducted prior to flight.
  2. The photos you posted show two clear violations of formation doctrine. In one, the pilot in the Christen?Pitts? has lost sight of the you (the lead aircraft based on the first picture) by going in front of and belly-up to you. In another, the #2 plane is passing in front of lead.
I realize that you were not aware of the standards and procedures for formation flying, but the fact that these two did this shows that either they, too, are not aware of the rules, or that they lack the requisite discipline to follow them. Either way, stay away from these two jokers before they get you killed.
Click to expand...


I deleted the pictures above that might be in question. At no time did I feel unsafe. The only time that the other pilot did not have full view of us when when he was departing to the south. He was banking hard left.

I feel a lot more unsafe when I see pilots not looking out the window (learning how to use gps, taking care of kids, reading a book, etc.) or people in the pattern that are all over the place and are not using the radio
 
Just one more remark...at no time was formation flying done. I used the wrong word when describing the pictures. I just wanted to take pictures of his plane in the air. We did NOT take off together, climb together, or decend together. He slowly came closer to me for pictures with permission from me. Therefore in my opinion he was not breaking any rules or risking the lives of anyone.
 
Iceman said:
Just one more remark...at no time was formation flying done. I used the wrong word when describing the pictures. I just wanted to take pictures of his plane in the air. We did NOT take off together, climb together, or decend together. He slowly came closer to me for pictures with permission from me. Therefore in my opinion he was not breaking any rules or risking the lives of anyone.
Click to expand...

Again, I understand your lack of training and experience in formation flying, but a formation flight most definitely took place whether you realize it or not. Taking off or landing together is not necessary for a formation flight. In simplest terms, "formation flight" means flight in which aircraft are operated in a coordinated fashion with less than standard separation. (When aircraft are operated in an UNcoordinated fashion with less than standard separation, it's called a "91.111 violation.") While I agree that since you gave permission, no FAA rules were broken, the fact is that what you did was a formation flight, and it was done in violation of several fundamental formation flying safety standards. Removing the pictures will only ensure that the guilty parties remain anonymous -- it will not change the fact that you were unwittingly drawn into a dangerous operation.

For some good background on the issues, please see http://www.avweb.com/news/airman/184315-1.html. I also recommend Bruce Landsburg's article "Formation Fumbles" (http://www.aopa.org/asf/asfarticles/2001/sp0107.html). For more on the accepted formation flying standards, I recommend the basic manual used by all FFI- and FAST-qualified formation flyers (the T-34 Formation Flight Manual) and the Darton video that presents its contents, both available from the T-34 Association web site (http://www.t-34.com/store/merchandise_acc.htm).

Ron Levy
FFI WG-52 (awaiting flight lead check)
 
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