gismo
Touchdown! Greaser!
Ahh, but those 4-5 seconds are a joy to experience! Is this practical, no. But sometimes you need to go beyond practical.
Hi Performance Cars VS. High Performance planes
- Thread starter Dean
- Start date
Ahh, but those 4-5 seconds are a joy to experience! Is this practical, no. But sometimes you need to go beyond practical.
gismo
Touchdown! Greaser!
The behavior you've described does indeed fit the profile of a "bad bike rider".
bigred177
Cleared for Takeoff
What better way to learn what a car can and cannot do than by experience. Or until the money runs out.
gismo
Touchdown! Greaser!
It's more likely his signoff simply means that his his insurer will cover the loss should you fail to return the plane in one piece. You might have an uncommon relationship with your FBO, but IME the relationship between most pilots and "their" CFI is not intimate enough for the CFI to have a realistic perception of the pilot's capabilities and especially their judgment, at least once the pilot is no longer a full time student of the CFI.
But chances are the "students" who aren't likely to "listen" are the ones that would need to.
gismo
Touchdown! Greaser!
Pretty much sums it up! Vastly different issues.
Gary
There's a lot of difference but there are some similarities as well and most of them center around judgment. I'm pretty sure that most any 16 year old with a driver's license could manage to herd a Dodge Viper down the freeway on dry pavement at speeds reasonably close to the posted speed limit. But I'd also guess that way more than half of them would feel compelled to try for more and many of those would find out the hard way what a bad idea that would be. Similarly I'm pretty sure I could teach most any pilot who has been reasonably successful piloting a C172 around the pattern and practice area to do the same thing with a Bonanza including landings at any airport without unusual challenges in a hour or two. But a Bonanza (or SR22 or C210 etc) comes with the option for trips crossing several states in one leg not to mention more than one complete weather system on a trip of "reasonable" length. It also likely has advanced systems (autopilot, weather displays, etc) that might tempt a pilot to "push the limits" (of the pilot more than the airplane) just like the "unnecessary" extra few hundred horses in that Viper tempts the noobie driver. A pilot with the judgment to fly a HP airplane (excluding an overpowered warbird or a twin) within the limits imposed by their inexperience would probably fair just as well in a Bonanza as they would in a C172 or C182 just as the unusually conservative teenage driver of a Viper could do fine by ignoring the lure of all those ponies and the neck bending traction limits of that car.
Keane
Pre-takeoff checklist
I was at a car dealer one time when someone picked up his brand new Viper.
He was there early in the morning while they pulled it out of the truck, got his paperwork done, and took a bunch of pictures. He clicked it on and revved it a few times and spent about 2 hours talking about it to everyone who would listen (and many who wouldn't!).
Anyway, he finally decides to leave. He gets to the edge of the parking lot, and starts to turn right onto the main road. He got on the gas a little too hard, and slid it across the other lane of traffic and hit a pole. He had owned it for a few hours, had driven it about 200 feet, and wrecked it already.
When they towed it out, he had destroyed both of the left suspensions hitting the curb, messed up most of the body, and had a nice sized crease down the door.
steingar
Taxi to Parking
Did someone at least have the decency to post it on Youtube?
Keane
Pre-takeoff checklist
Good grief, I wish! This was in the early 2000's, so I don't know if we had youtube then, and I'm sure he was quite embarrassed.
There is one that I saw on youtube once, where on the 1st day a guy owns his viper, he decides to take it to a straight road to put it to the test.
He's got this empty straight street and guns it for his first run. Shifts and the rear end gets wild, he slides it off the side of the road and flips it over a downed telephone pole. It was pretty ugly when I saw it.
The Viper for the longest time had the construction theory of: "Toss a race suspension, a big ole motor, and a huge price tag on a metal sled. Get the person to pay up front". Enough "V-Tailed Doctor Killer" type drivers would buy them and destroy them within a few days.
skidoo
Line Up and Wait
I hope there is something to that. It's pretty much describes my flying experience.
Ted
The pilot formerly known as Twin Engine Ted
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iFlyNothing
And when driven by someone who knows how to use that race suspension and power, the thing is pretty hard to beat. Remember in the early 2000s when there was the competition between the original Corvette Z06, the Mustang Cobra R (the 5.4L one, not the mid 90s version with the 351 in it), and the Viper? The Viper consistently came in last at the race track because the magazine drivers weren't good enough to handle it. At least they seemed to have the sense to not push it too hard and wreck it. When you get someone who spends enough free time learning how to properly drive the car at the track, though, it's a whole different story. I am not such a driver, and I respect those that are. But if I still had my '82 XJ-S, I could push that around the track and probably surprise you with what that old beast could do (hint: a lot of C5 Vette owners had their mouths gaping open).
I've not driven a Viper, but I've driven a fair number of 300-400 hp cars and liter bikes. I can understand how people will get too much power in, but what I don't get is how or why people just put it in first gear and let 'er rip. I always start in TOP gear on the highway, and then work my way down, so I get a good idea of the engine's powerband. Smooth on the gas, etc. I've also never wrecked any of those 300-400 hp cars and liter bikes. Learn the limits slowly.
Keane
Pre-takeoff checklist
Exactly. The issue (like with the V tailed bonanzas) is people who don't have the training would go for them, and they are terribly unforgiving. In the right hands, the Viper is deadly.
My current 'nice weather' driver is a 500+ hp Twin Turbo car with a 1G+ suspension that will get ahead of you in no time. I can't imagine what it must be like with a car that less forgiving.
Trapper John
Ejection Handle Pulled
Good point. On any kind of new bike I start with slow, tight figure-eights. Then, accelerate hard halfway up first gear and see how the front brake and suspension responds. Repeat with rear brake, then both brakes, Adjust compression and static as needed (and rebound if you can). Tells you a lot about what's going to happen when you really romp on it. To hop on anything new and think you're Samtastic right out of the gate is a sure trip to the ER.
Trapper John
jesse
Touchdown! Greaser!
Accelerating hard on a liter bike in first gear will put you on your back. That includes my pretty timid bandit.
Not sure I would start doing tight figure eights on an unfamiliar bike from the get-go either.
I tend to avoid "tight" or any "accelerate hard" or anything that puts the bike on the outside of its envelope. Slowly work your way to those areas.
steingar
Taxi to Parking
Yeah, liter sportbikes are dangerous things. I started out a little too crazy on mine and nearly found some interesting ways to violently collide with Mr. Pavement. Common sense did win out, and I'm still here. I still think I'd die taking out a Lanceair sans CFI or training. I hopped on a literbike with neither and lived to tell the tale.