Food For Thought--INFO

[FlynHigh]

Pilot loses license after buzzing Texas beach

06/24/2010

By SARAH PORTLOCK / Associated Press

Federal officials have revoked the pilot's license of a man who buzzed a crowd on a Galveston County beach, flying a single-engine plane as low as 15 feet about the ground and snagging a fishing line.

Joseph Bryan Kirbow flew so low during the March incident that the plane snagged a man's line and broke his fishing pole, while wind from the plane blew another man's hat off, the Federal Aviation Administration said Wednesday.

Planes must fly at least 1,000 feet in the air except during take off or landing, FAA spokesman Lynn Lunsford said.

Kirbow surrendered his airman certificate "immediately" after receiving the FAA's June 16 revocation letter and can't apply for a new license for at least a year, Lunsford said.

Phone numbers were not listed for Kirbow's home address in Beaumont nor his company where the plane was registered, Kirbow Transportation Enterprises, in Nederland, Texas.

During the flight, one of Kirbow's two passengers asked if they would be in trouble for flying so low, according to the FAA investigation. Kirbow said he had "buzzed the beach many times" and "would not get in trouble for it."

One witness, Terry Rodery of Santa Fe, told investigators he thought the plane was going to crash until he saw the pilot smile and buzz the group at least twice.

[Boback]

He will most likely need to spend some time with a CFI and another check ride before that give that license back.

[Dennis Garrett]

Sounds like it must have been a real airplane if he had two passengers with him. I'm sure none of the PPC guys would ever buzz anybody or fly that low.

[lowpull]

How could you tell if a PPC buzzed you. Most of these guys never get to 1000 feet their whole flight! It is like a 2 hour buzz job.

But seriously, one of my buddies buzzed me while I was prepping my PPC and I literally started to duck for cover. I've been gun shy about show boating since I bounced my PPC.

I can't think of anything worse than being banned from flying. Best think about it twice.

On the safety side, statistics show that most aviation fatalities involve high speed dirt. Best to stay away from that too.

Blue Skies

[Boback]

I have seen 3 people have an engine out while in flight. Each time they were very low and slow. One quickly landed in the tall grass, the 2nd rolled into a line of trees and the third rolled into a barbed wire fence (luckily he had frontal bars). In each case the pilot was not planning for a possible engine out. I was taught from day one in fixed wing that you ALWAYS plan for an emergency landing every second of your flight. I have never had an engine out, and I hope I never will, but that is always in the back of my mind.

I would hate to be the one who did a low pass over somebody and suddenly have an engine out. Have we ever heard of a PPC landing on a PPC? Could be messy.

[Alex WD-1]

Originally Posted by Boback

I was taught from day one in fixed wing that you ALWAYS plan for an emergency landing every second of your flight.

Me, too, Bob, was taught, "You can fly like that's engine's going to run forever, or you can fly like it's about to quit on you any second. And if you fly long enough, it's not if you'll have an engine out, it's when."

[FlynHigh]

Originally Posted by FlynHigh

Pilot loses license after buzzing Texas beach

06/24/2010

By SARAH PORTLOCK / Associated Press

Federal officials have revoked the pilot's license of a man who buzzed a crowd on a Galveston County beach, flying a single-engine plane as low as 15 feet about the ground and snagging a fishing line.

Joseph Bryan Kirbow flew so low during the March incident that the plane snagged a man's line and broke his fishing pole, while wind from the plane blew another man's hat off, the Federal Aviation Administration said Wednesday.

Planes must fly at least 1,000 feet in the air except during take off or landing, FAA spokesman Lynn Lunsford said.

Kirbow surrendered his airman certificate "immediately" after receiving the FAA's June 16 revocation letter and can't apply for a new license for at least a year, Lunsford said.

Phone numbers were not listed for Kirbow's home address in Beaumont nor his company where the plane was registered, Kirbow Transportation Enterprises, in Nederland, Texas.

During the flight, one of Kirbow's two passengers asked if they would be in trouble for flying so low, according to the FAA investigation. Kirbow said he had "buzzed the beach many times" and "would not get in trouble for it."

One witness, Terry Rodery of Santa Fe, told investigators he thought the plane was going to crash until he saw the pilot smile and buzz the group at least twice.

INTERESTING ARTICLE


AVFLASH NEWS

July 19, 2010
FAA Requires Aircraft Registration Renewals
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By Mary Grady, Contributing editor



The FAA will now require re-registration of all civil aircraft over the next three years and renewal every three years after that, the agency said on Monday. A final rule (pdf) published this week establishes specific expiration dates over a three-year period for all aircraft registered before Oct. 1, 2010, and requires re-registration of those aircraft according to a specific schedule. A fee of $5 will be collected for each registration and each renewal. The FAA will cancel the N-numbers of aircraft that are not re-registered or renewed. "These improvements will give us more up-to-date registration data and better information about the state of the aviation industry," said FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt. Current regulations require owners to report the sale of an aircraft, the scrapping or destruction of an aircraft, or a change in mailing address, but many owners have not complied with those requirements, the FAA said.

Re-registration of all U.S. civil aircraft by Dec. 31, 2013, will enhance the database with current data derived from recent contact with aircraft owners, according to the FAA. The new regulations also aim to ensure that aircraft owners give the FAA fresh information at least once every three years when they renew their registration. Click here for the FAA's full schedule for re-registration and registration expiration. The rule was proposed in 2008. AOPA had suggested that the rule should not include fees and shouldn't cancel N-numbers for lack of renewal. "We are disappointed that the FAA has chosen what may turn out to be a complicated and costly method of updating the aircraft registry," said AOPA Vice President of Regulatory Affairs Rob Hackman. The FAA reauthorization bill now in Congress would allow the FAA to raise the initial fee to $130 and renewals to $45, AOPA said. "AOPA will be monitoring the implementation of the rule closely and communicating with the FAA about any issues that arise," said Hackman.