July 2022
Where to start? This really is more like an April fools joke, I was just waiting for the punchline.
It’s remarkable that somebody could do so many things wrong, and live to talk about it.
I suspect he has some deep rooted psychiatric conditions, not the least of which is anti social personality disorder, defiant disorder, etc. With that said he has fallen out of the family tree, and hit every branch all the way down.
I’m just grateful he didn’t hurt anyone else.
Not to be malicious, but I hope that one of his injuries was a testicular trauma so he cannot reproduce.
1 reply
July 2022
It will be interesting to see what punishment the FAA metes out on this one! I’m thinking his flying days are pretty much over.
1 reply
July 2022
▶ maule
Such injury would be the equivalent of a Darwin Award.
July 2022
It’s too bad that he damaged a perfectly good airplane in the process. There’s NO excuse for what he did. I hope he gets handed a huge bill for everything and then grounded for life.
July 2022
If this “student” had any designs on a future as a pilot the FAA will focus his thoughts elsewhere. Liquor AND dope, this guy really wanted to make sure of his inebriation, yes?
1 reply
July 2022
All it takes is for a few (expletive deleted) (expletive deleted) shitebirds to cause the rest of us a boatload of problems. Shun him. Turn your back on this kind of behavior. Don’t sell or rent him an airplane or agree to give him instruction. He made his clear choices … make yours
1 reply
July 2022
A student pilot doesn’t get to make a long cross country half-way across the country! I would think a few questions to his instructor would be appropriate here, as well. If he wasn’t cleared to make this long cross-country flight, did the airport report the plane missing? There are so many questions to this (including the various drugs and such found in the plane) that lead one to believe there is more to this story than we’re getting at first glance.
July 2022
▶ alex.nelon
Wish you had told me sooner.
As a newly minted CFI, my first student was a non-traditional student. He was over 40, married, and a used car dealership manager. Oh, and he had his own plane, a nice 180hp Cherokee. My first clue should have been when he told me that I was his sixth CFI and he just wanted me to finish him up. He flew well enough and after a few lessons I was getting ready to sign him off for his visit to the DPE, when he BRAGGED to me that he had recently flown into a large commercial Class B airport on the other side of the state to pick up his son and brought him back home. I was stunned and at a loss. I suspected that I should report his behavior to the feds but really didn’t know how to handle it. I was in over my head here. I asked my CFI mentor what should I do. He said to tell the student that if he does it again, he’s going to have to find another CFI. The student acted contrite and said he would comply. So, I finished him up and he passed his exam and got his certificate. It never sat well with me. Especially so when not long after, I had to deviate to avoid him while I was taking off as he came blasting down final to my runway in the opposite direction in spite of the fact that the tower had cleared me to depart and he hadn’t been cleared to the runway. I never saw him again.
I would not only shun him today, but I would report him to the local FSDO as a problem and let them deal with it. Be careful folks, he’s still out there somewhere.
1 reply
July 2022
July 2022
I’ve still got the records of the first instructional flights I administered to two middle-aged men who together enrolled with me for Private Pilot trng. Their wives would wait at the FBO (Transient Aviation @ KHOU) while we performed their first lessons.
After a couple of lessons I thought I detected the smell of alcohol on the breath of one of the guys…so I shortened the pre-solo lesson…and while he was in the mens’ lavatory I asked his wife if he imbibed before flying. She cautiously looked all-around and then under her breath she said, “They do that to calm their nerves before coming into the FBO.”
I told her to tell him if he and his friend ever does that again I will inform the local FAA and the police.
I never saw Leeds or Ben again.
July 2022
Welcome to the age of stupid
July 2022
▶ rekabr52
Liquor, dope… and gun. Everything you need to fly, except for fuel.
1 reply
July 2022
This sounds like someone from the old Air America, CIA, drug running days. I hoped we were past all that but I guess not.
July 2022
Permanent Revocation of Student Pilot Certificate & Class III Medical. Period. And Hopefully State Law will apply similar justice to his D.L. & Felony Convictions for CDS and Firearm possession. GA doesn’t need losers such as this.
July 2022
▶ Eric_Schlanser
Eric:
So, how long ago did you encounter this dead man walking pilot? In what State of the Union? For my own longevity, it would be nice to know whether he’s already have earned his Darwin Award.
July 2022
It looks like the truck driver saved his life!
July 2022
▶ harry
It’s not illegal to carry a gun in your airplane, but it’s likely illegal to do so whilst drunk.
1 reply
July 2022
▶ jbmcnamee
Right, since he cares so much about the law and the FAA telling him he’s not allowed to fly would make some kind of difference. That’s like saying more gun laws will reduce crime.
1 reply
July 2022
▶ rkphillipsjr
You think there’s a law that says you can’t carry a gun in your plane if you’re drunk? I seriously doubt it. According to the article, however, he was busted for felony gun possession, which means it was illegal for him to possess a gun at all.
July 2022
After a landing like that, I’d need a drink, too. And maybe a change of clothes.
July 2022
Yes, you can go to jail / prison for flying under the influence.
This isn’t just an FAA thing saying you can not fly anymore. The FAA is a safety / regulatory environment with the US Attorney to reck your world if they decide you acted with criminal intent to violate the regulations…
You can go to federal prison after you do your state time. Most people don’t know this. One is a federal crime, one is a state crime. No double jeopardy, only double the time.
July 2022
▶ bob7
Amen. Roger that! She had the situational awareness to save the day!
Thats one trip you’ll never forget Crystal. Something to tell your grand kids about.
July 2022
This guy is toast. Good. But what about the others lurking out there on the fringe? CFIs are the first line of defense, and they need to step up their game here, and actively police the student pilot community for anti-authoritarian tendencies. It won’t do much for those that have already left the reservation, but it might dissuade a few. If we don’t police our own, we’ll have a bunch of fired up FSDO inspectors roaming around the ramps. We need to keep our house in order.
July 2022
▶ jpw
So why have any laws then, if people just ignore them? Turn off the Fox News
June 2023
Interesting. Can someone tell me why you can’t just embed the motors in the wing to blow air over the surface through slots. You could also distribute the airflow more evenly via ducts. Seems like less drag. Also, if you do this do you need the slats?
1 reply
June 2023
I wonder if laminar flow wings have been tried on GA ships.
1 reply
June 2023
▶ tsouthga
You can, lots of engineering work in 50-70’s with bleed air thru ducts (leading or trailing edges/ Coanda) penalty is structural complexity, maint headaches to maintain clean ducts and consequences of engine loss when below unblown stall speed. Engines exhausting across wing are less complex, but there’s cruise drag penalty and skins take a beating. This concept is potentially draggy in cruise but given limited speed range/priorities of a Cub is comparatively “simple” if you discount the wiring/mounts. Cub solution compared to exotic concepts kind of like fixed gear vs retracts, in slower aircraft fixed gear reduced weight (less induced drag)/simplicity beats out more complex retract’s reduction in form drag.
For laminar flow comment, high AOA is about maintaining boundary layer attachment, laminar boundary layers separate sooner than turbulent flow (dimples on golf balls). Laminar also more demanding of production/maint/contamination
(bugs/rain).
1 reply
June 2023
Yup . . . this’ll make my Piper Cub much more better. How is it a dozen reasons come to mind why this is a dumb idea?
2 replies
June 2023
▶ avi8tor.tom
Agree. Kind of like the Whittaker landing gear they developed for rough fields when all they needed to do was put bigger tires on. That wing looks like it has a ton of drag. Takes off and lands slower but cruises slower still.
June 2023
Rich R covered pretty much what is/was part of the picture of aeronautical aerodynamics development, and boy! there’s so much more that could be developed… Well, the guys researching and experimenting in a full size aircraft is always a good thing. Lots to learn and deal with “new” packages and ideas. When I was developing a flying wing, and an amphibian and an ultralight aircraft I had the opportunity to make and use 12 full size different wings with different profiles and it was exhilarating to see what goes when you are actually flying the aircraft. Stall characteristics, cruise speed, what is the real result of profiles with this Cl that Cd etc…All in all it’s fun to see “new” ideas coming up being experimented and developed. As for me, this project is almost no deal. Can you imagine what would happen when you are flying and those little ducts are bombarded by bugs? LOL.
Imagine cleaning it up! LOL
June 2023
▶ avi8tor.tom
Better than EVTOL, that’s all.
June 2023
I doubt the application here is to make a super-STOL Carbon Cub more so but to provide a workable alternative to the phantasmagoric EVTOL.
June 2023
Somebody at Cubcrafters either has OCD OR … all that public money they got from their IPO is burning a hole in their pockets. If they wanna build specialty low volume airplanes that pop into the air … let Mike Patey do it. He already has a buck rogers looking ‘thingy’ shown last year at Airventure. OR … maybe they’ve been watching too many NASA Armstrong X-57 videos and they want to compete? During the USAF STOL transport YC-14 / YC-15 competition, Boeing had an idea to use ‘blown flaps’ from two huge engines. For good reason, the USAF went for the standard McDonnell Douglas YC-15 design with four engines … which turned into the C-17.
Why doesn’t Cubcrafters use all that money to try to figure out how to mass produce an airplane for “everyman?” You know … one that mere mortals can AFFORD and would sell like hotcakes at a Sunday AM fly in breakfast. HEY … like a Cub. IF MOSAIC comes in as we all hope it will (I ain’t holdin’ my breath), there’ll be a place for such an airplane … not THIS abortion.
1 reply
June 2023
What’s amusing, here, is that CC will wind up doing in a year what NASA has been publicizing - but not accomplishing - for about a decade. See https://www.nasa.gov/specials/X57/
June 2023
▶ Larry_S
What makes you think this tech will not improve sales, reduce costs, or both? It may be the innovation that makes your “everyman” plane possible.
The idea that all the best in flying is already here continues to amaze me.
1 reply
June 2023
$300,000 to $400,000 for a “Cub”. Now let’s make it more expensive and harder to maintain. That is America today, flash and cash. The rest of us just watch.
June 2023
▶ NewUserName
See the comment of Rodger the Dodger, below, 'old Eric. This notion is RIDICULOUS! Parts count alone will guarantee that. And a vaporware video of smoke tests of this system is not a saleable airplane. Please continue to be amazed. And when YOU buy one … let us all know.
1 reply
June 2023
▶ rekabr52
Yes. Many GA aircraft have laminar flow wings. Even comparatively normal planes like the PA28. Most gliders too.
June 2023
▶ Larry_S
Sorry, but your notion that parts count alone will increase cost is just not true. Modern cars have much higher parts counts and you get a lot more capability and reliability for the inflation adjusted dollar than you did with the 1960’s cars.
The tech here is not vaporware. What’s not going to improve things is continuing to do what we have been doing.
Finally, I’d appreciate your not putting words in my mouth. I don’t know where you got the idea I’m “amazed” by this. Seems rather straightforward to me.
