OMG! Have you read this?

[captain_john]

I dunno if you have been watching Jake C's website (www.homebuiltairplanes.com) much, but this thread is killing me and it just may kill the author of it too!

Here is the link:

http://www.homebuiltairplanes.com/forum ... php?t=3427

The guy lives in North Dakota and wants to fly his so-called ultralight without ANY formal training.



Ummmm, There are SO MANY things wrong with this picture, I just don't know where to start!?!

You just gotta read through it to believe it!

CJ

[cjensen]

I don't post there often, but I did respond to this one just now. Crazy. I hope the responses get thru to him.

I was a bit harsh, but he doesn't seem to be taking heed to any of the advise given thus far...

[captain_john]

C:\Planets\Earth\ del idiots *.*

Are you sure?

Y (Yes) N (No)

CJ

P.S. Press "Y"

[aparchment]

It's good that you guys tried to talk this guy out of what appears to be a crazy act.

I don't know much about ultralights, but I assume they require as much training to fly safely as any winged thing I have flown. Heck, I don't even recommend that someone try to fly an RC plane without instruction. I haven't heard any stories of anyone successfully attempting to fly any winged vehicle without first getting instruction. By contrast I have heard and seen a lot of unsuccessful attempts.

Does anyone here live near this guy? It would be great to nip this accident in the bud. Not to be insensitive to his personal safety (well maybe a little insensitive), all we need is a high profile GA accident around the holidays when everyone is pissed at the airlines. The media spin might just work against GA.

If we don't police ourselves, the gubment will step in and do it for us. None of us wants that. So, how do we contact his club or flying buddies? How does one get instruction in an ultralight anyway?

Antony

[Lorin Dueck]

All -
I've never posted on that board before - so I don't have any credability.
Hey - I may not have any credability on this site either - but at least you know me...

But the one thing I'd add is that this guy is counting on an "everything is normal" scenario.
Unfortunately nature is usually not that kind - bad things things can .. and DO happen (can you say stall-spin turning final, wind gust just before flare, engine failure after takeoff ??).

A wise person once told me - "in an emergency, we don't rise to our aspirations - we descend to our level training...".
Given the amount of his training - need I say more?

Lorin D
9A Wings (with a valid PPL)

[smithhb]

I think the author, Olan, or whatever his name is , is a spoof. He is just trying to jerk everyone's chain.

If not, he will soon be a contender for this years' Darwin Awards

[captain_john]

Bret, I believe he is NOT a spoof.

Check out his public profile. He is an auto tech teacher at a local high school and holds a, get this... MASTERS DEGREE!

Which only confirms my suspicion that there are smart people and educated people. NEVER confuse the two!

...and this all coming from a fellow educator!

CJ

[smithhb]

Heck, I've got a Master's Degree and look at me...

Why is he goading everyone that responds? He WANTS the attention! He wants everyone to plead with him to get proper instruction.

I would believe the tech teacher ploy and Masters degree except for his continuous spelling errors.

Trust me on this one...

[svanarts]

There is an old internet adage: Don't feed the trolls.

[captain_john]

I work with LOTS of highly educated people. It doesn't surprise me.

...and his email address checks out!

I think he is the real deal!

CJ

[lancef53]

Wow, that is crazy. I am from North Dakota, trust me, we all aren't like that.

I think he has been watching the locals too much--You would think the pietsch boys would be in the same EAA club.

www.pietschaircraft.com

[JohnR]

Smells like a troll to me. Maybe that is just wishful thinking. If not a troll for sure a possible Darwin award candidate.

Anyone not familiar with the Darwin Awards need to check this out.
http://www.darwinawards.com/
It's unbelievable what some people do.

[dynamicjohn]

Does anyone know what happened to this guy? I haven't seen a recent post for awhile. Does anyone know if he gave up, got an instructor, or is even still alive?
Just Curious
-catfish

[weezbad]

not that this is nearly as stupid but a student of mine bought the g3 flight sim for r/c and flew it for a year then bought a raptor 50. on his first outing hovered three tanks of fuel through it and the second outing flew the crap out of it...it is still in one piece. i wouldnt bet my life on it but someone with a thorough knowledge of flight and enough sim time probally could do it. but i wouldnt. even though i think i could have.

noted: i am aware of the size of the probally.

[jim_geo]

I taught myself how to water ski by reading a book. The guys done his homework, he should just hop in and go for it. Once he's about three feet off the ground and realizes the possibilities, eeh, he may actually live long enough to get some real help in learning to fly.......or not. Probably would have been better to have just done it without involving the rest of us though.

[weezbad]

Probably would have been better to have just done it without involving the rest of us though.

exzzzzactly, 999 out of a thousand are going to say no way...( and they are right ) but one in a thousand can do it...thing is, who is dumb/lucky enough to take those odds. how much cash, time and trouble is a little instruction worth?
i think i could have done it no seriously, you know , if i was stranded in a foreign country as a prisioner of war and was in a plane and people with knives sword and guns like in some indiana jones movie were chasing me down to kill me, but im wise enough not to.
and and and and and

[captain_john]

I taught myself how to water ski by reading a book. He should just hop in and go for it.

What?



This ain't water skiing we are talking about! If you have a problem water skiing, you get wet... not DEAD!

DJ, I never did hear what happened to this guy. The rest of the story eludes us. I just hope it had a happy ending.

CJ

[jim_geo]

Actually CJ I was trying to draw the most absurd comparison I could. A guys gonna do what a guy's gonna do. However, I still remember how weird I felt the first time I soloed. My reference to three feet off the ground is just about the point I would imagine a person doing what he's contemplating doing suddenly realizes just how deep the doodoo gets, especially if a wing were to drop or he hit a small gust, anything not expected would probably be a real scare. I can then see how almost any reaction would be an over reaction leading to disaster. As an example, figuring out whether what he's experiencing is the buffet that he read about preceding a stall or some other phenomena that he might have read about may be rather confusing. Any of the possibilities should scare him.

[captain_john]

Okay, well it really sounded like you thought this guy was doing the right thing.

I just hope he lived through the experience with only a little mud in his drawers!

CJ

[jim_geo]

There are always the Darwin awards to look forward to.