CubCruiser
SPONSOR
Ormond Beach, Florida
That didn’t take long…
https://www.avweb.com/uncategorized/guest-blog-the-limits-of-stol-competitions/
https://www.avweb.com/uncategorized/guest-blog-the-limits-of-stol-competitions/
Having more skills than you need for real world practical purposes is NEVER a bad thing.
I agree with Stewart.I'd wager the majority of aircraft owners and operators agree with the article.
You can't tell me this doesn't effect our insurance rates? The Red Scout from last year was a total loss and was on the insurance salvage site.
Bet he'd wish he had the skills needed to safely fly the course.
Unfortunately it is apparent that for the majority of people that enter arkanstol don't have the skills required to safely compete. If you let them to continue to crash, the neighbors and FAA will get involved and close down the airport in the usual over reaction fashion, and we will loose another cool spot to fly. What's the answer? Keeping people safe from themselves? A more stringent qualifying? The whole stol movement has such momentum that it is in the limelight, good or bad. I've been saying for awhile these youtube warriors need to hold themselves to a higher level of professionalism due to there big impact on GA and people in general. Accidents at stol events hurt all of us who enjoy this kind of off airport flying. I'm not one to support banning something to save someone who is too ignorant to know they can get hurt, but I feel like this is threading a fine line of loosing what we love to do. You can't tell me this doesn't effect our insurance rates? The Red Scout from last year was a total loss and was on the insurance salvage site.
I agree with Tom Ford. I also miss the E. Tenn fly-in, which was forever cancelled from a takeoff and climb as steep as possible maneuver...
Here is a video of the course:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=glV1LsKNXmc
I fly ag for a living, and you should see the way most people freak out when I tell them that. They think we’re drunk cowboys that crash airplanes daily and coat the schoolyard with poisons, the industry has been a pretty clean one for 30-40 years but that’s still the public perception. Most airports don’t want us to run off them, and I’ve had every creed, color, and religion file complaints with various government agencies on me. The wires, trees, and other obstacles don’t bother me, but a stranger videoing me or making a call keeps me up at night.
STOL competitions will end up with the same perception if some serious self policing doesn’t begin soon. Personally I don’t see the point in the Arkansas setup or the real world application to it, but I’m not opposed to it nor do I want to see the feds regulate it out of existence. Both sides of the aisle hate ag flying, it’s rare to find anyone lift a finger in support of the industry. Don’t let STOL competitions end up the same way.
They do.I wonder why they don't require any body/head protection?