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Likes: Tire marks were left on the white surface of the ramp that covered the railing. I'll guess that's about 2 feet short of target. The added ramp was in two parts and the white boards are the outer edge.Originally Posted by frequent_flyer
Tire marks were left on the white surface of the ramp that covered the railing. I'll guess that's about 2 feet short of target. The added ramp was in two parts and the white boards are the outer edge.
Last edited by frequent_flyer; 03-16-2023 at 04:34 PM.
I thought it was a well executed stunt. But, up here you can find that sort of challenge without going to Dubai.
Up the Knik is a place with similar qualities. The sand dunes at the top of the gorge offer a practice place for that type of landing if you feel the need.
The approach end has a high berm you have to descend over.
The sides are somewhat steep so it seems like a helipad.
The view is pretty good too.
It does come with consequences so be careful.
And yes, there was a head wind.
Jerry
I remember seeing a youtube video where a SuperCub guy broke a landing gear on a similar spot.
It was an awesome video, but can't compare to a 600' building top helipad landing, for what I think...
http://photos.app.goo.gl/wfcHQyxEdfTa6AuC9cubflier liked this post
Now thats funny! It wasn't a gear though. The costs of having a good time.
Jerry
You know this probably all started with a 'triple dog dare'.
I heard it was a, hold my beer and watch this.
I too noticed that and it made me wonder if was caused by the camera and pole on that side.
This whole archaic "Look at me! I'm a pilot" schtick really chaps my hide.
This falls into the same category as Air Racing these days. It's all about the pilots ego - and I hate to have that be what is presented to the public about our mutual interest. This one really bugs me because there was absolutely no need to do the actual stunt - once their practice protocol had been achieved. They marked out a replica of the show locale in a safe spot and the pilot practiced. No doubt it took a while but surely the practicality of the concept once it was shown that the landing could be done practically and safely - and ( an assumption here but one I think is reasonable) consistently.
We're not proving innovation. That was proven by the practice protocol. We're not doing PR. Closing down a beach frequented by some of the richest folks in the world is not a net positive for PR. And we're not even sparking imagination or promoting aviation. The stunt promoted the hubris of the pilot and the "Wow. Aren't I radical!" personalities of those engaged in it. To my mind this is just like that guy who jumped out of his Tcrate last year - something getting done that the public and those less aware aviation types believed was a giant thing of immeasurable danger. Titillation of the basest sort. I just hate to see aviation debased in this way.
I know most folks here aren't going to agree with me. I support your right to your opinion. I've been waiting for this to go away so I could just let it fade and forget about it. But it kept coming up and the straw tickled the camel one time too many. So I thank you for allowing me to vent. I'll go back to lurking now.
I doubt it was the pilot who was the lead instigator and I doubt that anyone not directly involved will remember the pilot's name in a couple of weeks. People will remember that a Red Bull aircraft landed on a helipad high up on a hotel. A few may even have looked at an atlas to see where Dubai is. Some may even buy more Red Bull products.
Compared to the airplane swapping skydive stunt that cost 2 pilots their licenses I'd say this was a well organized and legal publicity stunt. But no, I'm not going to start drinking Red Bull.
I’m riding the fence a bit on this as I see both sides. I do think it was a big PR stunt by the two companies, but there’s a lot of validity to RedOwl’s statement.
Sadly, what is stating to irk me now is how it’s blown up all over social media as the next coming of Christ. And while I seriously respect Mike Patey, he’s pushing his involvement hard, for what seems to be just for self promotion?
Maybe I’m just getting old and grumpy.
Sent from my iPhone using SuperCub.Org
'Self Promotion' is a modern and very successful business model. Who would have thought?
Generalizing here: for us that have the wonderful opportunity to do what we do, I view the video as an overall positive for aviation. I have received comments from friends that are not pilots and thought it was amazing. Younger (or older, whatever that means) people might take that first step towards aviation.
Knik practice strip. 12mph wind. sounds like more on the camera mic
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=4EDbUn0_2rg
The Cuzoom brought back some fond memories of a smiling face and a real nice guy. Eddie was always good to run into in the Knik or Valdez. That's where/when the current SQ stuff started. It was fun to watch back then and still is now.
Jerry
Don't engage. I've watched about thirty seconds of it. I think the stunt was cool, and like you and others I don't care about the promotion or backstory drama BS. I heard about the stunt, watched the landing, just the landing, and got on with my life.
Just imagine the negative press and impact on GA if he’d messed up. What would this forum be talking about now if he ended up in a smoking pile at the bottom of the building? Risk/reward matrix doesn’t add up for me. But that’s just me. I say the same thing about a lot of shi, or rather stuff I see on YouTube.
Ha ha! I get it, I guess I’m just showing my age. Back in “the day” when we wanted to try something cool, we did our best to make sure NOBODY saw us…. Today, it’s just the opposite..��
narrow deck thanked for this post
I like doing dumb stuff. Over time I have gotten better at it. Don't really do it for others, I just like the rush I get from doing it. My Mom thinks I am crazy but my Dad gets it. My wife and kids just expect it. I just have limited budget and resources.
That's probably because Al had not invented the internet and a video camera back in "the day" looked like a large Bazooka.
Actually it's not as bad as you think. The Knik has been my back yard for over 40 years and during that time aircraft performance and the way people practice has changed too. Now there are multiple well marked practice strips around and people take practice very seriously. People drill on these practice till they gain proficiency. From there they may transition strips with increasing consequence, not so they can do the look at me stuff but so they get their head around concept of what consequence adds to the flying equation.
What amazing me is the lack of airplane parts around these difficult landing spots. The most of the parts piles I know of seem to be for no reason and in the some of more open areas with easy landing possibilities. If there are pilots acting on dares and the like I sure haven't seen it.
As for the Red Bull video I just look at it like a poorly poured beer. So much foam - so little beer.
And I was able to enjoy what little beer was in the bottom of the glass without getting mad at the guy that poured it.
Jerry
Last edited by cubflier; 03-19-2023 at 01:50 PM.
Yep! And unlike most of us you have the skills to extract yourself from most anything that could go awry! That's where the Patey's came into play in the Burj Al Arab stunt. I thought Mike's video on the work they did to that cub was possibly the best part of the whole thing.
I think SQ's are awesome too, wouldn't dare get into a STOL contest with one! I'm just a lazy man and the slick marketing/brochures/order form/transparent builder assit situation at CC sure did make it easier to buy a new airplane than what seemed like secret backroom illuminati stuff to get an SQ built with help! To be fair I didn't investigate too deeply though.
Go fly an SQ and fly an FX3. One flies very slow and one flies pretty slow but has lots of finesse and is a really nice flying airplane. They both have their place.
Your assertion about self promotion is spot on. Seems like you could make a living these days with no skills at all if you promoted yourself enough. Not talking about the Kardashians - no - really.
And while this stunt may have pushed some folks to consider aviation, are the kind of folks inspired by something like this the kind of folks we want to share the skies with? If you need to plumb the edges of the envelope to enjoy the activity, maybe it's not the right activity for you. "Extreme" is very popular among a lot of folks these days - but not something I want a pilot to view as positive.
Some people might think it was extreme when I did first flight in my experimental aircraft.
I think some things never change; the need for adventure. It's just that technology has allowed us to have greater adventures. And now you can show the world your adventures if you choose to.
The best thing about this stunt has been this thread.
Somehow growing up with Looney Toons, The Dukes of Hazard and Evel Kenival, I never jumped my car over the sheriff or the Snake River Canyon. I don't think this is going to lead to a rash of people landing on top of sky scrapers. Good for all involved in trying this. Sure we have seen shorter landings and take offs but at 600' feet up with penalties for being long or short? This was pretty good. The build video is fun to watch. The fuel system, prop and suspension were an innovation and improvement. Good that someone thought of it and wanted to take it on. Sad that it there is zero way that could be attempted here. Good for CubCrafters, Mike Patey and Red Bull. We are lucky there is a company that is run by someone who evidently has a bug for aviation and promotes it probably beyond what makes sense to sell drinks. Good for them and good for us! How someone can say this is a bad thing is a little baffling to me. This used to be what they good old USA is all about.
Well said, Jay
Good judgment comes from experience, and a lot of
that comes from bad judgment. will rodgers
"Anyone who would give up liberty for safety deserves neither" Ben Franklin
Another thing that the good old USA is all about is people having diverse opinions, and respecting each other for that….
Oh but I dreamed about it...
sj
"Often Mistaken, but Never in Doubt"
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That brought back memories!
The ramp he used was still visible last time I thought to eyeball it while flying by. The canyon there is gnarly, nothing I'd want to jump OR descend into via chute. He didn't pay his bills (according to a Butte building contractor) but he sure had gonads.
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