FAA suspends Bruno Vassel's Pilot Certificate

On Saturday, June 27, 2020 at 9:16:34 AM UTC-4, wrote:
Definitely unfortunate, but a teaching moment compliments of Bruno.

In getting a private, there is FAR 91.303. Section e appears to cover the low pass. Sections a and b seem hard to avoid for the loops. Is there another FAR specifically related to the video?

Not sure about the SAC. It appears to be a carefully controlled path to exempt 91.103 to allow an airshow?


§ 91.303 Aerobatic flight.
No person may operate an aircraft in aerobatic flight -

(a) Over any congested area of a city, town, or settlement;

(b) Over an open air assembly of persons;

(c) Within the lateral boundaries of the surface areas of Class B, Class C, Class D, or Class E airspace designated for an airport;

(d) Within 4 nautical miles of the center line of any Federal airway;

(e) Below an altitude of 1,500 feet above the surface; or

(f) When flight visibility is less than 3 statute miles.

For the purposes of this section, aerobatic flight means an intentional maneuver involving an abrupt change in an aircraft's attitude, an abnormal attitude, or abnormal acceleration, not necessary for normal flight.
[Doc. No. 18834, 54 FR 34308, Aug. 18, 1989, as amended by Amdt. 91-227, 56 FR 65661, Dec. 17, 1991]

Here's a few questions I have regarding this issue.
Was Bruno cleared or signed off by the airshow administration to conduct his routine or did he just decide to enter the controlled airspace and "do his thing?"
Airshow flying here in the U.S. is a highly regulated affair. I would say that 100% of airshow performers are members of ICAS - International Council of Airshows. To fly airshows, one must have his personal pilot certificates as well as aircraft documents to show the FAA upon inspection prior to the airshow. They will go over EVERYTHING including checking the currency of repack for the chute. All possible documentation will be scrupulously gone over.
Each airshow pilot must have a certificate of demonstrated ability or a "low level card". One is retested annually. It takes years to work your way down from the first level of 1,500 agl to a surface level card.
There are no restrictions with regard to what a pilot can and cannot do in an airshow aerobatic box - within limitations: no energy toward the crowd is one.
I personally cannot believe Bruno was cleared to fly his routine at a U.S. airshow by the organizers nor the FAA. The strictest guidelines are in place to protect both the performer and the crowds. An innocent mistake by Bruno, perhaps but unless he was sanctioned to fly the airshow by the organizers and the FAA, he should have know better.
Steve Coan
5 Time U.S. National Glider Aerobatic Champion
Airshow pilot for decades (retired)