Dumb & Dumber

Since you recognized the N-number, perhaps you should tell
the owner about what you saw.


--
James H. Macklin
ATP,CFI,A&P

--
The people think the Constitution protects their rights;
But government sees it as an obstacle to be overcome.
some support
http://www.usdoj.gov/olc/secondamendment2.htm
See http://www.fija.org/ more about your rights and duties.


"Jay Honeck" wrote in message
news:kf7hg.764747$084.87755@attbi_s22...
| As we were preparing to depart the Quad Cities Air Show
yesterday (an
| outstanding show, BTW, with the Blue Angels and perfect
spring weather), I
| became aware of a Piper Warrior having difficulty a few
aircraft down from
| us.
|
| All transient aircraft had been parked in the grass off
the parallel taxiway
| for Rwy 15/33, and it seemed that this fellow was having
trouble taxiing
| back up onto the hard surface. His nosewheel was tight up
against the
| concrete lip, and he wasn't going anywhere now that he had
lost his "running
| start" at the step. I recognized the Warrior's tail
number as being a
| well-used rental bird from a nearby airport...
|
| Just as we started walking toward him to lend a hand, he
shut the engine
| down, and the door popped open. I figured he'd push the
plane back for
| another try at it, or perhaps try pulling the plane up
onto the hard surface
| with a tow bar.
|
| Instead, out popped this guy's girl friend, who proceeded
to walk back to
| the stabilator, hunch down, put her shoulder into it, and
started to PUSH
| THE PLANE BACK ON THE GRASS, straining as hard as she
could!
|
| Appalled, I started to shout something, but I was too far
away to be heard.
| In horror I watched as she pushed the plane backwards
through the grass
| about ten feet, not by pushing on anything sturdy, but by
really leaning
| into the thin aluminum, whilst her boyfriend sat all the
while quite
| comfortably strapped into his seat.
|
| Worse, she wasn't pushing down near the fuselage, where it
might take the
| load, but was rather giving her all way out at the end, by
the fiberglass
| tip, obviously unaware of the tremendous twisting force
she was exerting on
| the Piper's relatively delicate empennage.
|
| Before I could move further, she stood up, wiped her hands
on her shorts,
| and hopped back in the plane. This time he really gunned
the engine and
| popped right up onto the hard surface, and taxied merrily
away -- completely
| oblivious to the hidden damage his girlfriend may have
just wrought on that
| Warrior.
|
| If there was ever any doubt as to why we were so happy to
get out of the
| aircraft rental market, this was it. Anyone who has ever
seen the
| sturdy-yet delicate structure of the Cherokee's stabilator
knows that it was
| never designed for asymmetric twisting forces like that
girl imposed, and
| God only knows what hidden damage may have been wrought in
those few seconds
| of awesome stupidity.
| --
| Jay Honeck
| Iowa City, IA
| Pathfinder N56993
| www.AlexisParkInn.com
| "Your Aviation Destination"
|
| --
| --
| Jay Honeck
| Iowa City, IA
| Pathfinder N56993
| www.AlexisParkInn.com
| "Your Aviation Destination"
|
|