Travolta - did he ever ditch an aircraft?

The TV show I saw said he was able to safely land where most pilots
would have failed. Either could be true though. As for the rich and famous,
I know several rich people that own aircraft and pay people to fly them and
let them have a turn at the conrtols. I think Travolta did the school work
and deserves his ratings, whatever they are. What about the interview with
Harrison? I never saw that one although I had heard he does fly...

Wayne

In a previous article, "Wayne" said:
The TV show I saw said he was able to safely land where most pilots
would have failed.

Yes, that is how *he* tells the story. However, any instrument pilot
knows that there are procedures for lost comm and lost electrics which
would have worked for "most pilots", and he didn't use them.


--
Paul Tomblin http://xcski.com/blogs/pt/
Illiterate? Write for help!

"Paul Tomblin" wrote in message
...

Yes, that is how *he* tells the story. However, any instrument pilot
knows that there are procedures for lost comm and lost electrics which
would have worked for "most pilots", and he didn't use them.


The procedures for lost comm assume you haven't lost electrics. What are
the procedures for lost electrics?

We can certainly use all of the folks like Travolta that our little
industry can get. He's certainly gotten a lot of good press and
attention for general aviation.

All the best,
Rick

Harrison Ford is another prominent example who comes to mind. He has
a reputation as a straight shooter, no nonsense pilot who flies within
his skillset and not his wallet. Yeah, he owns a G4 (and a Bonanza,
and a twin and a helicopter), but he flies in back with the family.

Yes, that is how *he* tells the story. However, any instrument pilot
knows that there are procedures for lost comm and lost electrics which
would have worked for "most pilots", and he didn't use them.
--
Paul Tomblin

Why is it you criticize his actions here and yet a few posts ago you
stated:

This is only rumour, and I've never been able to find confirmation ...

meaning you have no idea what actually occured and whether the
decisions that pilot made that day in that aircraft in those weather
condition with those system problems were appropriate to safely land
his aircraft in an emergency situation? Did the FAA have any beef
with his actions or deviations, if any, from established procedure?
If not, then on what basis do you criticize his decisions?

Billy

Will it make you feel better about yourself
and your piloting skills to
know that somebody *else* made a mistake?

It seems that some pilots have a perverse feeling of
satisfaction when they find out another pilot's
operational misfortunes. Why is it necessary to
dig it in?

Are you on a moral highground because you have never
had an operational mistake or violation? There are
thousands of ways to run afoul of the FARs.

Does it comfort you to know that one of the fathers of
Silicon Valley, Steve Wozniak, was at the controls of
an aircraft for which he was not rated, when the
aircraft rotated prematurely and crashed on takeoff,
critically injuring himself and his three passengers?

Why does it seem that some in the general aviation
community have such a "good old boy" mentality?
I am sure that those people who are the loudest and
most outspoken about "violators" probably have quite
a few skeletons in their closet to hide from public
view.

It seems to me, after reading an excellent book by
Keith Bumsted titled "Please Call the Tower," that
if the FAA is determined to ground somebody, there
is nothing to stop them. They can ground you for
any reason -- look at the Bob Hoover example.
Even student pilots who inadvertently
deviate from the FARs very early in their careers
can be subject to vigorous enforcement actions by
the FAA. For example, a misunderstanding between
the pilot and the tower at an unfamiliar airport
could result in severe sanctions for improper
taxi violations. Who has never been lost at a big
airfield? Let him cast the first stone.

Even someone as experienced as General Chuck Yeager
can make mistakes. He recently had a fender-bender
in one of the vintage aircraft he was flying.

--Ted

"TheShootingSports" james-No wrote in message .com...
Hi all,

I had once heard that John Travolta once ditched an aircraft. I have
never heard this, but to settle a "discussion" could someone tell me if
he did in fact successfully ditch an aircraft ever in his years of
flying?

Supposedly, he was all alone when this occurred.

Your help is appreciated!

-- Jim

PS - reply to james-No (remove -No spa*M
and ^ )
--

Uh - NO!

You have completely misunderstood my inquiry.

All I was asking was "did he ditch"?

Man, talk about moral high ground dude... Ease up a bit.

I myself am NOT a pilot, and, would not judge a person for an honest
mistake, aviation related or not.

Of course, your reply opens the floodgates about human mistakes, and that we
all need to take into consideration that we are not perfect. We also make
various mistakes, and hopefully, they are "honest" ones, just like your
reading WAY too much into my simple question.

I sure hope you do not fly the way you reply....

--

"Ted Huffmire" wrote in message
m...
Will it make you feel better about yourself
and your piloting skills to
know that somebody *else* made a mistake?

It seems that some pilots have a perverse feeling of
satisfaction when they find out another pilot's
operational misfortunes. Why is it necessary to
dig it in?

Are you on a moral highground because you have never
had an operational mistake or violation? There are
thousands of ways to run afoul of the FARs.

Does it comfort you to know that one of the fathers of
Silicon Valley, Steve Wozniak, was at the controls of
an aircraft for which he was not rated, when the
aircraft rotated prematurely and crashed on takeoff,
critically injuring himself and his three passengers?

Why does it seem that some in the general aviation
community have such a "good old boy" mentality?
I am sure that those people who are the loudest and
most outspoken about "violators" probably have quite
a few skeletons in their closet to hide from public
view.

It seems to me, after reading an excellent book by
Keith Bumsted titled "Please Call the Tower," that
if the FAA is determined to ground somebody, there
is nothing to stop them. They can ground you for
any reason -- look at the Bob Hoover example.
Even student pilots who inadvertently
deviate from the FARs very early in their careers
can be subject to vigorous enforcement actions by
the FAA. For example, a misunderstanding between
the pilot and the tower at an unfamiliar airport
could result in severe sanctions for improper
taxi violations. Who has never been lost at a big
airfield? Let him cast the first stone.

Even someone as experienced as General Chuck Yeager
can make mistakes. He recently had a fender-bender
in one of the vintage aircraft he was flying.

--Ted

"TheShootingSports" james-No wrote in
message .com...
Hi all,

I had once heard that John Travolta once ditched an aircraft. I have
never heard this, but to settle a "discussion" could someone tell me if
he did in fact successfully ditch an aircraft ever in his years of
flying?

Supposedly, he was all alone when this occurred.

Your help is appreciated!

-- Jim

PS - reply to james-No (remove -No spa*M
and ^ )
--

"Wayne" wrote in message
...
The TV show I saw said he was able to safely land where most pilots
would have failed.

I doubt that's the case. But even if it were, so what?

[...] I think Travolta did the school work
and deserves his ratings, whatever they are.

So what? I never said he didn't deserve his ratings.

What about the interview with Harrison?

What about it?

I'm afraid I'm at a loss as to what your point was.

Pete

In a previous article, Billy Harvey said:
Why is it you criticize his actions here and yet a few posts ago you
stated:

This is only rumour, and I've never been able to find confirmation ...

Because he goes around making himself out to be a big hero, telling the
non-flying public that "most pilots" wouldn't have been able to handle it.

I refuse to believe that this was a failure mode that would kill "most
pilots".


--
Paul Tomblin http://xcski.com/blogs/pt/
"Once you have flown, you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward,
for there you have been, there you long to return." -- Leonardo da Vinci.

Actually, according to news accounts including an article in either
Flying or Pilot, Ford is an accomplished pilot and flies his own
planes (I don't know about the G4). He even rescued some stranded
hikers off a mountain using his helicopter.

(Dave) wrote in message . com...



Harrison Ford is another prominent example who comes to mind. He has
a reputation as a straight shooter, no nonsense pilot who flies within
his skillset and not his wallet. Yeah, he owns a G4 (and a Bonanza,
and a twin and a helicopter), but he flies in back with the family.