RIDE A PAINTED PONY LET THE SPINNIN' WHEEL TURN: I'm sure,
as everyone says, Gerry Charlebois- the pilot of the
ultra-light aircraft that crashed and burned in Polihale last month
killing him and his passenger- was a great guy.
But these ultra-light "tours" are illegal as hell
because they are not really "flight instruction" as they
claim but simply thrill rides for tourists. And everyone know it.
Taking visitors up in these things is not permitted but there
is a "flight instruction" loophole that has allowed the
practice to continue.
It's one of those "and if anyone asks, you're learning to
fly," dealies.
Of course not one news report has mentioned this- heaven
forbid they should criticize anything to do with the visitor
industry.
According to a local Kaua`i newspaper
article:
“The accident pilot had recently had problems with the fuel
system suctioning the fuel supply out of the main vent line (located
in the belly of the aircraft),” states a preliminary investigation
report released Friday by the National Transportation Safety Board.
In an effort to
fix the issue, Charlebois reportedly routed the fuel vent line up
through the aircraft’s mast.
With all due respect to the pilot- with whom we apparently shared
many friends-, it pains us to say that it sounds like the NTSB is
saying that he "Gerry-rigged" the gas line so he could make
money that day.
It's now six people who have died just on Kaua`i since 2011 in
these ultra light "flight instruction" exhilaration
excursions. Isn't it time to close this deadly loophole?
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2 comments:
Andy, Well said, thanks for the inside scoop. Why not send this as an LTE submission to the StarAdveriser and Garden Island news? I know it's not your style to do so, but they do have the numbers, people need to see what you just wrote! Mahalo
Aloha Andy,
Clearly it was NOT the fuel line Gerry apparently modified, it was the fuel VENT. My plane has a fuel vent too, and I do not see how it could lead to such a tragedy, but I lay awake nights asking that same question.
The FAA does not allow trikers like myself or Gerry to sell rides. We could sell guns, but we can't sell rides. Does this make sense to anyone?
We should be able to sell rides, this is nothing short of Mankind's most ancient dream come true, but it is not without risk. Customers should be informed of this risk. This would be easy and effective too, with a simple placard that anyone could read; THIS AIRCRAFT IS NOT FAA CERTIFIED and THIS PILOT MAY NOT BE LICENSED
Gerry and I have introduced thousands of earthlings to the joy of flight, something you may or may not understand, I don't know. The FAA is no help at all.
Aloha!
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