Pilot loses license after buzzing Texas beach

[evangilder]

Stoopid!

Federal officials have revoked the pilot's license of a man who buzzed a crowd on a Galveston County beach, flying a single-engine plane as low as 15 feet about the ground and snagging a fishing line.

Full story below:
Dallas Morning News | News for Dallas, Texas | Texas/Southwest

 

[FLYBOYJ]

This is one the Feds got right.

 

[evangilder]

Definitely. 15 feet is WAY too low, over any surface. Proof that having money doesn't mean someone has brains. Some pilots should take up golf.

 

[FLYBOYJ]

Definitely. 15 feet is WAY too low, over any surface. Proof that having money doesn't mean someone has brains. Some pilots should take up golf.

Agree - but remember, to fly you need 2 balls!

 

[evangilder]

True enough.

 

[B-17engineer]

15 feet?? Holy cow...

 

[Gnomey]

That is really low, much too low. Good see him loose his licence, doesn't deserve to have it.

 

[BikerBabe]

Agree - but remember, to fly you need 2 balls!

...AND a brain!

 

[gumbyk]

...AND a brain!

Actually, I think you just need the brain...

A couple of the best pilots I know are women. And I can't imagine any of them pulling a stunt like this.

 

[wheelsup_cavu]

During the flight, one of Kirbow's two passengers asked if they would be in trouble for flying so low, according to the FAA investigation. Kirbow said he had "buzzed the beach many times" and "would not get in trouble for it."

One witness, Terry Rodery of Santa Fe, told investigators he thought the plane was going to crash until he saw the pilot smile and buzz the group at least twice.

Brilliant move.


Wheels

 

[Freebird]

Definitely. 15 feet is WAY too low, over any surface.

Or about 16 feet to high....

 

[RabidAlien]

After the genius buzzed the Santa Monica pier and is gettin tossed in the klink, this idiot pulls a stunt like this??? Where are these morons getting their pilot's license, a Cracker Jacks box?

 

[GrauGeist]

And the hits just keep coming...it's bad enough the Santa Monica incident is still at the forefront of the media, and yet another clown goes and does this, putting even more scrutiny on GA?

Where do these idiots come from??

 

[Vassili Zaitzev]

What a fool.

 

[jareds]

How did he get the license in the first place?

 

[GrauGeist]

How did he get the license in the first place?

Probably the same way idiot drivers get thiers...they pull their head out of their a** just long enough to get licensed and then revert back to thier original mode of stupid...

 

[FLYBOYJ]

Actually, I think you just need the brain...

A couple of the best pilots I know are women. And I can't imagine any of them pulling a stunt like this.

Agree - I find many if not all the women pilots I know not willing to put themselves or anyone else in danger by attempting anything like this.

How did he get the license in the first place?

What usually happens is after some folks get their license they develop a feeling of invincibility and this kind of behavior perpetuates. Doing stuff like this, especially in the post 9-11 days is just real dumb.

 

[gumbyk]

Here's the official FAA letter:

 

[renrich]

June, 1953. Along with some friends I was on the beach at Padre Island about 18-20 miles south of the entrance to Padre at Corpus Christi. Several of us were in the water along the beach when an F8F buzzed us going parallel with the beach line. Don't know how low he was but his prop wash could be seen in the water. I am sure that he was exceeding 300 mph. Another fellow came in very low perpendicular to the beach and a big splash in the surf occurred after he pulled up heading inland. I surmised it was a dummy rocket. The splash was probably at least 50 yards away from us. Don't know if they lost their license or not, LOL. Having just graduated from high school, we thought it was great fun.