What's Up
OK, Here we go again …
And
I Told You So
By Larry Shapiro
I know by now you are probably tired of hearing my song and dance routine about using “common sense.” May I respectfully request that you try and get over it! You see my fellow aviators, it continues to work and save a few lives along the way. Admittedly I am not a CFI, I don’t play one on television and never aspired to be one, but I will admit that I love teaching and sharing the tit-bits I’ve picked up along the way to old age, not zero time students but those of you who have been sitting on your ticket long enough to be a member of AARP.
I truly love the title of “Mentor” or King of Common Sense. I’ve begged, borrowed and threatened so many of you to give me the benefit of the doubt and join my Church of Common Sense. Day after day I cover my head, or eyes so I won’t see the silly things one sees when you spend more than half your life on an airport. Your troops do some really dumb things that you would never do in the other parts of your life, the part that pays for your flying expenses, sunglasses and silly shirts.
I’m thrilled to report that in the past month, I have shared two of what I lovingly call, “a common sense mentoring flight.” This writer can report that on both occasions, my time was well spent and, seeing the fruits of my labor paid off more than rewarded me. I saw not one but many actions that might not have been executed if it had not been some of the time I spent mentoring these troops.
I can even brag that I was successful again by talking a few dudes out of buying the wrong airplane. As easy as that may sound, tell someone that wants a hamburger or hot dog to have a crepe instead… it is not an easy task.
If you were stuck with having to see or visit with me on a somewhat regular basis, you would quickly learn that I listen to what you are saying, and I give you the truth in return, and while that might sound mighty nice of me, some of you don’t want the truth. Please, I beg of you, don’t come to see me and tell me how wonderful your airplane is and ask me to get you one that goes $50 an hour faster. This is especially painful when it’s a retired or almost retired pilot with no place to go and absolutely no place to get to faster.
Yes, I know, there are exceptions… you just bought a vacation home 500 miles away, you’ve now got another grandchild you want to see more often and you need to get to this new additional to your life 10 minutes faster, or 20 minutes, but the more you push that throttle forward on your newly acquired higher horsepower steed, that invisible wire that is attached to your throttle on one end and your wallet on the other end will make you ask, “how much are those extra few minutes worth?
While I know some of you could present a few good arguments and make me look wrong, I am also referring to those of you that are not in any hurry to go anywhere, and you just love the thrill and exercising the privilege of being a pilot.
Here’s the rub… if you move up 20 or 30 mph, you’re probably going to be OK. However, when you move 100 horsepower and approach that magic 200 mph, you are now aviating in a different neighborhood, and things happen faster, mistakes cost more, and decisions need to be made faster as well. What you did and how you flew the Old Bird, is now history. The picture and the new view may prove to be more than you bargained for, and maybe the old neighborhood is a better place for you to spend your time and continue to enjoy the airplane you now have and love, and you will also have less surprises and disappointments.
I told you so continued …
I wish I could find a delicate way to write this, but I had a real scare a few weeks ago.
I was home watching the late night news and caught the end of a story about an airplane crashing about 50 miles up north of my area. I was watching with one eye and commented to my wife that the airplane looked familiar, and I was happy to hear there were no fatalities.
Then the text messages started coming in, and I then knew why the airplane looked familiar. It was one I had begged the pilot to give away and that made me nervous, but he justified why he had it and why he was flying it, so I backed down, but it didn’t change my feelings about the airplane in anyway. The pilot was one of the most committed aviators I’ve ever met, and I also had many opportunities to fly with all over our country. He had more hours than I had, weighing less than 200 pounds, but I knew this was going to attack his ego and pride, and he would blame himself for whatever went wrong.
The fact of the matter is when an airplane breaks, it’s not always the pilot’s fault, and when engines quit, I suggest not taking it personally. Your landing might look ugly, they usually do if there are power lines involved, but if both passengers can tell me about it, then it was a good landing and not an indication of lacking pilot skills or ability. I would say it proves how good a pilot you really are.
I am not mentioning names because it won’t make what I’m writing any better, but I am hoping the pilot has not wasted any time questioning all the “ifs” and just moves on to his next adventure.
Ten Years ago
By the responses and comments I’ve received from my columns from 10 years ago, I’d like to once again show you how things have pretty much stayed the same. Here are few comments I shares with you 10 years ago.
Boats vs. Airplanes
Just a quick comment on this subject––those of us who spend time on the other formula, which has air in it, the one we call water, know that the captain of the vessel is responsible for his wake. May I offer the suggestion that the captain of the flying machine be a little more responsible for the wake of their prop and other assorted features of their aircraft? Dust and rocks, small children or pets can all be blown around, and most of them end up in my hangar. I hope my point is taken in a well-meaning way, so think about powering down after starting and be aware of the people and objects around you.
FAA Ramp Checks
I hate being wrong, even more; I hate being wrong and having to admit it to everyone in our aviation community. Even worse, I hate having to say I’m sorry to the FAA, and even more, I hated the possibility of losing my ticket because I was being so stubborn I just did not want the Feds to be right. Openly, right here in front of G-d and all of you who do it by the book, I am admitting to and apologizing to FAA for not taking them seriously enough when they asked for some paper work. OK, more specifically, proof of currency and proficiency. You see, it wasn’t that their request was so outrageous; it was my mistake for thinking it had to do with an incident I was involved with that happened months before that. I was not cited for and no violation was committed. So when the request came from our friends at the FAA for some paperwork, I made the very wrong decision to ignore them.
My point is simply this; if the FAA asks for something, give it to them. There are certainly exceptions to this rule, but they are too far and few between. I should add that I would only send copies, never originals. As much as we make jokes about these dudes, in the end, they really are there to help. My final comment, and the hardest one to believe, after explaining about a personal hardship not being able to fly was going to create, one of their lawyers was an absolute pleasure to work with, and she knocked herself out to help me. Communication was extraordinary, and follow through was just as good. I felt little doubt that someone in the Western Region actually cared, and the result proved it.
PS
On partnerships: No sooner had I written about partnerships in last month’s issue of In Flight, then this sweet ‘ol fellow age 21, more than three times, walked into my office asking for some help. He explained he was a partner in an airplane for more than 20 years with a “friend (?)” He came to ask me to appraise his airplane for him, and the story began to unfold. As he described the problem, tears began to well up in his eyes, and his partner started to sound familiar to me. The aviation community is a small one and sure enough, I knew his partner from a less than enjoyable previous experience.
Cutting to the chase, it was obvious to me that he was being ripped off by his “friend/partner” in regards to a buyout price on the airplane. My simple question was: how much does the partnership have it insured for? Show me some past tax bills. When I got the answers, I responded, “that’s good.” That plus AOPA and other value setting websites helped set the real value, leaving very little doubt.
Now get a check for half that amount or pay him what he wants from you. I promise you a fair price is forthcoming. I also suggested that it would be worth a few minutes and a few dollars to have an appropriate letter written by an aviation knowledgeable attorney and ensure success. I’m happy to report the final price paid to this nice fellow was close enough to the appropriate value to call it a win for our side. Again, I encourage those of you thinking about a partnership to make sure. No, make that absolutely sure that the door out opens as easily as the door in.
On Final
My trip to Seattle last month to applaud my wife completing the Susan G. Komen 60 mile for the cure was better than the World Series for me. I can’t begin to tell you the level of excitement and the surprise to me to meet ladies and gentlemen walkers from all over our country and other parts of the world who came to walk. Bravo to all of you for your commitment, strength and endurance …
I’d like to give a shout out and roses to a very special young lady that offered to help us with our Airport Day 2014. There are so many details to ensure a success day, and we got lucky to have as our APD coordinator, Ms. Noel Flaker. She worked so many hours, and even as I left the field close to dark, she was still making sure the tents were taken down and the chairs were folded for pickup. Bravo to you, Miss Happy Face, you and the Civil Air Patrol made it possible for us to call our day another success,
And finally for this edition … It’s October, the WX is starting to change, the days are getting shorter and hopefully the smoke will continue to clear from all the fires and disappear, and no one will spoil my trick or treating outing with my five-year-old grandson by doing something dumb.
Until next time …
That’s Thirty!
“Over”
About the writer: Larry Shapiro is an aircraft broker, aviation humorist and fulltime grandfather of three.
He’d love to have you share your thoughts and ideas for future articles.
Office At the Palo Alto Airport: 650/424-1801 or Larry@LarryShapiro.com
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Photo credit: Kimberly Shapiro. Just doing what he does.
Photo credit: Larry Shapiro.
Right to left: Cadet senior airman, Amin Najami, age 13 Cupertino Middle School; Cadet Master Sam Scholz, age 16, Bellarmine College Preparatory; Cadet Senior Master Sargeant Andrina Hoffman, age 16, Homestead High School; Cadet Senior Airman Gunner Youngblood, age 16, Menlo-Atherton High School.
