In the news again

JW Scud · Thu Apr 30, 2020 12:45 am

https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/29/entertai ... index.html

Harrison Ford is speaking out about a runway incident at a California airport last week.

The actor and longtime aviation enthusiast was piloting a plane at the Hawthorne Airport in Los Angeles on April 24, when he crossed a runway where another aircraft was landing.

"Mr. Ford crossed the airport's only runway in his aircraft after he misheard a radio instruction from ATC. He immediately acknowledged the mistake and apologized to ATC for the error," a representative for the actor told CNN in a statement on Wednesday. "The purpose of the flight was to maintain currency and proficiency in the aircraft. No one was injured and there was never any danger of a collision."
A spokesperson for the FAA told CNN the two aircraft were approximately 3600 feet apart at the time.

"The FAA is investigating an incident in which the pilot of an Aviat Husky taxied across the runway at Hawthorne Municipal Airport Friday afternoon while another aircraft was performing a touch-and-go landing," the FAA spokesperson said in an email statement.

This is not the first time that Ford has made headlines when it comes to his piloting. He mistakenly landed on a taxiway of a Santa Ana airport in 2017. Two years prior, Ford was hospitalized after an aircraft he was flying had to make a forced landing on a golf course. At the time, an investigator with the National Transportation Safety Board said that the plane's engine had failed. In 1999, Ford had to make a emergency landing in a California riverbed while flying in a helicopter.

Colonel · Thu Apr 30, 2020 1:54 am

Chuck Ellsworth · Thu Apr 30, 2020 2:13 am

A spokesperson for the FAA told CNN the two aircraft were approximately 3600 feet apart at the time.

Another non issue news article.

Eric Janson · Sat May 02, 2020 10:13 am

He's a great ambassador for Aviation. Really seems to love anything to do with flying.

This can happen to all of us - hopefully no action is taken.

Liquid_Charlie · Sat May 02, 2020 4:35 pm

He's a great ambassador for Aviation. Really seems to love anything to do with flying.

He could still do this without flying. Maybe he is losing his edge and needs to accept that. It's kind of like the geezer driver thingy. I firmly believe that we all start off at a certain level and as we age it does drop off. Getting back to the geezer driver I know my parents were the worlds worst drivers and as they aged they got even worse. I'm thinking this is how we judge everyone but if you start off as an exceptional talented driver or pilot by the time you are a geezer you are on the same level as the a much younger "normal" pilot or driver. Just look at Bob Hoover. I'm thinking Mr. Ford was likely an average or slightly below average pilot to begin with and it's possibly time to accept that he has become a little dangerous.

Just one old man's opinion --

Colonel · Sat May 02, 2020 4:41 pm

Mr. Ford was likely an average or slightly below average pilot

You might be right, but keep in mind that as a non-professional pilot, he flies
out of some pretty busy airports that so-called professional pilots seem to struggle
with. Remember AC's infamous recent fuckups at SFO?

A lot of non-professional Canadian pilots avoid towered airports entirely, and
you can do that in Canada.

-- EDIT --

One of Harry Ford's recent infamous fuckups was planting his PT-22 Ryan into
a golf course. Turned out that as a good pilot, he had his engine overhauled,
but the kid that did his carburetor didn't know about lock-tite and the carb jet
backed out, cutting off the fuel.

So we can feel good about tearing Harry Ford down, but just because he gets out
there and flies, doesn't make him a bad person. I sure don't agree with his politics,
but he has a lot more exposure than most Canadian pilots because he does a lot more.

Remember, a pilot that never flies, is the safest pilot, and has the most virtue.

Slick Goodlin · Sat May 02, 2020 5:15 pm

Liquid_Charlie wrote: ↑
Sat May 02, 2020 4:35 pm
It's kind of like the geezer driver thingy.

Does the geezer driver get any periodic checking done? Pilots with FAA licenses need to do a BFR, don’t they? I only know enough about the system to be dangerous.

Chuck Ellsworth · Sat May 02, 2020 7:32 pm

Charlie, you are one of the older pilots on this forum and should have a lot of credibility.

So, can an old geezer who suffers from limp dick and thus unable to sport fuck anymore still fly safely?

Liquid_Charlie · Sat May 02, 2020 9:14 pm

suffers from limp dick

Haha - my problem it's hard and both ends and soft in the middle so I use a splint

Liquid_Charlie · Sat May 02, 2020 9:36 pm

Maybe we shouldn't pick on old HF and maybe it's more of what he is, meaning a rich guy being able to take up flying, own any aircraft he chooses and gets in over his head. Ford at first glance doesn't seem to one of these types. He has pulled a cpl bonehead moves and it gets into the media because of who he is. The golf course thing to me was always an "ata boy" event but his last cpl of things are like he is confused or a distracted. Why is that and I guess that's the underlying issue. Yes we have the luxury of flying around up here in my part of canader and not worry about towers or ATC and that is one of the last bastions of really fun flying, steaming along at 100 feet is so much fun.