Airshow Horror Stories

[retroaviation]

The admission cost tends to keep out the riff-raff which is why I enjoy the E.A.A fly-in.

John

Well John, the EAA fly in is where many of these stories come from. I'm sure that WIXers could write a book about any of these airshow incidents, but the "airplane people" tend to be just as bad sometimes.

I've personally only been to Oshkosh once. We were sitting under Peeler's Sea Fury when we heard the rudder and elevators start banging LOUDLY! When I addressed the situation, I was told..."It's okay, we're airplane people too." I don't recall the rest of the conversation, but I'm pretty confident that what I said wasn't very friendly.

What's interesting about all of these stories, is that when I used to show cars years ago, nobody would even consider touching someone's vehicle. I'm sure there are horror stories with the car guys, but I personally never saw one incident where someone had to run anyone off from their cars. But when those same folks are around airplanes, it's like Australian Rules Football or something and anything goes.

Gary

Gary

[Ztex]

we had a guy remove the ladder on the front hatch and try the Gregory Peck entry move on Chuckie one time...he didn't make it. We heard a crash and he was laying on his back under the airplane...he got mad at us because the hanger floor was slippery...

[Former Member]

The admission cost tends to keep out the riff-raff which is why I enjoy the E.A.A fly-in.

John

Well John, the EAA fly in is where many of these stories come from. I'm sure that WIXers could write a book about any of these airshow incidents, but the "airplane people" tend to be just as bad sometimes.

That could very well be Gary...thankfully I haven't witnessed any of this stuff but I'm sure it happens no matter what airshow or museum you're at.

Too bad you guys can't carry cattle prods for when these types of problems occur. Not to zap little Billy for misbehaving...but for waking mommy & daddy up so they can start acting like real parents for once.

John

[mustangdriver]

I have to agree with Jpeters on the Oshkosh event. Sure some people still do stupid things, but not nearly as much as the normal airshow, and the stuff that they do may be stupid, but they aren't going to hurt the aircraft. But that said, there are always a few. I was at the NMUSAF and we had a guy park his truck, not in the parking lot, but next to the door of one of the galleries that is used to get the planes in and out. There are signs real big every where that say that you are on an active Air Force Base, but this guy doesn't care. They made several pages, and he didn't respond. Our security team are M.P's for the base. They call the Base and send over a few vehicles, and start to dismantle this guy's truck right there. He was upset when he returned.

[AirJimL2]

but the "airplane people" tend to be just as bad sometimes.

Not an airshow story, but I took the Behind the Scenes tour at the USAFM a few months ago. We were clearly told not to touch anything. Well there was this one guy who had to touch everything. He was even trying to open the canopy on the T-46. When the tour guide said something his comment was "It is ok, I restore planes at so and so museum." It was said as if he had a right to do whatever he wanted because he was in the "club."

Jim

[Former Member]

we had a guy remove the ladder on the front hatch and try the Gregory Peck entry move on Chuckie one time...he didn't make it. We heard a crash and he was laying on his back under the airplane...he got mad at us because the hanger floor was slippery...

I'm surprised the knucklehead didn't file a lawsuit claiming injury even though it was his own fault.

John

[Cking]

I was at the TICO airshow back in the eighties and saw somebody throw an empty Coke can down the air intake of a brand new F/A-18.
I went and found one of the groung crew and told them of their FOD problem and they said "That happens all the time at air shows"!!!!


Rgds Cking

[John-Curtiss Paul]

My Dad had a good one... Years ago he was inside his hanger (back in the Livermore days) and has the P-40E outside. He looks out and some guy is on the wing of it looking in the cockpit. My Dad says nothing and casually walks over to the guys car (parked in front more or less of the P-40) and with his cowboy boots on, jumps onto the hood of the guys car with a loud BANG and stands there on the hood. The guy looks up and says "what are you doing on my car!!" my said "what the he** are you doing on my airplane! Get off..NOW!"... the guy did of course, got into his dented automobile and drove off learning a new lesson that day.

[Eric Friedebach]

Did you guys ever see that segment on America’s Funniest Home Videos where a hot air balloon bounced off a car, crunching the trunk and part of the roof and breaking the windows? It was in 1992 I think.

That was my car.

That particular airshow was close to where I lived, so when I booked the show, I told them we wouldn’t need a crew car because I would just drive in instead of flying on the plane.

Well, on Sunday morning we were doing some minor maintenance on one of the engines. We were parked at the end of the crowd line, so I parked my car on the grass between the taxiway and the runway, and ran some yellow tape from my car to the fence to keep spectators a safe distance while we ran up No. 2.

I may be able to dig up a picture if anyone’s interested.

[mustangdriver]

Wow! I remember that!

[Matt Gunsch]

we were at a Cactus Fly-in with a T-6. We were in the plane, engine running, when all of a sudden the stick jumped out of Carl's hand and started going fore and aft. We looked at the tail and there was a guy pumping the left elevator to get our attention. His plane was about 150ft behind us and he wanted to tell us not to blast his plane with our prop wash.

During the next preflight, we found the Lt OB elevator hinge casting broken.

At the CAF show in Midland the year the Marauder went down, Carl had finished flying the T-6 part of the show and had parked the plane. I was sitting at the fence line across the taxi way from the plane. I turned around to see 4 guys standing on the plane, front canopy opened and they had the chute half way out of the plane. I ran over and asked what the hell do they think they were doing. They asked who I was and I informed them that I was the crew chief and to get off my plane,They said they were with the FAA and needed to check that the chute was current. I told them that it was and to get off the plane. They refused and I again told them to get off the plane or I will get a cop over and have them arrested for trespassing and tampering with the safety equipment on my plane. About that time Carl showed up and told them the same thing, again, they refused, and I brought a cop over and he made them leave the plane and before they left we got all of thier names. Last I heard, they had to go to OK city for some extra training.

[Eric Friedebach]

Wow! I remember that!

I should probably add that I didn’t shoot the video, someone else did. I had the airshow announcer broadcast that if anyone had some video, please stop by the plane and ask for me.

Sure enough, someone does. We watched it in the pilot’s lounge of an FBO. I thought the whole thing was hilarious. The important thing was nobody was hurt.

I think the guy that shot the video was one of the finalists that were up to win some money on the tee vee show, but I’m not really sure since it’s been a while since I watched it. In fact, I never knew it would be on tee vee until he called me up the year after and said “Hey, you might want to set your VCR…”

[Mudge]

At Thunder last year. The Buchon was being fueled and suddenly some "dim-bulb" fires up a cigarette. We were about 20' away but still...I calmly reached over and took the cigarette out of his mouth and, not too politely, told him to get the f--- away from there if he wanted to smoke. He didn't say a word (too shocked, I guess) and walked away. *

As far as idiot parents go...someday I'll get Mrs. Mudge (4th grade teacher) to add her own little epistle on that subject, to this here forum.

Mudge the protective

*Bet your tushy I was bigger than him.

[hang the expense]

Back in the early ninties we were doing the hangar scene form the movie "for the boys" we had extras all over the B-17 for the Uso scene. A couple of these slipknots were trying to kick holes in the fabric on the control surfaces. I asked them to stop and they told me to F/O. Well two guys who shall remain nameless drug them off the plane and escorted them off the set and off the airport. Their excuse was they didnt think it flew. Also they were stripped of their wardrobe right there on the spot

[APG85]

Another DM A-10 Story: An A-10 pilot taxi's in after his "fini-flight. Some of his pilot pals came running up to the plane to wet him down - shaking a bottle of champagne. The plastic "cork" shoots off and goes down one of the still running engines! Fortunately no damage...