Becoming a career aviator is rough!

[CrimsonEclipse]

No one said any such thing, least of all me. However, the assertion that towing banners is dangerous in the least, is ridiculous. Five thousand hours of five hundred; very little maneuvering, very little action, merely a pickup, a drop, and a lot of low-stress flying in between.

I guess I wouldn't know about that...having opened and run a banner tow business as a working CFI.

It's as dangerous as you make it. If you find it dangerous, it's not the job. It's the pilot.

I know what you mean. I just walked through Liberty City with a Confederate
flag at 2am and I was perfectly safe.....because It's only as dangerous as
you make it.

CE

 

[Papps]

I havent read this entire threat yet, but isn't it time we have one of the self rightous, j#@k-off, company boys say something like "if you dont like it, then quit" or something retarded like that.

 

[mcjohn]

The planes are over flown and beat up. Engine trouble is a daily routine for many companies. So far on the Jersey Shore this season a few planes at different companies have blown jugs (doesn't mean you have to crash of course.) We've had 2 minor engine failures (also doesn't mean you have to crash) but the engine started back up. Think of it this way avbug. Is crop dusting dangerous? What ever that answer is it applies to us...at one tenth or less of what you experience crop dusting. All I know is that skimming the tree tops on 40+ knts gusty day IS DANGEROUS. I also agree that many experienced pilots can do it safely for many years and us low timers are the ones that tend to get in trouble and complacent the quickest....especially a low timer that starts hot dogging just above the tress.
I see you mention that you opened a towing company at one point so you know the dangers associated with the drops, pick ups, AND PILOTS. What length rope were you using at your company? Anything less than 200' can be quite dangerous. D A N G E R O U S ! Sorry, I just had to say it again since it seems to BUG avBUG.

 

[LR25]

I have over 10 years of towing, I have had about 3 events in that time frame that caused me great alarm, 2 of them were my fualt, the other was someone elses. All the events I was able to fly out of without incident.

The airplanes are what you have to watch out for, not the flying.

A co worker put a perfectly good Pawnee straight down a pine tree trunk after about 2 turns in a spin becuase he got stupid, and this was after droping the banner.

Its how safe do YOU want to make it.