I would have noped out as soon as we picked up the rando from the psychiatric center. Glad you got out of the situation with lessons learned and a good story.
Good video, and great lesson to share. My general philosphy these days, in all things, is never to do anything with people who haven't got their S-H-one-T together. Jobs, activities, trips, whatever it may be, if people are late or vague or disorganised, if I see other red flags, I seriously evaluate bailing out. One red flag is OK, random events can always mess things up, but as soon they start accumulating then you're running out of options and I'm kind of done putting up with avoidable drama. I heard a saying a while ago that the most important piece of safety equipment you can carry is a good credit card. If you can afford to sit in a hotel rather than risk the weather, or call an Uber rather than succumb to get-there-itis, then you'll live to fly another day. It's all about having something to fall back on - time, fuel, money, an alternate, etc - and these kind of people tend to be running on the edge of disaster. All it takes is one more screw-up or unanticipated event and they're stuck. Case in point: your fellah found himself stranded at an airfield with an unserviceable aircraft he wasn't qualified to fly, and no way home, because he hadn't got his sh1t together.
Never forget there's crazies everywhere. Glad you made it out of the situation safely! Love the story video format, and would love to see more in the future! Your videos keep getting better and better man!
Another thing learnt, always take your own headset! The radio not receiving was another potential hole in the Swiss cheese. No assistance in an emergency! Great story and well told, thanks.
Totally stumbled across this video and found this very entertaining. Apologize for laughing at your calamity, but what an experience! I will definitely be checking out some of your other videos. Happy flying.
This was definitely an interesting story. We don’t get to hear from ferry pilots too much, so this was definitely fascinating. Thank you so much for sharing!
I am 61 now but remember in my early 20’s with a new flight instructor certificate and getting in situations that I should have said no. No one hurt, nothing illegal but an older person pushing my limits of better judgement. I am guessing that now way was that plane within annual. If you didn’t realize it, you were attempting doing him a favor at your peril. And your doing your fellow young aviators a big learning experience by posting this.
Tell that to the Wright brothers, always be looking for a place to land. These guys can't log ferry hours unless they're commercial either, I got burned on it before, didn't know
I’m right there with you as I remember my younger days when I was sometimes too willing to go along with questionable situations just to get a little flying time. I have to say, though, for all of the financially endowed folks who can self righteously say “well I would never have gotten myself into that situation” …congratulations, you never had to.
Always trust your gut feeling. Giving someone the benefit of the doubt when it comes to aviation safety is a ticket to disaster. You were given clues right away, Mental Health facility waypoint, driver who could not figure out where to go even though you gave him easy instructions, given an unusable HEADSET, etc. BTW any practical owner would want to check you out versus asking you out right to shuttle the plane. YOU LUCKED OUT ON THE GROUND RUN, .... thank the Angels above for showing you the last warning sign.
What I don't get is... Let's Assume that this is the student pilots first AC how he ends up owing so much money for a hanger ??? Great story glad it was you and not me haha
I agree with SKRUX? When the guy from the happy farm got into car and Jerry did not know him you had already maxed out the twilight zone meter for me anyway. No thanks I will Uber my way outa this nightmare. PLUS, If Jerry owed thousand on previous hangar space, whats the odds he would PAY YOU. Glad you escaped with you life . PS Even the airplane did not want to make the flight, it locked it's bakes. Planes are smarter than pilots usually. If they don't want to go, neither should you. lolololol Love the stories!
Was it a commercial flight? (And is AA a Commercial pilot?) I didn't hear anything about compensation. Just a "Please fly my airplane for me". And I don''t think the "free flight hours" count as compensation, although it is close to the line.
Wow you just can’t make this stuff up!! Great story and thank you for sharing. You definitely made the right choice by not going and I could only imagine what else could have gone wrong of you did leave. Do you think he really was a student pilot?
I love stories like this. Oddly they are very common in our area. I kept thinking yep , typical, ok, yep, i can see that happening. Too bad you didn’t stay longer. Your night was just getting started. I feel like you bailed on a really good time.
Great video. Subscribed and liked. Apart from flying go-no go I see other go - no-go inflection points. A plan was set out or arranged to meet. The minute he was late I would have called it off. If he doesn't care enough to get there on time, he really doesn't care about the plane.
Great presentation sir... Looks like there wasn't enough aggressive observation beforehand... Things that make you go Hmmmm. Stranger Danger and basically willingly hijacked. In for a penny, in for a pound! With ferry flights always do your groundwork homework first. Perfect illustration of when to say no to a flight however driving/flying and surveying/assessing the aircraft then setting up the flight, is the horse in front of the carriage. Inconvenience of willing to find/correct problems, campout/walk/crawl all the way home would have been my go-to before accepting a departure mission when the aircraft proved it wasn't up to the mission either as a PIC or passenger. It always takes time to prepare and verify an aircraft is prepared for flight. Doesn't matter if it's new, used or antique. Other arrangements can always be made to return home safely. A PIC always protects the ship, living souls and cargo first... Despite perceived inconveniences to other participants and so-called owners. Aviating is 99.9% preparation for each and every flight. Since allowed possession is 9/10ths of the law, you took ownership not to participate as a passenger or PIC. The aircraft wasn't prepared at that time for departing. You were prepared to say no for now, till things are corrected. That's a no-brainer... That's why we perform walk around inspections and runups before each and every departure! Sounds like these characters had you setup for fun and games and you passed the test. Since you operated the camera, it was more than candid. Take time to learn the questions and know the correct answers beforehand.
I have learned and have since earned my commercial certificate and am now conducting actual commercial ferry operations. Thankfully this experience has taught me what to look out for!
Congratulations and welcome to commercial certification FAA compliance. I think you will find that you can't buy for any amount of labor, trade, gold, silver, bitcoins or federal reserve notes ultimate aviation experience. Aviators are always flying even when they aren't in the aircraft. Uneventful flights are produced by 99% home and groundwork 1% actual airborne experience. Keep in mind that commercial aviation is a team operation. The numbers jive when we account for all the man hours necessary to prepare for each and every flight. Knowing when to say; "No Can Do!" to a request! Is only facilitated by experience. You just communicated your first aviation related "No Can Do!" Successfully for compounding reasons, to a request before you got airborne... There will be others both on the ground and while you're airborne. Experience
Oh the lesson's we learn as we gain experience. I did something quite like you , back in the day. Now, 33,800 hours later....how did I stay alive? Frankly, compared to building time as a CFI verses out there getting the experience you lived through, makes, in my mind, you a more savi pilot as long as you understand this is not the way to fly...or live. By the by, I'm familiar with your area as with airline mergers I ended up several years domiciled at PIT. All the best!
Lol - thank you for sharing this story - I would have backed out after picking up some random guy at the “mental health facility” - just found your channel, I’m an aviation enthusiast and flight simmer expecting to get my pilots license some day
If you going to any more ferry flight I suggest you reach out to Kerry Mccauley or some one similar - great lesson by the way and well done for documenting it and sharing
I honestly have no idea. I don't particularly like that I had to leave Jerry there to his own devices but I think he definitely got himself into it and it wasn't my job to get him out. That airplane could still be sitting there for all I know.
@@AverageAviator it was such a good story…. It needs a conclusion though! Maybe you should just give him a call. After an hour long drive, you are probably best buds.
In 81 I bought a '70 BMW motorcycle. I was at a dealership shortly after I got it and was going over it with an older German mechanic, I asked him why none of the controls were labeled. The mechanic said in his German accent "iv zou don't know vhat za controls do you should not be riding it". Fair enough 😅
I had that very same thing happen,but it was on a date with a girl I worked with.Our rental plane was running very rough and was at nite in the snow and cold with tall mountains all around us.Luckly there was a mechanic who came back after a birthday party and he cleaned the plugs,did a run-up and signed it off and we got home just a bit later than planned.I would have just slept in the FBO and the girl would have had to do the same thing,just in a different room.Nothing is worth taking a risk for.I would have stayed there all nite and into the next day without food if I had to.
Oh boy, what a disaster. At least you can laugh about it now. I really had to laugh when you got to the part about Jerry calling the police to try and stop Phil and ask him to turn around. 😂😂😂
Yep, I think that happeded to me many years ago. I was a CFI-II-MEI and flew a tripacer (piper) from Lex KY blue grass fierd to Philly, across the mountains. I did it, but funny, was that the juunk plane. I did it, I'm just lucky to be alive. Good story though.
G,day Travis from Sydney Australia. It's been awhile since seeing your channel. What a story; Putting aside the lack of logistics, no POH and logs in seat pockets and a plane not airworthy, did you check the tail number on the FAA registration database? 🌏🇦🇺
I’m going to go out on a limb with a few assumptions: 1. Phil does not work at the clinic 2. Jerry isn’t going to see this video because he doesn’t use Al Gore’s interweb 3. Jerry isn’t a current student pilot (you should check on the FAA page) 4. Jerry and Phil are brothers but Phil doesn’t remember. 5. Where’s Phil
Seriously, this is a script for a comedy movie. (And to answer #5: Phil was never seen again after this escape. When he meets people in his new city he informs them that he is Elmer J. Fudd, who owns a mansion and a yacht. And an airplane.)
Um, yeah. Your life is worth a lot more than a few free hours added to your log. I took flying lessons but after 35 hours I realized what a ham-handed pilot I was and quit in consideration of my self-preservation. It was a tough decision to make since I have several friends who are pilots and many own their own aircraft. My dreams of co-owning a plane and sharing the flying duties to Oshkosh and elsewhere was gone, but I was asked to join a few ferry flights to keep the pilot company and in an emergency I had sufficient skills to take over. I had a Sketchiness Checklist that I ticked off before getting in the aircraft: general overall condition, age, hours, non-working equipment, perception of the owner's integrity and so on. One of my duties as a data center operator was to eliminate single points of failure the concept of which I applied to the aircraft before getting in.
The most powerful word in the arsenal of safety is ‘no’. Soon as you saw the jacked up headset you were authorized to say no. Weather below your minimums..no… technology above your maximums..no… Ray Charles as your flight instructor…no… bill Cosby as your bartender … no… alex Baldwin as range safety officer… no… IMHO
I've seen this video a couple of times and just realized that I have been contacted by "Jerry" to train him in his Colt during the Spring of 2024. Mind you I am located about 15 miles East of Cleveland, OH and he wanted me to drive out to Butler to train him. Red flag right away. I kind of figured something was wrong since there is a flight school at Butler and there must be a reason he is reaching out that far out from Butler for a CFI. Good choice to scrap the flight.
I'm not a pilot but when people can't even line up responsible drivers or accommodations to make sure you're covered after you've done the task, that's 1 red flag. The 2nd red flag is seeing the plane's condition, while paint may not be everything you've got to start adding things together like paint, inside use of white out to label gauges, along w/ any other things that made you feel as if more was wrong. So the transportation is screwed & the plane is screwed - no one can follow simple directions. Next time you walk away if they can't arrange a car when you are helping them. Were you getting paid any money b/c if you were doing it for the "Air Time" then your pay was in a decent car arrangement which this guy could not line up. Next time = RUN. peace
I really hate people that goes into activities and haven't the funds to do so. If you can't maintain your aircraft properly don't own one. Same goes for boating / sailings etc. These kind of activities request that you have plenty of cash that you HAVE to be able to spend in order to maintain these things. If you can just afford to buy it and not to maintain it, and by maintaining I mean more than just the bare minimum inevitable inspections, some broken parts that you will have to replace etc. You have to be able to put money aside for the oncoming big expenses that will inevitably happen. And you have to realise an airplane or a boat are "lost investments" by nature, i.e. you will never be able to recover the invested cost at resale value, no way. But you can just be proud to have it and to maintain it as it should.
Oh my lord…dude I’m not sure how you even proceeded after the first red flag. But I’m glad you’re safe…F that guy. You should call the FAA and report him and his plane!
Always thought it strange that people want a professional ferry pilot to fly some plane to a new home, or to the mechanic. Or whatever. Like, you have a plane, cant you fly? Don't you know anyone who flies? Especially in the case where the ferry flight is half the value of the airplane...
You've call it right; an ordeal! very dangerous situation. Unfortunately private aviation if frequently full of this kind of scenario. Rule number one is, is never to do anything with people who haven't got their S-H-one-T together, as Chris Gray said below.
So many red flags, i really don't understand why you didn't bail after the "mental health institution", because i most certainly would! As someone already said in the comments, I'm done with other people's shit and i would have just said "hey, i'm sorry but this is not going to happen" and just walk away, and probably call the cops on this guy. And probably the FAA as well.
Shoot you don't even know if that was his airplane! Once I saw that headset, I probably would have stopped there. Him giving that headset to you shows his idea of okay and if that's how he takes care of his airplane, I don't wanna fly it for free.
Great story. But if this were Stephen King novel you would have got the mags working just enough to make you decide to fly. That's when the story would have really unfolded. I'm glad you missed the ending.
I think I understand. I’m no expert. But this responsible man kept a real airplane from falling on somebody’s head. Now, what keeps a not so responsible man from having a large drone falling on somebody’s head? Does the FAA know about these types of people?
What's the rest of the story? What happened with Jerry and Phil? Did you find out what was up with the mag and brakes? Did he relocate the plane? Did it get repoed? Was it in annual? Did Jerry also owe money to that airport and thus the reason for the ferry flight? Did the police find Phil? Did Phil make it back to the asylum? : )
OMG that's properly scary stuff. i watch a few channels of aero stuff, and i'm surprised at the number of dodgy people doing really dodgy stuff ........... SHEEEEEEEEEEE EEEEEEEEEESH
Great video but…….Driver picked up at a Mental illness facility and a sun visor made out of a Biden/ Harris sign? 2 red flags. Lol! All joking aside listening to your story I didn’t pickup on considering the annual inspection either. Thanks and keep them coming. Looking forward to part 2 of your Alaska adventure.
Wow!!! That Guy was definately crooked and shady as it gets. I'm glad you pulled the plug on this one. It's really sad when you try to give people the benefit of the doubt but then they turn out to be shady dishonest people.
Cautionary tale. Good choices. No telling where that was going
I would have noped out as soon as we picked up the rando from the psychiatric center. Glad you got out of the situation with lessons learned and a good story.
What a nightmare, but it makes a great story. Super glad you broke the accident chain after the mag check!
Good video, and great lesson to share. My general philosphy these days, in all things, is never to do anything with people who haven't got their S-H-one-T together. Jobs, activities, trips, whatever it may be, if people are late or vague or disorganised, if I see other red flags, I seriously evaluate bailing out. One red flag is OK, random events can always mess things up, but as soon they start accumulating then you're running out of options and I'm kind of done putting up with avoidable drama. I heard a saying a while ago that the most important piece of safety equipment you can carry is a good credit card. If you can afford to sit in a hotel rather than risk the weather, or call an Uber rather than succumb to get-there-itis, then you'll live to fly another day. It's all about having something to fall back on - time, fuel, money, an alternate, etc - and these kind of people tend to be running on the edge of disaster. All it takes is one more screw-up or unanticipated event and they're stuck. Case in point: your fellah found himself stranded at an airfield with an unserviceable aircraft he wasn't qualified to fly, and no way home, because he hadn't got his sh1t together.
I was uncomfortable just listening about those guys, great video! Keep up the awesome work!
My man ! You have a talent to storytelling, you could talk about anything and it will keep my attention, which is really hard . Great work Sr.
Never forget there's crazies everywhere. Glad you made it out of the situation safely! Love the story video format, and would love to see more in the future! Your videos keep getting better and better man!
Thanks for the support man!
Thanks for shearing! Sometimes the love to be in the air blinds us to trust shady situations. Good you were able to pick up on all the red flags!
That’s a great story, thank you so much for sharing! Definitely a lot of lessons here, that guy was sketchy af.
This was absolutely hilarious!
Another thing learnt, always take your own headset! The radio not receiving was another potential hole in the Swiss cheese. No assistance in an emergency! Great story and well told, thanks.
Thanks for sharing, this can keep someone else from getting into a bad situation simply due to being nice and trying to help out.
Totally stumbled across this video and found this very entertaining. Apologize for laughing at your calamity, but what an experience! I will definitely be checking out some of your other videos. Happy flying.
As have I.
Glad we’ve found him.
This was definitely an interesting story. We don’t get to hear from ferry pilots too much, so this was definitely fascinating. Thank you so much for sharing!
Are you serious? It was a collection of dumb moves! Sorry, that is my opinion!
You don't have to be sorry for your opinion, I get where you are coming from haha
lol this story is great! I can imagine how you were feeling at the different junctions as the story unraveled and became more bizarre by the minute!
I am 61 now but remember in my early 20’s with a new flight instructor certificate and getting in situations that I should have said no. No one hurt, nothing illegal but an older person pushing my limits of better judgement. I am guessing that now way was that plane within annual. If you didn’t realize it, you were attempting doing him a favor at your peril. And your doing your fellow young aviators a big learning experience by posting this.
Tell that to the Wright brothers, always be looking for a place to land.
These guys can't log ferry hours unless they're commercial either, I got burned on it before, didn't know
I’m right there with you as I remember my younger days when I was sometimes too willing to go along with questionable situations just to get a little flying time.
I have to say, though, for all of the financially endowed folks who can self righteously say “well I would never have gotten myself into that situation” …congratulations, you never had to.
Always trust your gut feeling. Giving someone the benefit of the doubt when it comes to aviation safety is a ticket to disaster. You were given clues right away, Mental Health facility waypoint, driver who could not figure out where to go even though you gave him easy instructions, given an unusable HEADSET, etc. BTW any practical owner would want to check you out versus asking you out right to shuttle the plane. YOU LUCKED OUT ON THE GROUND RUN, .... thank the Angels above for showing you the last warning sign.
Great story! Thanks for sharing!
Hay Travis nice video, you ferried my colt to NH Thanks Again!!!
What I don't get is... Let's Assume that this is the student pilots first AC how he ends up owing so much money for a hanger ??? Great story glad it was you and not me haha
👍☑️Never a dull monent but you learned from it and (the best part) got a great story to share with us. Tks man.
Thanks for the continued support!
Good lessons. Nice video.
I agree with SKRUX? When the guy from the happy farm got into car and Jerry did not know him you had already maxed out the twilight zone meter for me anyway. No thanks I will Uber my way outa this nightmare. PLUS, If Jerry owed thousand on previous hangar space, whats the odds he would PAY YOU. Glad you escaped with you life . PS Even the airplane did not want to make the flight, it locked it's bakes. Planes are smarter than pilots usually. If they don't want to go, neither should you. lolololol Love the stories!
Was it a commercial flight? (And is AA a Commercial pilot?) I didn't hear anything about compensation. Just a "Please fly my airplane for me". And I don''t think the "free flight hours" count as compensation, although it is close to the line.
Wow you just can’t make this stuff up!! Great story and thank you for sharing. You definitely made the right choice by not going and I could only imagine what else could have gone wrong of you did leave. Do you think he really was a student pilot?
Anyone can be a student pilot so I think he was, but I don't think it will ever progress beyond that in my opinion.
I love stories like this. Oddly they are very common in our area. I kept thinking yep , typical, ok, yep, i can see that happening. Too bad you didn’t stay longer. Your night was just getting started. I feel like you bailed on a really good time.
Great video. Subscribed and liked. Apart from flying go-no go I see other go - no-go inflection points. A plan was set out or arranged to meet. The minute he was late I would have called it off. If he doesn't care enough to get there on time, he really doesn't care about the plane.
Don't know if you aspire to be a pro pilot but there are often times you must shut the whole thing down when things don't smell right. Good for you!
Lol! Great story! Better check the paperwork beforehand…
Definitely some great lessons learned on this one that I applied going forward!
Great presentation sir... Looks like there wasn't enough aggressive observation beforehand... Things that make you go Hmmmm. Stranger Danger and basically willingly hijacked. In for a penny, in for a pound! With ferry flights always do your groundwork homework first. Perfect illustration of when to say no to a flight however driving/flying and surveying/assessing the aircraft then setting up the flight, is the horse in front of the carriage. Inconvenience of willing to find/correct problems, campout/walk/crawl all the way home would have been my go-to before accepting a departure mission when the aircraft proved it wasn't up to the mission either as a PIC or passenger. It always takes time to prepare and verify an aircraft is prepared for flight. Doesn't matter if it's new, used or antique. Other arrangements can always be made to return home safely. A PIC always protects the ship, living souls and cargo first... Despite perceived inconveniences to other participants and so-called owners. Aviating is 99.9% preparation for each and every flight. Since allowed possession is 9/10ths of the law, you took ownership not to participate as a passenger or PIC. The aircraft wasn't prepared at that time for departing. You were prepared to say no for now, till things are corrected. That's a no-brainer... That's why we perform walk around inspections and runups before each and every departure! Sounds like these characters had you setup for fun and games and you passed the test. Since you operated the camera, it was more than candid. Take time to learn the questions and know the correct answers beforehand.
I have learned and have since earned my commercial certificate and am now conducting actual commercial ferry operations. Thankfully this experience has taught me what to look out for!
Congratulations and welcome to commercial certification FAA compliance. I think you will find that you can't buy for any amount of labor, trade, gold, silver, bitcoins or federal reserve notes ultimate aviation experience.
Aviators are always flying even when they aren't in the aircraft. Uneventful flights are produced by 99% home and groundwork 1% actual airborne experience. Keep in mind that commercial aviation is a team operation. The numbers jive when we account for all the man hours necessary to prepare for each and every flight.
Knowing when to say; "No Can Do!" to a request! Is only facilitated by experience. You just communicated your first aviation related "No Can Do!" Successfully for compounding reasons, to a request before you got airborne... There will be others both on the ground and while you're airborne.
Experience
Oh the lesson's we learn as we gain experience. I did something quite like you , back in the day. Now, 33,800 hours later....how did I stay alive? Frankly, compared to building time as a CFI verses out there getting the experience you lived through, makes, in my mind, you a more savi pilot as long as you understand this is not the way to fly...or live. By the by, I'm familiar with your area as with airline mergers I ended up several years domiciled at PIT. All the best!
This was a great story, glad you documented it!
WOW!😂 Lucky you got way from that. Love the videos!
Awesome story. Really enjoyed listening to this!
Great 'lesson learned' video!
Holy hell I’m glad you’re still alive. Whenever you see red flags PAY ATTENTION!
Lol - thank you for sharing this story - I would have backed out after picking up some random guy at the “mental health facility” - just found your channel, I’m an aviation enthusiast and flight simmer expecting to get my pilots license some day
If you going to any more ferry flight I suggest you reach out to Kerry Mccauley or some one similar - great lesson by the way and well done for documenting it and sharing
wow...... just wow.... haha. good decisions! hope to see ya in a few weeks!
So now, two years later, do you have the client email you copies of the airworthiness cert and maintenance logs?
But what happened to Jerry and Phil? Did Phil get pulled over, did Jerry make it home? The suspense is killing me!
I honestly have no idea. I don't particularly like that I had to leave Jerry there to his own devices but I think he definitely got himself into it and it wasn't my job to get him out. That airplane could still be sitting there for all I know.
@@AverageAviator it was such a good story…. It needs a conclusion though! Maybe you should just give him a call. After an hour long drive, you are probably best buds.
In 81 I bought a '70 BMW motorcycle. I was at a dealership shortly after I got it and was going over it with an older German mechanic, I asked him why none of the controls were labeled. The mechanic said in his German accent "iv zou don't know vhat za controls do you should not be riding it". Fair enough 😅
Talk about all the Holes in the Swiss Cheese Model lining up to send you straight to Heaven! 😂😂
LOL this is great story. These guys just called my company. Sadly, I told him I could not do the work. Poor JERRY
Hilarious...glad you still have your sense of humour.
I had that very same thing happen,but it was on a date with a girl I worked with.Our rental plane was running very rough and was at nite in the snow and cold with tall mountains all around us.Luckly there was a mechanic who came back after a birthday party and he cleaned the plugs,did a run-up and signed it off and we got home just a bit later than planned.I would have just slept in the FBO and the girl would have had to do the same thing,just in a different room.Nothing is worth taking a risk for.I would have stayed there all nite and into the next day without food if I had to.
Same exact thing but with trucks for me dude needed me to move one for him and i have a cdl but yes exact same weird situation.
Great story. You made the right choice. A comedy of errors
Oh boy, what a disaster. At least you can laugh about it now. I really had to laugh when you got to the part about Jerry calling the police to try and stop Phil and ask him to turn around. 😂😂😂
Wow!, just wow
This is a Netflix series gold pard 💪
Yep, I think that happeded to me many years ago. I was a CFI-II-MEI and flew a tripacer (piper) from Lex KY blue grass fierd to Philly, across the mountains. I did it, but funny, was that the juunk plane. I did it, I'm just lucky to be alive. Good story though.
G,day Travis from Sydney Australia.
It's been awhile since seeing your channel. What a story;
Putting aside the lack of logistics, no POH and logs in seat pockets and a plane not airworthy, did you check the tail number on the FAA registration database?
🌏🇦🇺
Great story!
I’m going to go out on a limb with a few assumptions:
1. Phil does not work at the clinic
2. Jerry isn’t going to see this video because he doesn’t use Al Gore’s interweb
3. Jerry isn’t a current student pilot (you should check on the FAA page)
4. Jerry and Phil are brothers but Phil doesn’t remember.
5. Where’s Phil
Seriously, this is a script for a comedy movie. (And to answer #5: Phil was never seen again after this escape. When he meets people in his new city he informs them that he is Elmer J. Fudd, who owns a mansion and a yacht. And an airplane.)
@veteranaviator - Now that's funny, whether it's true or not!
Great story 😮
Um, yeah. Your life is worth a lot more than a few free hours added to your log. I took flying lessons but after 35 hours I realized what a ham-handed pilot I was and quit in consideration of my self-preservation. It was a tough decision to make since I have several friends who are pilots and many own their own aircraft. My dreams of co-owning a plane and sharing the flying duties to Oshkosh and elsewhere was gone, but I was asked to join a few ferry flights to keep the pilot company and in an emergency I had sufficient skills to take over. I had a Sketchiness Checklist that I ticked off before getting in the aircraft: general overall condition, age, hours, non-working equipment, perception of the owner's integrity and so on. One of my duties as a data center operator was to eliminate single points of failure the concept of which I applied to the aircraft before getting in.
It's like an Average Aviator's version of Airplane Repo!
@cstacy - Except this was REAL and not staged like Airplane Repo!
The most powerful word in the arsenal of safety is ‘no’. Soon as you saw the jacked up headset you were authorized to say no. Weather below your minimums..no… technology above your maximums..no… Ray Charles as your flight instructor…no… bill Cosby as your bartender … no… alex Baldwin as range safety officer… no… IMHO
I've seen this video a couple of times and just realized that I have been contacted by "Jerry" to train him in his Colt during the Spring of 2024. Mind you I am located about 15 miles East of Cleveland, OH and he wanted me to drive out to Butler to train him. Red flag right away. I kind of figured something was wrong since there is a flight school at Butler and there must be a reason he is reaching out that far out from Butler for a CFI. Good choice to scrap the flight.
I kept waiting for you to say that Jerry said Phil was hungry, you got knocked out, and woke up in an old house that smelled exceedingly bad.
You can't log hours or receive any compensation for a ferry flight unless you are commercial pilot
You have no idea what you’re talking about
@@Catalina_30132 oh no you cant, the only way you can ferry is if you pay for at least the fuel or your pro rata share and recieve no compensation.
Run your own race, hike your own hike, fly your own flight, etc,etc.
Good lesson
OMG…. Great story
When he gave the story about being hated at another facility I would have outwitted him and just disappeared
I'm not a pilot but when people can't even line up responsible drivers or accommodations to make sure you're covered after you've
done the task, that's 1 red flag. The 2nd red flag is seeing the plane's condition, while paint may not be everything you've got to
start adding things together like paint, inside use of white out to label gauges, along w/ any other things that made you feel as
if more was wrong. So the transportation is screwed & the plane is screwed - no one can follow simple directions. Next time
you walk away if they can't arrange a car when you are helping them. Were you getting paid any money b/c if you were doing
it for the "Air Time" then your pay was in a decent car arrangement which this guy could not line up. Next time = RUN. peace
I really hate people that goes into activities and haven't the funds to do so. If you can't maintain your aircraft properly don't own one. Same goes for boating / sailings etc. These kind of activities request that you have plenty of cash that you HAVE to be able to spend in order to maintain these things. If you can just afford to buy it and not to maintain it, and by maintaining I mean more than just the bare minimum inevitable inspections, some broken parts that you will have to replace etc. You have to be able to put money aside for the oncoming big expenses that will inevitably happen.
And you have to realise an airplane or a boat are "lost investments" by nature, i.e. you will never be able to recover the invested cost at resale value, no way. But you can just be proud to have it and to maintain it as it should.
Nonsense, everything I own looks like it's a piece of junk, it ain't pretty but it works
One look at that instrument panel and headset and I would have jumped ship
You are way to nice to people dude.
Nice Guys Finish Last.
NOTE TO SELF: Don’t agree to ferrying an airplane for Phil & Jerry. EVER.
With all your time spent, did Jerry pay you?
OMG what a story
Reminds me of a classic swiss cheese model
You made my day🤣🤣🤣
Oh my lord…dude I’m not sure how you even proceeded after the first red flag. But I’m glad you’re safe…F that guy. You should call the FAA and report him and his plane!
7 mins into this story and I am going to miss the start of a World Cup match on TV because I need to find out what happens here...
Phil is still waiting for you😂
Always thought it strange that people want a professional ferry pilot to fly some plane to a new home, or to the mechanic. Or whatever. Like, you have a plane, cant you fly? Don't you know anyone who flies? Especially in the case where the ferry flight is half the value of the airplane...
You've call it right; an ordeal! very dangerous situation. Unfortunately private aviation if frequently full of this kind of scenario. Rule number one is, is never to do anything with people who haven't got their S-H-one-T together, as Chris Gray said below.
So many red flags, i really don't understand why you didn't bail after the "mental health institution", because i most certainly would! As someone already said in the comments, I'm done with other people's shit and i would have just said "hey, i'm sorry but this is not going to happen" and just walk away, and probably call the cops on this guy. And probably the FAA as well.
Welcome to GA kid.
The holes in the Swiss cheese were lined up like sheep waiting for a hair cut, be glad you bailed out of the nuts & bolts colt.
if you was to do anther ferry move... i would ask to see all the paper work.... and look at the Vehicle first before agreeing to any thing...
I have an actual commercial ferry coming up and I have done just that. I learned a lesson!
Shoot you don't even know if that was his airplane! Once I saw that headset, I probably would have stopped there. Him giving that headset to you shows his idea of okay and if that's how he takes care of his airplane, I don't wanna fly it for free.
From KAOO. Come on over sometime.
Will do when I'm back in PA in a few months!
Wise decision
Great story. But if this were Stephen King novel you would have got the mags working just enough to make you decide to fly. That's when the story would have really unfolded. I'm glad you missed the ending.
I think I understand. I’m no expert. But this responsible man kept a real airplane from falling on somebody’s head. Now, what keeps a not so responsible man from having a large drone falling on somebody’s head? Does the FAA know about these types of people?
What's the rest of the story? What happened with Jerry and Phil? Did you find out what was up with the mag and brakes? Did he relocate the plane? Did it get repoed? Was it in annual? Did Jerry also owe money to that airport and thus the reason for the ferry flight? Did the police find Phil? Did Phil make it back to the asylum? : )
OMG that's properly scary stuff. i watch a few channels of aero stuff, and i'm surprised at the number of dodgy people doing really dodgy stuff ........... SHEEEEEEEEEEE EEEEEEEEEESH
Great video but…….Driver picked up at a Mental illness facility and a sun visor made out of a Biden/ Harris sign? 2 red flags. Lol!
All joking aside listening to your story I didn’t pickup on considering the annual inspection either. Thanks and keep them coming. Looking forward to part 2 of your Alaska adventure.
I’ll extend much more leeway to a person standing on solid ground.
Not a bit otherwise.
👍👍😎✌️🤟
Spoilers are not necessary.
You're lucky you didn't ferry that plane. You might have ended up on Dan Gryder's youtube show.
Dan Gryder has crashed himself almost as many times as he's ridiculed other pilots for crashing....
This whole thing was close to comedic.
Now you know how to detect a narcissistic sociopath.
You could have taken the car keys and brought them back to Phil.
Wow!!! That Guy was definately crooked and shady as it gets. I'm glad you pulled the plug on this one. It's really sad when you try to give people the benefit of the doubt but then they turn out to be shady dishonest people.