Originally posted by Cheech
It seems to have all been said, but here's my $.02. The SAFTEY ISSUE regarding 3D is a wash in my mind. The safety issue and possibility for a glitch exist in ALL aircraft operating from and returning to the runway. Any plane flying over the runway can suffer a hit, glitch or fialure and come zingin' into the pits . That includes low time pilots, ragged out airplanes and the shiny new 3D machine. All can fail.
Personally I pick my air time carefully and generally put my plane up with like minded pilots and people of similar skill level. And I show alot of courtesy.
-Cheech
Certainly all aircraft can fail at any time and cause significant damage, the question is what is a greater risk to the pilots standing on the flight line?
1. Can a guy doin 100mph pass down the runway make a mistake and go barreling into someone at that speed kill the person.... sure, this is something that I have and we all have seen a lot (except for the death part
)
2. Can a 40%er that is hovering near the flight line lose control (dont give me some crap that it will just plop down), yes you can lose control, instinct will tell you to push the throttle. Now you just fell over on your back low altitude, lots of power attempting to get out of it, and that big 32" prop puts a nice nick into someones forehead. Is that any worse than the first scenario... no.
They are in essence equivelent risk to the other fliers on the flight line.
A pilot with a little sense should not be doing either of those things, since it potentially puts someone else at risk.
Hovering should not be singled out, there are a lot of things that are extremely dangerous (hand launching from the pits over the flight line is one that comes to mind.... dont ask!!).
Point is do what you want to do, but do it safely and intelligently. If you are learning to hover (of fly for that matter) you need to be extra cautious about safety.