Dave Riggs and Santa Monica Pier buzz update

Hacker15e

Hacker15e

Who am I? Where are my pants?
Referencing this thread from 2009:

http://forums.jetcareers.com/thread...r-raises-safety-questions.98062/#post-1332013

Since I posted the above back in 2009, and not knowing very much about Dave Riggs, I've learned a lot about him through acquaintances in the civil jet and airshow world. He is, needless to say, a serious problem child given his complete disregard of any semblance of flight discipline. His actions are a stain on the civilian warbird jet community, and have put that community under the FAA's microscope (some of which is deserved). Ultimately, guys like this make us all look bad, no matter what corner of the aviation community we reside in.

Last week, the FAA filed an emergency revocation of his certificate, the result of the investigation following a fatal L-39 crash out in Nevada earlier this year. He has had his certificate suspended/revoked previously, and has a track record of seriously questionable and probably illegal actions in an airplane. He also has been part of some very questionable business decisions around the sport aviation community.

The crash:
http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2012/may/18/officials-2-killed-plane-crash-near-boulder-city-a/

The FAA's emergency revocation:
http://www.aero-news.net/index.cfm?do=main.textpost&id=acb88ac6-6038-4faa-bd57-b93ae8ef39c1

Background info on Riggs (warning: very biased reporting on this site, so take commentary with appropriate grain, but have fun reading anyway):
http://www.aviationcriminal.com/riggs/
 
Buzzing a crowd of people like that is totally irresponsible. I don't think he should be allowed to fly unless he cleans up his act. I don't want to share the sky with people like that.
 
flyingbum said:
Buzzing a crowd of people like that is totally irresponsible. I don't think he should be allowed to fly unless he cleans up his act. I don't want to share the sky with people like that.
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Not to mention that video of him doing mach.75+ inside a canyon feet from the ground?
 
flyingbum said:
Buzzing a crowd of people like that is totally irresponsible. I don't think he should be allowed to fly unless he cleans up his act. I don't want to share the sky with people like that.
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Realize that the incident that triggered this latest revocation was him flying for hire on a Private Pilot certificate in an aircraft registered as experimental.

He's had numerous opportunities to 'clean up his act' after the pier buzz and prior to this fatal accident, and his actions haven't appeared to show any change in attitude.

No personal axe to grind -- I don't know the guy. I can't stand it when dumb folks are out there screwing up and ruining the party for the rest of us. The FAA would love to stop warbirds and jets from being able to fly as it is: retards like this only serve to reinforce the FAA's desire to shut the whole thing down.
 
Hacker15e said:
Realize that the incident that triggered this latest revocation was him flying for hire on a Private Pilot certificate in an aircraft registered as experimental.

He's had numerous opportunities to 'clean up his act' after the pier buzz and prior to this fatal accident, and his actions haven't appeared to show any change in attitude.
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New here, but just one correction. After his license was revoked for the Santa Monica Pier incident he finally got a Commercial certificate. That doesn't make it okay to do flights for hire in an experimental though.

Also, in the flight through the canyon, he wasn't alone, he had again..an apparently paid passenger.
 
Apophis said:
Exactly. Unfortunately, if this guy is hell-bent on flying, then he is going to find a way to fly. Especially if he is an aircraft owner.
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Willfully serving as a crew member without appropriate certificates is a crime. So, eventually...


Sent from Seat 3D
 
If you are flying a two person airplane, then both pilots must be certificated for that airplane. You can't put a SE Comm in the right seat of a CitationX and be legal.
 
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