...And The FAA Sez He's Done It Before
There is arguably
nothing cooler in the world of aviation than the low fly-by. The
sight -- and sound -- of a screaming warbird, be it vintage or
modern, buzzing a crowd at treetop-heights sends shivers down the
spine of almost any aero-head, and cheers to their throat.
Aerial demonstration teams such as the Blue Angels know this
well, as their shows usually include at least one high-speed
flyover -- usually by sneaking up on the crowd from behind,
afterburners on (love it!)
Thing is, those teams are well-trained and have received
all the necessary clearances to do so -- whereas pilot Eugene
Mallette was lacking at least one of those criteria when he
pulled the flyover routine in his vintage P-51 last year.
Aero-News reported on Mallette
before, although at the time no one knew him by name.
Last October, reports came in from Missoula (MT) police that an
unidentified P-51 Mustang buzzed the crowd and tailgaters just
before a football game between Montana and Cal Poly at
Washington-Grizzly Stadium.
The Missoulian newspaper reports eyewitness accounts identified
the aircraft as belonging to Eugene Mallette. Earlier this month,
the FAA sent Mallette notice that his ticket could be pulled for
360 days based on a January 4 ruling by the Northwest Mountain
Region office of the FAA, based in Renton, WA.
In its ruling, the FAA noted Mallette flew his warbird "over a
congested area... below 1,000 feet of objects on the ground...
including, or in the vicinity of, a stadium which is part of the
University of Montana."
Most damningly, the FAA also claimed Mallette's plane (file
photo of type, below right) was traveling at speeds greater than
230 mph below 2,500 feet within four nautical miles of a primary
airport -- and that his actions were "careless or reckless,
endangering the lives and property of others."
Cool to watch, and no doubt a lot of fun to fly... but also a
really bad idea if you want to keep your ticket.
What's worse, the FAA ruling also states Mallette pulled the
same stunt three months before, over St. Cloud, MN. The ruling
alleges Mallette failed to establish communications with the
airport tower in that incident -- and that he then proceeded to
execute "an unsafe low and fast pass" between the tower and a
taxiway "at a low altitude and at a rate of speed higher than was
prudent."
In all, the Missoulian reports
Mallette appears to have violated six FAA regs between the two
incidents.
And then there's the case involving another similar incident in
the Helena, MT area sometime in 1999... but you get the idea. That
FAA recommendation called for a 270-day suspension of Mallette's
ticket, which was later reduced by a judge to 230 days... but no
records were provided to the paper indicating whether Mallette ever
served the suspension.
Talks are reportedly underway between the FAA's Renton office
and Mallette's representatives (read, attorneys) over the latest
incidents, and a final ruling on the license suspension is
expected within two weeks. Stay tuned.