So I'm parked in my usual spot tinkering in the hangar today and I see this hot pink yes hot pink Commanche and a pretty grey haired pilot taxiing in. Due to another airplane sitting out I knew it was tight so I walked out of the hangar just in time to see him smash his tip tank into the fender of my truck. WTF? Luckily it just scuffed my plastic fender flare some. He didn't even shut down he motioned for me back my truck up so I did and he kept on going down the row. I went back to doing what I was doing and waited for him to show up and he never did. I had to go find the guy and get his contact information. We about when rounds when he started trying to blame me for not "clearing him" and getting all upset that I wanted his contact info. So a person working in their hangar is the PIC of your airplane now?? I found out later he's in his 80's, blind as crap, and has landed that Commanche gear up a time or two. Anyways that was my excitement for the afternoon...oh and hearing a P-51 fly-by wide open was pretty sweet too.

AvidFlyer wrote:So I'm parked in my usual spot tinkering in the hangar today and I see this hot pink yes hot pink Commanche and a pretty grey haired pilot taxiing in. Due to another airplane sitting out I knew it was tight so I walked out of the hangar just in time to see him smash his tip tank into the fender of my truck. WTF? Luckily it just scuffed my plastic fender flare some. He didn't even shut down he motioned for me back my truck up so I did and he kept on going down the row. I went back to doing what I was doing and waited for him to show up and he never did. I had to go find the guy and get his contact information. We about when rounds when he started trying to blame me for not "clearing him" and getting all upset that I wanted his contact info. So a person working in their hangar is the PIC of your airplane now?? I found out later he's in his 80's, blind as crap, and has landed that Commanche gear up a time or two. Anyways that was my excitement for the afternoon...oh and hearing a P-51 fly-by wide open was pretty sweet too.

Sorry to hear this. Hearing the P-51 somehow doesn't even that up.
Just imagine how bad it could have been if there were no third class medical and he was self evaluating.

AvidFlyer wrote:So I'm parked in my usual spot tinkering in the hangar today and I see this hot pink yes hot pink Commanche and a pretty grey haired pilot taxiing in.

I thought when you said "pretty grey haired Pilot" I thought for a minute you were remarking on some hot older (cougar type) chick pilot's look. But I think your commenting on the LEVEL of grey on their head..... I hope. I haven't seen many pretty 80 year old men. At least I wouldn't admit it

It scares me when I read about this kind of thing... because I picture him in the same airspace with me.
Then I think about two facts. Statistically, he is never going to run into me in the air.
Secondly... if he gets sideways with the FAA at age 80, his flying days are over. And maybe they should be... but it is really going to be depressing for him.
So, if he makes it right with whatever damage you incurred... maybe cut him some slack and let it go.
We are all gonna be 80 probably faster than we wanted.
He might even buy you coffee some morning when this all settles down.
Good luck.. good post.

Bad deal for sure....................

If you were parked in a area where planes DON'T taxi then the guy owes you some coin.... If your truck was parked where planes taxi then the responsibility is yours for the damage.. IMHO.

I got my wing scraped in Dillon MT by an 80 year old ramp guy parking an 80 year old pilot. Just scraped a little paint off the top of the wing so I didn't have the heart to pursue a claim. Then I loaned my plane to a guy that scraped someone else's (parked) pickup with a droop tip after which he proceeded to scream at everyone over the radio using my tail #.

dirtstrip wrote:Just imagine how bad it could have been if there were no third class medical and he was self evaluating.

Yea, let's not let anyone fly unless they have uncorrected 20/15 vision and can run a sub-4 minute mile. Flying is for supermen only, huh ? Get your comment in on the AOPA plan? Gotta keep us four-eyed, flabby loosers out of your airspace.

OscarDeuce wrote:

dirtstrip wrote:Just imagine how bad it could have been if there were no third class medical and he was self evaluating.

Yea, let's not let anyone fly unless they have uncorrected 20/15 vision and can run a sub-4 minute mile. Flying is for supermen only, huh ? Get your comment in on the AOPA plan? Gotta keep us four-eyed, flabby loosers out of your airspace.

Guess I should have made that post in Flying Humor.

Stol wrote: If your truck was parked where planes taxi then the responsibility is yours for the damage.. IMHO.

How do you figure that? The PIC is responsible for not hitting anything. Even if you were parked in the wrong spot - the middle of the runway - it's still the PICs fault for hitting the truck. All he had to do was stop. Doesn't seem like rocket science to me to determine who is at fault.

You guys are right accidents happen but the part that irritated me was that he didn't apologize or anything he yelled at me after I had to go and find him. He didn't even check on my truck and became very irritated when I requested his contact info.

Sorry about the age thing but you guys are taking it out of context. We all know guys at our airports that probably shouldn't still be flying just like the ones who shouldn't be driving.

dirtstrip wrote:

OscarDeuce wrote:

dirtstrip wrote:Just imagine how bad it could have been if there were no third class medical and he was self evaluating.

Yea, let's not let anyone fly unless they have uncorrected 20/15 vision and can run a sub-4 minute mile. Flying is for supermen only, huh ? Get your comment in on the AOPA plan? Gotta keep us four-eyed, flabby loosers out of your airspace.

Guess I should have made that post in Flying Humor.

Dirtstrip:

Sorry if I misunderstood. It's a topic that really gets my dander up. Peace.

Best,
O-2

Can't get my head around the logic that you should pay him... if you were parked where airplanes go.
I don't run into stuff just because it shouldn't be there. Certainly not with my planes... or bicycles.
Sounds like Walmart Logic. Go run into something and then ask for money.
WTF

I, like most of us here I bet, have a hangar nestled in rows and rows of hangars. It's always a guess what I'll find down the line when I turn the corner off the taxiway. Planes, cars, ATVs, drunks passed out....

Just means I'll nose in as far as it's safe, pull the mixture and coast on in, and then push or pull the rest of the way. Or, I could power up and follow the yellow line regardless, because "it's for airplanes."

Gump

exodus wrote:

AvidFlyer wrote:So I'm parked in my usual spot tinkering in the hangar today and I see this hot pink yes hot pink Commanche and a pretty grey haired pilot taxiing in.

I thought when you said "pretty grey haired Pilot" I thought for a minute you were remarking on some hot older (cougar type) chick pilot's look. But I think your commenting on the LEVEL of grey on their head..... I hope. I haven't seen many pretty 80 year old men. At least I wouldn't admit it

When coupled with the hot pink paint job on the Commanche, the hair comment made a different impression on me......

EB

Look at the bright side - he wasn't in a truck that hit YOUR plane . . .

Glad there's no damage. And I'd suggest that his age is irrelevant to whether he was an a$$hat or note - some people are born that way, and some just take years to perfect the persona.

Stol wrote:...... If your truck was parked where planes taxi then the responsibility is yours for the damage.. IMHO.

I don't know if I'd take it that far, but if you were parked in an aircraft-operating area, or crowding one (like alongside a taxiway for example), you at least share some of the blame. We've had issues at my airport of people parking too close to taxiways etc and inpeding or even preventing aircraft movement. That shit gets old quick.

Nosedragger wrote:.........I loaned my plane to a guy that scraped someone else's (parked) pickup with a droop tip after which he proceeded to scream at everyone over the radio using my tail #.

Sounds like a poor decision making problem-- yours that is, for loaning that guy your airplane. Now what if he'd piled it up-- would he make it right? Would insurance cover it? Even if at least one of those is a yes, how about the loss of your airplane for who knows how long?
Personally, I don't loan my airplane to anyone. I've seen the loaned airplane thing which everyone seemed real happy about go sour real quick when something bad happened-- real sour when the borrowing pilot didn't step up to the plate. No thanks.

OscarDeuce wrote: Yea, let's not let anyone fly unless they have uncorrected 20/15 vision and can run a sub-4 minute mile. Flying is for supermen only, huh ? Get your comment in on the AOPA plan? Gotta keep us four-eyed, flabby loosers out of your airspace.

I don't think it's (all) about vision & physical condition, a lot of it has to do with mental condition & attitude. How about Senator Inhofe's landing not long ago on an x'd out runway right over the top of a work crew? Apparently he didn't see anything wrong with doing that, although he scared the shit out of them and there was at least one non-closed runway available at that airport. All his oars not in the water, or attitude problem, or a little of both? You tell me.

If you run into anything with your airplane it is your fault. IMHO I can not think of an exception to this once you see and know it is there.

That is not to say that it is not totally frustrating having to deal with parked cars etc. around taxiways and hangars but that sounds like something an insurance company says about a car accident, you are partially responsible just for being there, I don't think so.

Greg

I was just at a little fly-in swap meet at a local airport saturday, where a bunch of people & parked cars were gathered around an open hangar. Some poor guy from down that row of hangars was trying to taxi out & it was a pretty tight squeak. Not only did no one step back to get well clear, OR make a move to get their damn cars out of the way, no one (except me) even made an affort to wing-walk him through the tight spot-- and these were all airplane people. Pretty goddam inconsiderate if you ask me. But if he'd scraped something/someone on the way through, you can bet they'd have been hollering.