back to article Canuck ultralight pilot drops in on strip club

A Canadian microlight pilot is set to go down in aviation history after landing in the parking lot of a strip joint in Carignan, southeast of Montreal, popping in for a quick break and then flying off. Local cops got a 911 call from a concerned citizen who thought the aircraft had crashed outside the Le Rendez-Vous last …

COMMENTS

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  1. Inventor of the Marmite Laser Silver badge

    Strip? Landing?

    Landing strip, obvious, innit.

    1. Chris 244
      Coat

      A very skilled...

      ...bush pilot.

  2. J 3
    Paris Hilton

    unless it's an emergency

    I can think of many emergencies that would take me to land at such a place. Very understandable.

    1. Jolyon

      Understandable

      Anything in the cockpit area might necessitate this - a stiff joystick for example.

      May have been sticky flaps causing him to nose dive.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Coat

        Flaps

        In this circumstance, too much flap is likely to cause a stall; noticeable by a flacid joystick, loss of feedback and inability to hit the correct final approach.

        In this circumstance, the pilot is recommended to abort, circle round and attempt landing at an alternative runway, if one is available. Note: At some airstrips, this runway may be much narrower and shorter, requiring ideal landing conditions, very precise joystick control and a much slower final approach.

  3. swisstoni
    Paris Hilton

    tit le

    Photo or it didn't happen. If you don't have any of the parking lot, the inside will do just fine.

    1. Inventor of the Marmite Laser Silver badge

      Best I can do at short notice

      http://regmedia.co.uk/2011/07/06/anonymoussideteaser.jpg

  4. Yet Another Anonymous coward Silver badge

    Public place

    Is the parking lot of a club a public place?

    If it is then there are a lot of towing companies going to be in trouble.

    1. Daniel 4

      Re: Public place

      Most aviation authorities have a different definition of "public place" than the generic. In this particular case, they almost certainly mean any place that isn't a designated airstrip or a private area restricted from public access, such as a very long private driveway in the country (a feasible strip for many ultralights). Depending on the jurisdiction, an ultralight pilot may not even be allowed to fly over more urbanized areas. It's all about having a few hundred pounds of plane and pilot drop on someone's head - especially when licensing for ultralights is dirt simple to get (or not even necessary - again, depending on the jurisdiction).

      -d

  5. Anonymous Coward
    Thumb Up

    Another tip-off!

    Mike Richards has been busy with the tip-offs recently. It's great that there are people like him out there doing the legwork, pounding the pavement, pressing the flesh (and so on) to bring such newsworthy events to our attention.

  6. Rudisaurus

    Lose his license?

    Ultralight pilots in Canada are not required to be licensed. It's certainly recommended, of course -- the consequences having such Darwinian ramifications -- but it's not a regulatory requirement.

    1. Bruce Hoult

      Licensed and trained are not the same thing.

      The post is required, and must contain letters.

    2. psimon

      Afraid they are.

      If you're currently flying without any licensein Canada, you might want to (quietly) check into the current requirements.

      You can fly without the ultralight license IF you have a current private pilot's license.

      The pleasure craft operator's card doesn't cover it, I'm afraid.

  7. Tim

    Sounds like a *real* pilot to me

    "Climb inside her and take her to heaven and back three times a day. Woof!"

  8. Anonymous Coward
    Coat

    Title

    Was he heard to say, "If she drops hers, I'll drop (in) mine?"

  9. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    What if he only had a

    hand shandy?

  10. LaeMing
    Go

    Flying Car?

    We don't need no stankin' flyin' car!

  11. Jimbo in Thailand

    Of course it was an emergency...

    As the pilot approached that club from above he began to feel a slight stiffness in his control..err...umm...joystick. For safety reasons he had to make an immediate landing to have the 'problem' attended to. Yeah, that's it...for safety reasons. I'm sure his flight home was relaxed with a nice soft landing.

    -Paris is crying because she couldn't be there to work out the stiffness herself.

  12. Shaun Hunter
    Thumb Up

    Oooh Can-a-da....

    I'm feelin' Patriotic all of the sudden.

  13. Craig 28

    Re:Pub(l)ic place

    Indeed they probably do mean "public place" as in "A place to which the public has access" as opposed to "public property". If you wouldn't be allowed to run around naked in it under indecent exposure laws then you probably can't land there, ahem.

    Anyone else envisioning a private landing strip (snigger snigger) positioned next to a strip club? Bonus points if they can make the club itself out of two domes...

  14. Ivar Petersen

    No drinking

    Ok it's been a few years, but when I took a full pilot licence we were taught facts slightly different to those quoted in the article.

    "Eight hours from bottle to throttle" was a guide only. The rule is that you can't enter the flightdeck or cockpit (yeah yeah) while affected by alcohol. This stems back from IATA rules of 1948. If you read the rules literally, you are/were legally on safe ground if you took the controls stone sober but drinking a bottle of whisky while taking off! :)

    Commercial pilots (ATPL), however, are ALSO governed by airline regulations, and they seem to be very strict regarding alcohol consumption, particularly while flying. Since I don't know of any ultra lights flying scheduled flights with passengers, I assume this not to be an issue in this case.

    If the pilot in questions was under normal pilot licensing rules, he is guaranteed to have broken a number of rules. You have to be 500ft away from vehicles or persons unless during take-off and landing on designated airstrips or airports. Also, you have to keep a certain distance from any large gathering of people (Don't know how popular the club in question is).

  15. Anonymous Coward
    Happy

    not only no piccies

    but not even a playmobile reconstruction of the deed. i'm aghast.

  16. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    No alcohol involved

    He could have just gotten laid and jumped back in the plane for a joy ride?

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