Social medias most reckless pilot is back at it…
Posted by digital_dyslexia@reddit | flying | View on Reddit | 97 comments
I won’t air out his name here, but he lost his CFI cert for letting insta models sit backwards leaning against the front glass with doors off, then got Alex Choi in hot water with the FAA over fireworks, and now apparently he feels straight up invincible… 3 inches from a car pileup/helicopter crash and fire that would kill like 10 people. How is the FSDO not all over him? What was that saying about bold pilots again?
TabsAZ@reddit
More reckless than the guy that faked an engine failure and jumped out of a plane and let it crash?
sirduckbert@reddit
Absolutely more reckless. That guy broke a bunch of rules but only risked himself. This guy is risking innocent peeps
Ironkidz23@reddit
Tell that to Smokey the Bear. He knows that wildfires are a threat to everyone.
theonlyski@reddit
His name is just Smokey Bear. No “the”.
ToxicPilot@reddit
Smokey T. Bear
Ironkidz23@reddit
Well I got a homie named Smokey the Dopeman too. Didn't know if y'all knew him or not.
OzrielArelius@reddit
hold the fuckin phone. do y'all not remember the old song? "Smokey the bear, Smokey the bear, howling and a prowling and a sniffin the air. he can smell a fire, before it starts to flame. that's why they call him Smokey, that's how he got his name! "
theonlyski@reddit
Apparently they added the “the” to make it sound better in the song.
EmotioneelKlootzak@reddit
Gotta put respect on Smokey's name 😤
PelvisResleyz@reddit
Smokey’s a pacifist man
Ok-Exchange2500@reddit
I also dabbled in pacifism once.
Ryforge20@reddit
Not in Nam of course
Stonkpilot@reddit
Until he is hungry, then he eats you, because its a bear.
NathanArizona@reddit
Sometimes you eat the bear, and uhh, sometimes
pilotjlr@reddit
Not in 'Nam, of course
Fat_Fred@reddit
He’s fragile.
patrick24601@reddit
No no no. You are thinking of his companion. Boo boo the twink.
two_minutes_out@reddit
Over the line! Mark it 8, Dude
AtOurGates@reddit
Not according to the song I’ve been singing since kindergarten.
He’s also canonically prowlin’ growlin’ and sniffin’ in the air.
djfl@reddit
I've been saying his name wrong for over 40 years. I'm usually happy to be corrected on things, but this one just makes me feel a little empty.
VerStannen@reddit
Yep Smokey has no middle name and it sure as hell ain’t “The”.
douche_ex_machina_69@reddit
Unless he’s rapping, then it’s Smokey Da Bear. Also at the gay bar
Substantial_Ad9314@reddit
He didn’t really only risk himself. He had no way of knowing where that plane was going down.
ammo359@reddit
Eh, it was going to go down within a best-glide radius. Did he do that math? Idk. He’s an idiot so probably not. But there are a ton of place & altitude combinations in the US where you can be acceptably confident you won’t hit people or structures.
Lormar@reddit
Sure, and you just start a wild fire in a national wilderness area, which is what he crashed in. He even strapped a few tiny extinguishers to his legs, showing he was worried it might catch fire and he'd have to put it out after landing near it. Stupid stupid stupid all around.
Emotional-Ebb9390@reddit
If we are going to argue about which is the stupidest pilot, why are we not going to mention to Red Bull plane swap, because they pointed a plane at the ground with people nearby.
ammo359@reddit
Yes, he’s an idiot. I’m only contesting the “he had no way of knowing where that plane was going down” claim. Super easy to draw a circle on a map and know that an engine out plane will land in that circle.
saml01@reddit
Yeah, thats wack.
digital_dyslexia@reddit (OP)
Oh yeah, it’s been going on for years…. I have seen him fly nap of the earth around a blind corner in a wooded 2 lane road and have to yank a climb to avoid an oncoming minivan…
Environmental_Log792@reddit
You forgot about the part where he was over the mountains and all the vegetation was dead and dry
gordongroans@reddit
As if wildfires havent been the biggest threat to western states for the last 15 years.
ysfi__@reddit
that one was crazy to me why on earth would anyone like him be in the air in the first place.
IREQUIREPROOF@reddit
Why are you calling him out but hiding his identity if he’s posting this shit to the internet anyways? These people need to be taken out of the skies as they not only pose a threat to the safety of others but encourage 500 more dumbass people to copy him
Oohsam@reddit
It's Esteban Jimenez.
Don't know why op made a post and tried to be all secretive.
Substantial_Ad9314@reddit
People are weird about that stuff. Whenever people get interviews and stuff like that they’ll be like “I’m interviewing with the yellow ULCC (rip)” or “the green ULCC” or “the one with the US flag on the tail”
Like bro we all know that’s spirit/frontier/american. Why be weird about it
OzrielArelius@reddit
this shit always cracks me up. honorable mention for people that use the fucking codes instead of the names. AA or UA okay fine it's just an abbreviation. but OO and WN and F9 stfu
dinnerisbreakfast@reddit
I would be weary of making money by bashing large corporations and using their copyrighted and trademarked names.
Anything to distance yourself from a possible lawsuit seems like a good idea to me, even if it does sound ridiculous.
Flimsy-Ad-858@reddit
wary
Who's making money on Reddit? You? Tell me how!
Only an idiot would post enough on a Reddit account to be personally identifiable. That's like ⅔ of the point of this website.
DeltaVZerda@reddit
Preemptive baseless cowardice doesn't seem like a good idea to me. It sounds ridiculous because it is ridiculous.
Cogwheel@reddit
You're the one who's brainwashed into valuing the rights of corporations over the rights of individuals...
mkosmo@reddit
Using IATA IDs to identify an airline isn't going to isolate you from a civil suit if that's what they wanted to do. Saying (assume the statement causes damages) "XX is stupid" isn't any less identifying or damaging than "X Airlines is stupid"
OzrielArelius@reddit
who's making money? we're just commenting on reddit.
mkosmo@reddit
Those are just their IATA identifiers, so it's not like it's a secret. It's just something else.
OzrielArelius@reddit
im aware. idk what that "something else" is, though
Handag@reddit
Might unpopular but I’m fine with the IATA codes. I think it’s more concise. If someone comes to r/flying and ask about their experience with United airlines, part of me will wonder if it’s just a lost Reddit asking about their inflight meals. If someone comes here an asks about UA, I’ll know they’re talking about the flight ops side.
It’s weird and I can’t explain but theres a difference between talking about Southwest Airlines and WN. Just the same as typing stfu and shut the fuck up. Two different thing imo.
Now the people who say I fly at the triangle 🔺or the the globe, or the ULCC with animals on the tails is just stupid and can stfu.
Tough-Choice@reddit
Those are standard IATA abbreviations and are used as shorthand in the industry. No one is trying to be secretive by using them. If you’re pursuing this career, get used to them. Go ahead and memorize all the major regional carriers.
OzrielArelius@reddit
lol
Studsmcgee@reddit
I hate when people use the codes. Just say the name. It’s not a secret.
mfsp2025@reddit
But it’s fun to call it a regiOOnal or mAAinline
ArchdukeOfNorge@reddit
I think if anything, there’s merit in doing something small to avoid potential litigation. I don’t have the time nor money to deal with something like that
Fenderfreak145@reddit
We know that, but doxxing karens on Reddit don't.
wt1j@reddit
He flies an R44. The problem will solve itself.
tomdarch@reddit
Years ago, simply mentioning someone's name would get them higher standings in search ranks, so you didn't want to draw attention in straightforward ways.
The_Warrior_Sage@reddit
Stupid Reddit culture
_howareyanow@reddit
Probably to not give his socials more clicks?
digital_dyslexia@reddit (OP)
Yes thank you. I’m getting a lot of flack for that but if I did name and shame I’d get that too. I know a lot of mutual people to this guy and would rather avoid the issues in my personal life it could cause as well
brucebrowde@reddit
I mean you understand posting to the Internet makes revealing the identities and linking that back to your post all but unavoidable?
Rdshadow@reddit
I like that answer.
Fauropitotto@reddit
Every single time we "call someone out" it's giving them attention on social media and financially rewards them for it.
If we want to reduce this behavior, than we need to blacklist names and social media links. Any mention of these guys should have an automod remove them. No shaming. No call outs. Zero exposure.
PeRfEcTlYbAlEnCeD@reddit
what in the airwolf is this
Figit090@reddit
I thought it was a screen grab from airwolf at first 😂
csg6117@reddit
On the off chance someone doesn't know (which would be a rarity in this sub 😄), the saying is:
"There are old pilots and there are bold pilots. There aren't any old, bold pilots"
LoungeFlyZ@reddit
Is it just me or do others hear the Magnum PI sound track looking at these?
Kermit-de-frog1@reddit
Ok, looking at the pics, I see a line of supercars and a helo, so did this dude buzz an exotic cars and coffee run randomly, or did all these dudes perhaps agree to the stupidity.
We look at similar stuff on movies done irl, Or for commercials that have the same levels of danger , and sometimes they go wrong (Audi). And they practice multiple times before the actual shoot.
I wonder how many times this dude practiced to get this line .
Unsafe yes, stupid also yes , Innocent bystanders endangered ….. not so sure .
digital_dyslexia@reddit (OP)
You make a good point here, let me give some context. These are supercar rallys, this one being “NuRally” whom I know the founder. Essentially you buy your slot and you join a bunch of others on an organized multi-day drive in extremely nice and rare cars (this one being a P1), where you go off the beaten path and let loose on empty obscure canyon roads for 100’s of miles etc to get to your next stop (vegas, palm springs, etc) and then there are events and what not along the way each night.
So yes everyone signed up for the drive, and I’m sure almost all of them know they will be seeing the helicopter, but they don’t understand that pushing your supercar on open roads is still not as dangerous as what the helicopter is doing. I’m sure they think he’s crazy, but that’s the whole point of the rally. But nothing is choreographed as you’d suggest and there are no practice runs, plus there is still often regular traffic in the mix while he’s flying around
tomdarch@reddit
Plenty of people with more money than good sense die "pushing cars on open roads" so I think one could fairly debate whether the "fair chance of dying" from the helicopter fucking up is a substantially different thing than the "fair chance of dying" from driving really fast on open roads you don't know well. But I think it is absolutely fair to say that a lot of these folks do not adequately understand the risk that this adds.
Flimsy-Ad-858@reddit
Okay I hate to give people like this any credit but... Is that actually illegal? Sounds unintelligent but I can't think of any regs being broken there.
headphase@reddit
§14 CFR 91.13 Reckless and careless operation
Flimsy-Ad-858@reddit
You and I both know that regulation has no weight. If it did Jerry Wagner would have had his ticket pulled a decade ago. I've seen guys do dumb shit with feds literally sitting next to the runway and they just shrug because it's a PITA to enforce that with some kind of objective standard.
headphase@reddit
Ok? Not sure what your point is. You asked what law. There's the law. Enforcement is an entirely different bag of cats. Run afoul at your own peril ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Flimsy-Ad-858@reddit
My point is I'm fully aware of the existence of 91.13 but have never in my career heard of it being enforced by itself. Do we know that's what happened here?
Partisan44@reddit
In a robinson ,ooh ,what can go wrong .....
Fazu34@reddit
Speed limit enforced by air
aftcg@reddit
OP is the choppa pilot and wants all the posts and clicks for the karma farm he has.
rulingthewake243@reddit
If they're posting it, why not say the name?
aftcg@reddit
Bc the OP is the problem pilot in the choppa and wants us to post to make him popular. And, OP has a small dick.
fd6270@reddit
Probably to not drive even more traffic and clicks to said individuals social media, thereby giving said individual the attention they're looking for?
TristanwithaT@reddit
Right, like why be vague if they're public posts lol
iBaires@reddit
I get the idea of not driving traffic to the account.
But also, this post is nothing more than "man does something to endanger the general public"
Ok, so what do you want us to do with this information?
Bob_Ross3346@reddit
Did Wagner get a helicopter?
the_silent_redditor@reddit
We share skies with these stupid old cunts.
Whisky-354@reddit
What an amazing manoeuvre holy fuck lol. I remember years ago there was a clip of him pulling the GPS out in flight and blowing on it like a fkn Nintendo cartridge before plugging it back in.
frenchiephish@reddit
That one barely even rates a mention on the list of his crazy shit, and that's saying something.
There's the night approach where he forgets to turn on the pilot activated lighting until his wife asks why it's so dark at 100'
Theres proceeding past minimums to 'secondary minimums' and then divebombing the runway to get it in.
And there's this in IMC as a solid entry into the 'holy crap how are you still alive' book.
Whisky-354@reddit
Wtf. He's been busy since I last saw him lol. That video still is wild - dude is on borrowed time.
Is your flair up to date? I used to work at China Southern back in the day.
frenchiephish@reddit
Hah, small world, it is, but I haven't flown in a few years due to medical stuff. One of my instructors ended up there for a while just before they wound up
MidfieldBreak@reddit
Golden Eagle, baby. Get it right.
thunderer18@reddit
My first instructor always said "If you want to impress someone, go water skiing on your penis. Don't do it in an aircraft."
400Volts@reddit
You should post the name
jellenberg@reddit
Esteban Jimenez
HeadAche2012@reddit
Seems sketchy to me, but the skid then the blades go chop. Much worse than the occasional off airport landing with prior approval stuff that get people worked up
CivilHedgehog2@reddit
Why not post his name? Why has he earned your respect?
DaReddator@reddit
Most reckless right now, maybe. Other reckless pilots before this have paid with their lives, which is what I see happening to this pilot in the near future, unfortunately.
babgon94@reddit
Get to the choppaaahhh
kennedye2112@reddit
Jerry?
KyloRenOverVader@reddit
Looks like a good pilot to me
Aggravating-Soft-381@reddit
Fahhhhhhhhhhhh happen
rFlyingTower@reddit
This is a copy of the original post body for posterity:
I won’t air out his name here, but he lost his CFI cert for letting insta models sit backwards leaning against the front glass with doors off, then got Alex Choi in hot water with the FAA over fireworks, and now apparently he feels straight up invincible… 3 inches from a car pileup/helicopter crash and fire that would kill like 10 people. How is the FSDO not all over him? What was that saying about bold pilots again?
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