Airplane repo. A load of bull????

adam88

Lads is that program airplane repo just a staged show. Surely they just can't get into a plane a fly it away. No takeoff clearance no nothing. Says a lot about security.

I know what we see is all staged but it's meant to be based on real life situations.

phonypony

Awful sh!te it must be said. The sort of tat Discovery pumps out these days is a disgrace.

EI-DOR

I had to laugh at tonight's show. No radios, no transponder, dam all fuel, runway not lit up and he still takes off with a few hundred feet drop at the end of the rw in the dark and then phones up the destination airport demanding that the runway is lit up. Wtf!!!

notharrypotter

I have never watched the show so I cannot comment on the actions therein.

Speculating from an Irish perspective only.

Surely they just can't get into a plane a fly it away.

Hardest part in a major airport would be access to the secure side of the ramp.

Once inside its a different story.
Couple of observations though

Fuel in board? if not did you bring your own?
Otherwise you are going to look silly.

Once you start moving bar the airport operator putting a fire truck in your way whats to stop you?

no takeoff clearance

ATC will call the Guards

In a smaller airfield or a private flight strip I doubt if the fence would be high enough or strong enough to be an adequate deterrence.

Cant see anything turning up here though Merlin Bank Repossessed Auctions

KnotABother

adam88 wrote: »

Lads is that program airplane repo just a staged show. Surely they just can't get into a plane a fly it away. No takeoff clearance no nothing. Says a lot about security.

I know what we see is all staged but it's meant to be based on real life situations.

EI-DOR wrote: »

I had to laugh at tonight's show. No radios, no transponder, dam all fuel, runway not lit up and he still takes off with a few hundred feet drop at the end of the rw in the dark and then phones up the destination airport demanding that the runway is lit up. Wtf!!!

That's all fairly run of the mill over there....:pac:

adam88

notharrypotter wrote: »

I have never watched the show so I cannot comment on the actions therein.

Speculating from an Irish perspective only.



Hardest part in a major airport would be access to the secure side of the ramp.

Once inside its a different story.
Couple of observations though

Fuel in board? if not did you bring your own?
Otherwise you are going to look silly.

Once you start moving bar the airport operator putting a fire truck in your way whats to stop you?


ATC will call the Guards

In a smaller airfield or a private flight strip I doubt if the fence would be high enough or strong enough to be an adequate deterrence.

Cant see anything turning up here though Merlin Bank Repossessed Auctions

Would someone not suspend your licence if you took off without clearance. "Oh hi. I'm just in your airspace. See ya soon". Surely it's not that easy.

phonypony

adam88 wrote: »

Would someone not suspend your licence if you took off without clearance. "Oh hi. I'm just in your airspace. See ya soon". Surely it's not that easy.

Only if the tower was operative, outside of hours its basically uncontrolled airspace. A lot of airfields in the USA are open outside of ATC hours.

cerastes

Was think the same myself, watched part of one episode then only saw that it seems to be back.

On the one I saw, they were heading away in a bit of a rush, what if something critical has been removed? or left in? like a flight control lock?from ongoing maintenance? how would they access the paperwork.

Id have been inclined to think repossesing aircraft was more a legal thing, than turning up like bounty hunters.

longhalloween

cerastes wrote: »

Id have been inclined to think repossesing aircraft was more a legal thing, than turning up like bounty hunters.

Sure they're all staged productions.

Every one of Discovery's "(insert buzz word) Wars" shows are mostly staged and bare little semblance to real life.

Worse is when the characters (because thats what they are) talk about losing money or needing money. Sure they're getting paid to film the show! There's no chance of them going home broke.
Watching Gold Rush and despite them constantly saying they're using ancient equipment they had new diggers and track machines in the background, kindly donated by a sponsor.

Strumms

Has to be BS. More fantasy then reality. I mean guys turning up and just driving away in a jet like its a ford mondeo... Despite the obvious issue of trespass and breaches of security... Don't forget this is the US and post 9/11 any ramp that can handle a biz jet is going to have some sort of category security access. Also there would need to be a release filed for those flights and a degree of planning I doubt very much all those jets have conveniently enough fuel to get airborne to the destination with reserve, taxi, holding, alternate conveniently in the tanks... I doubt the companies who own and would be reposing multi million dollar assets would have an interest in cowboys as are portrayed in that show turning up and taking such risks..

Delta Kilo

You get a few repossessions cropping up in the leasing business. Most go pretty smoothly if they are carefully planned and foreseen by the leasing company. Quite often the employees of the airline are disgruntled because they are probably losing their jobs and they can be quite bitter. Having a good relationship with a technical person in the airline helps a lot. Sometimes, the leasing company will hire or pay a fee to a couple of the airlines employees to help them repossess the aircraft and begin the transitioning process. Its a small industry and you can guarantee that you will meet those people again in a different role down the line, its better that they are your friend than an enemy.

A big issue is the 20+ boxes of documentation for the aircraft though, all the records etc. The aircraft is not worth a lot without them. Sometimes if an airline is in a lot of arrears the lessor will send someone in to make copies under the guise of something else.

They aren't all smooth and easy sailing though, futura for example pretty much collapsed over night. That was a big shock and left a lot of unhappy spanish futura employees behind. There are interesting stories from that time alright! Lessors reps throwing boxes of records over a wall and into a van while airport security did their best to stop the contracted pilots passing security and the baggage handlers parking luggage trucks across to block the aircraft!!

adam88

phonypony wrote: »

Only if the tower was operative, outside of hours its basically uncontrolled airspace. A lot of airfields in the USA are open outside of ATC hours.

Uncontrolled only to a certain extent. Surely they'd be sharing airspace with commercial aircraft????

phonypony

adam88 wrote: »

Uncontrolled only to a certain extent. Surely they'd be sharing airspace with commercial aircraft????

Most airspace in the USA below 18,000 feet is Class E for which, even though its controlled, you don't need a clearance to be there VFR.

adam88

phonypony wrote: »

Most airspace in the USA below 18,000 feet is Class E for which, even though its controlled, you don't need a clearance to be there VFR.

Very reassuring in terms of terrorism. Especially when these fruit the loops can just get in a airfield and fly an airplane away.

L1011

adam88 wrote: »

Very reassuring in terms of terrorism. Especially when these fruit the loops can just get in a airfield and fly an airplane away.

Air security is only a very modern concept to the US; and is accomplished by a lot of security theatre and little else.

KnotABother

In the states flying with no radios or clearance or any sort of notion of what you are doing is in no way alien. It's quite easy and relatively cheap to get a PPL and pick up a crop duster and have at it.

GA flying in America is a very grassroots thing and a lot more extensive than in Ireland and Europe. It also operates a lot further away from commercial traffic although having said that a clearance to fly close to a big airport is easier to get over there. As a result it is harder to police as it is a culture policing itself in and out of uncontrolled aerodromes.

I saw the episode in the late showing lastnight.....I saw the end coming almost immediately....flashing lights and waving wont tip the guy off at all! :rolleyes:

Storm 10

Same thing with truck repo, last week guys driving towards the mexican border looking for a large truck with trailers on the back that had been stolen, the found the truck in a petrol station, two fuel lines filling it up, no one around so they get the spare keys under the bonnet take out the fuel hoses and start up the truck and take off. Now all this happening with a shop etc with large windows looking onto the pumps, a film crew running around the truck and no one saw this and it was the only truck at the pumps.

Been taken for fools if you think this crap is real, what about the fuel police would surely been called in for drive off.

LiamoSail

Glad a thread was started on the subject, because it's been annoying me.

Assuming the repo men have the documentation necessary to reposes the planes, then why the need to break in to the hangers etc? Surely they have a legal right to take possession by going through official channels?

I have no knowledge of airport security etc in the US. Other then what I have observed as a passenger. However, I work at sea & regularly sail into US ports. Security is quiet tight, particularly since 9/11, and certainly more so then other countries. I would have thought airports would have been similar

KnotABother

LiamoSail wrote: »

Glad a thread was started on the subject, because it's been annoying me.

Assuming the repo men have the documentation necessary to reposes the planes, then why the need to break in to the hangers etc? Surely they have a legal right to take possession by going through official channels?

I have no knowledge of airport security etc in the US. Other then what I have observed as a passenger. However, I work at sea & regularly sail into US ports. Security is quiet tight, particularly since 9/11, and certainly more so then other countries. I would have thought airports would have been similar

Repo work is really a complicated business. The bank or whoever has leased the aircraft(or whatever the deal is) want the property back however involving the law can often tip off the owner who will then make it as hard as possible and slow the whole thing down by slowing them up in court or moving the property away and all over the shop(like the citation guy). Sending in repo men like the show gives them no chance to pull anything before legal possession can be gained by the bank or whoever.

As far as security goes...there are a lot of little airports and airstrips in the US and it is very hard to police them all. You'd be surprised the swanky equipment a small uncontrolled airport will have yet a perimeter fence is all that really keeps anyone out. I was in a strip in North Carolina that had citations and other bigger bizzjets coming in and out with only a Unicom freq in operation. There was full ground handling bells and whistles but no tower. A major multi-national had a facility nearby and that was why there was bizz traffic but there was just a small enough fence between the jets and the perimeter road. It was so middle america I guess they assumed that nothing would happen...it was a real "we dont lock our doors" and apple pie type town!

Tenger

LiamoSail wrote: »

......Assuming the repo men have the documentation necessary to reposes the planes, then why the need to break in to the hangers etc? Surely they have a legal right to take possession by going through official channels?.......

Can't see that show being fun to watch





Disclaimer: I don't and have never watched this show.

Fred Swanson

This post has been deleted.

Growler!!!

Fred Swanson wrote: »

This post has been deleted.

Basically YES. Unless you've flown G/A in the states it's hard to comprehend from a European perspective how aviation friendly the place is. Granted you're not going to get into any of the large or busy airports without a flight plan or handling arranged.

Everyone has to remember that even a place like Dublin (even though busy by irish standards) is only equivilant to a regional airport in the US.

veetwin

Growler!!! wrote: »

Everyone has to remember that even a place like Dublin (even though busy by irish standards) is only equivilant to a regional airport in the US.

I have to disagree there Growler. If Dublin was in the USA it would be the 12th busiest by passenger numbers. Ahead of Houston, Orlando and Newark. All 3 could hardly be described as regional airports.

Growler!!!

All depends on which statistics you use. FAA or Airport Council International.

veetwin

Growler!!! wrote: »

All depends on which statistics you use. FAA or Airport Council International.

It doesn't matter which statistics you use. It's still far busier than a US regional by any measure unless maybe you count single engine GA movements.

basill

Flight Following in the US is truly a joy to behold. Then there are the free endless circuits and touch and go's at some back end of nowhere airport. The fuel bowser that you taxi up to and swipe your CC to get 100LL. Only topped IMHO by turning on the runway lights at night with your PTT switch. Now those were the days......

Ayway back on thread. The show is a crock, however, the principal of getting an airborne clearance is nothing special. How do you think the biz jets across europe manage to get out of a small non controlled airfield or strip and then end up at FL450 in Class A airspace?

by the curragh

Storm 10 wrote: »

Same thing with truck repo, last week guys driving towards the mexican border looking for a large truck with trailers on the back that had been stolen, the found the truck in a petrol station, two fuel lines filling it up, no one around so they get the spare keys under the bonnet take out the fuel hoses and start up the truck and take off. Now all this happening with a shop etc with large windows looking onto the pumps, a film crew running around the truck and no one saw this and it was the only truck at the pumps.

Been taken for fools if you think this crap is real, what about the fuel police would surely been called in for drive off.

LOL, some viewers are extremely gullable. Remember the scandal that erupted when some people discovered Bear Grylls actually had a camera crew with him during his survival treks on the television. I had to laugh at that. But they had to change the programmes to clearly refer to the camera crew so that people were not being 'conned' :rolleyes:

What's going happen when someone discovers Coronation Street isn't real :eek::eek:

Oops, just let the cat out of the bag

KnotABother

by the curragh wrote: »

What's going happen when someone discovers Coronation Street isn't real :eek::eek:

Oops, just let the cat out of the bag

So Hailey Cropper is not going to die? I cried those tears for poor Roy and Hailey for nothing!?

Oscar Bravo

Nice king air there tonight!