Well, a popular German video includes the same kind of a “surprise”, where a young man takes his father in an ultralight, without knowing he has a license. The video is even sponsored by the flight school, and I would not consider it as a fake nor as being dangerous.
The following “prank” video is by far more dangerous, where a pilot pretends to be unconscious, in order to scare (“prank”) the passenger for fun. That is highly unprofessional, insane, and very dangerous in my opinion. But if I watch other “prank” videos of these strange people, it seems that they do other very hard stuff to their friends. Something I would never consider to be a friend, or this is all fake (but even then, it’s not cool, because the pilot really DOES close his eyes).
It must be the confidence the pilots radiate when they operate the buttons and levers and talk over the radio. I don’t think the passengers would have stayed this calm with the pilot taxiing like a drunk or the Dynon screaming OVERSPEED over the intercom.
And: Why are these really mean prank videos always coming from one of the ex eastern bloc countries?
Frans wrote:
The video is even sponsored by the flight school,
Well, just because a Microlight Flight school does it, it doesn’t say it is safe … just look at the many overweight UL Instructors in Germany that can safely only fly with 40kg- students…
But more importantly: The video is cut – and if you look at the change in facial expression of the father between taxi and take off (about 4:25), it is highly likely that during this cut the son actually told his father that he made his license…
