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Does Trent Palmer Deserve a Suspension?

FLYING has obtained video of the incident that got this social media star in trouble with the FAA. What does it really show?

Trent Palmer told his side of the story on his YouTube channel -- and to FLYING. [YouTube Screengrab]
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Key Takeaways:

  • YouTube pilot Trent Palmer faced an FAA suspension for alleged careless/reckless flying and low altitude passes, primarily based on a distorted video recorded from a neighbor's doorbell camera and then copied onto a cellphone.
  • Palmer maintained his actions were necessary inspection passes over an unfamiliar backyard airstrip, following FAA "Off Airport Ops" procedures, and that he aborted the landing for safety reasons due to ground conditions.
  • After appeals reduced his suspension, Palmer expressed concern that the ruling could set a dangerous precedent, pressuring pilots to complete potentially unsafe landings to avoid regulatory penalties rather than prioritizing safety by aborting.
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Video can be deceiving. Depending on the angle it is shot from, and the lens used to capture the images, it can be distorted. I say this as someone who spent 10 years in the television industry with much of that time spent as a photographer/producer. 

Given this background, I became curious about the use of a video recorded off a television on to a cellphone that was used to justify the suspension of the private pilot certificate of YouTube pilot Trent Palmer. The pilot was accused of violating FARs 91.13 and 91.119—that is careless and reckless operation of an aircraft and flying too low—over two years ago. 

Meg Godlewski

Meg Godlewski has been an aviation journalist for more than 24 years and a CFI for more than 20 years. If she is not flying or teaching aviation, she is writing about it. Meg is a founding member of the Pilot Proficiency Center at EAA AirVenture and excels at the application of simulation technology to flatten the learning curve. Follow Meg on Twitter @2Lewski.

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