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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:

  • Pilot Trent Palmer faces an FAA certificate suspension for alleged careless/reckless operation and low flying during an attempted landing, based on disputed video evidence from a neighbor's security camera.
  • Palmer argues his low passes were necessary pre-landing inspections following FAA guidelines for unimproved airstrips, but the NTSB judge affirmed violations partly due to the absence of clear runway markings.
  • The article emphasizes how video evidence, particularly when distorted or copied, can be unreliable, and Palmer fears the ruling could pressure pilots into making unsafe landings to avoid similar citations during pre-landing inspections.
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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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