Stilts Aviation LLC

Come practice with me and the unuaual attitudes won't be unusual any more!

A new FBO at the Houma Airport!  Nice people and nice facility.

Looks like several members were able to get to Reserve for the crawfish boil! It was a little windy for my decathlon, so I didn’t make it.

Thanks to EAA 971 for hosting the Crawfish Boil today! Yummy!

I've been following this crash, which happened about 2 years ago, and the NTSB information on it since I became aware of it a while back. This is the crash of Jenny Blaylock, or TNFlyGirl as she was known on YouTube. What makes this crash so unique is that Jenny documented many of her flights on YouTube and Instragram to attract followers; at the time of the crash she had over 17,000. However, even though right after the accident most of her videos were deleted, many still remain documenting her amazing lack of basic pilot skills; and keep in mind that I make videos too, but unlike Jenny, I only post the ones that make me look like I know what I'm talking about, this woman evidently thought she was doing fine even when she was dangerously and demonstrably incompent. In my opinion this points out a major problem with flight training in the U. S., namely, if you have enough determination and money you can find someone to sign you off for a practical test, and eventually, someone else to pass you and award you with a pilot's license or a new rating.

This hits home with me because over the years I've had three students, a multi-engine airplane student, an instrument airplane student, and a private pilot helicopter student, who fit Jenny's profile exactly; no understanding of the basics, but an iron determination to get the rating or license anyway. I refused to sign the two airplane students off for practical tests, and I refused to sign the private helicopter student off to solo. After my refusal to sign them off, each of them found other instructors who would, and each of them later had major incidents ending their pilot careers, and the helicopter student died in an accident before even getting her license.

This accident highlights the need for more ethics in training, and the need for students to realize that the object of getting a pilots license is not just to be able to say you're a pilot and use technology to enable you to look the part, but to be a real, safe, and proficent, pilot people can trust.

As an instructor I will never sign anyone off for a rating they're not qualified for, it endangers them, anyone flying with them, and their passengers who have every right to assume since these people have been licensed to fly that they are safe and proficent.

Pilot Debrief 91K likes, 19K comments. "YouTube Pilot's Deadly Mistake Was Worse Than We Thought!"

Sun ‘n Fun 2026!

Made a trip to Jennings, LA 3R7, for the sixth annual Swamp STOL event, and had a great time watching the most awesome pilots and their equally awesome machines in this incredible competition. These pilots have made taking off and landing in insanely short distances, a science. The shortest landing was 25 feet. The shortest takeoff was 27 feet and it was not uncommon at all to see 60 to 80 foot takeoffs and landings. I highly recommended it if you get a chance to go.