Zero Gravity Maneuver Strips Pilot Vlogger`s Flying Permit

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Indonesian Transportation Minister has stripped pilot vlogger Vincent Raditya off of his permit to fly single-engine aircraft after the video blogger exercised a zero-gravity maneuver while having local performer Limbad as a passenger.

Polana B Pramesti of the Ministry’s Directorate General of Air Transport officially reprimanded the pilot’s permit on May 21, which effectively disables him from flying single-engine aircraft.

The government stressed that the zero-gravity maneuver attempted by Vincent posed an element of danger for civilian aviation.

“The maneuver is not normal and is scarcely practiced in the civil aviation,” said Polana B Pramesti in a press release Tempo received on Wednesday, May 29.

The government was keen to highlight the dangers of a person that does not master entire aspects in aerobatic flights or is not aware of an aircraft’s limitations could potentially overstress an aircraft’s structure during the maneuver.

Polana explained that the ministry discussed the issue with Vincent together with regulators regarding possible violations prior to commencing an investigation in response to Vincent’s video piloting a Cessna 172 with Limbad onboard beside him.

Vincent responded to this issue and confirmed that he has been stripped off of his permit to pilot a single-engine aircraft. However, he assured his significant fan base on Youtube that he would continue to produce contents in the future and will not stop video blogging.

As of why he took Limbad onboard with him was merely to make the magician emit sounds, Vincent said. The magician is notoriously known to shy away from speaking.

It is unknown whether this will affect Vincent’s license to pilot commercial aircraft as the ban only affects his permit to pilot single-engine aircraft.  

FRANCISCA CHRISTY ROSANA