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Secret 'no-fly zone'? Pilot seeks answers after arrest
Robin Fleming, 70, had been arrested for breach of peace after flying his Rolladen-Schneider LS8-18 sailplane noiselessly over the H.B. Robinson Nuclear Generating Station at an altitude of 1,518 feet msl—by his estimates, about 1,000 feet over the power plant’s dome—on his way to search for lift at nearby Lake Robinson. No airspace restrictions were printed on sectional charts; no notam marked the area off-limits. (www.aopa.org) Más...Sort type: [Top] [Newest]
if not is prohibited flighting over, anything wrote then is possible, is allowed....
Very ominous story. The more I read it, the more it bothers me. I myself am not even a part of the aviation industry/community/sub-culture... other than my interest in flight simulation on my home PC... which is a limited connection at best.
What bothers me about this is that it sets a precedent that has far reaching implications that go well beyond just the aviation industry. I have respect for law enforcement in general, but stories such as these point out the 2%'ers who let power rush to their heads. They know nothing of aviation rules, the intelligence required to be a licensed pilot, etc. yet they *THINK* for those few short hours they are in control and smarter than everyone else involved. The fact that the man involved was not even allowed to call out to his friends to let him know that he was OK, and/or explain to the arresting officers what was going on from his rational, intelligent point of view, is a scary thing indeed.
I hope that in the future, we as a society can learn to temper that whole "perceived threat" mentality, and that 9/11 will not forever serve as an unbridled excuse to aggressively apply vague laws, and ask questions later.
What bothers me about this is that it sets a precedent that has far reaching implications that go well beyond just the aviation industry. I have respect for law enforcement in general, but stories such as these point out the 2%'ers who let power rush to their heads. They know nothing of aviation rules, the intelligence required to be a licensed pilot, etc. yet they *THINK* for those few short hours they are in control and smarter than everyone else involved. The fact that the man involved was not even allowed to call out to his friends to let him know that he was OK, and/or explain to the arresting officers what was going on from his rational, intelligent point of view, is a scary thing indeed.
I hope that in the future, we as a society can learn to temper that whole "perceived threat" mentality, and that 9/11 will not forever serve as an unbridled excuse to aggressively apply vague laws, and ask questions later.
Welcome to South Carolina. Local police departments there specialize in hiring officers of the species Neanderthal. It was the misfortune of a driver of a car in which I was a passenger to encounter one some years ago. We were lucky to escape with a traffic citation. For a minute there, I thought he was going to shoot the four of us and claim self-defense. Jackbooted thugs would be what I call them.
If the facts are as presented in this account, then it is clear that the involved so-called law enforcement officers are the ones who perpetrated the breach of the peace.
Of course there COULD be more to the story...something that MIGHT justify this kind of behavior. I'm just having trouble imagining what it would be.
I am a retired police sergeant, honorably discharged USAF vet, and single engine, fixed-wing pilot. As a sworn defender of our Constitution and recreational pilot, I find these kinds of events unacceptable.
Of course there COULD be more to the story...something that MIGHT justify this kind of behavior. I'm just having trouble imagining what it would be.
I am a retired police sergeant, honorably discharged USAF vet, and single engine, fixed-wing pilot. As a sworn defender of our Constitution and recreational pilot, I find these kinds of events unacceptable.
Blanket notams
4/0811 ...SPECIAL NOTICE... THIS IS A RESTATEMENT OF A PREVIOUSLY ISSUED ADVISORY NOTICE. IN THE INTEREST OF NATIONAL SECURITY AND TO THE EXTENT PRACTICABLE, PILOTS ARE STRONGLY ADVISED TO AVOID THE AIRSPACE ABOVE, OR IN PROXIMITY TO SUCH SITES AS POWER PLANTS (NUCLEAR, HYDRO-ELECTRIC, OR COAL), DAMS, REFINERIES, INDUSTRIAL COMPLEXES, MILITARY FACILITIES AND OTHER SIMILAR FACILITIES. PILOTS SHOULD NOT CIRCLE AS TO LOITER IN THE VICINITY OVER THESE TYPES OF FACILITIES. WIE UNTIL UFN
4/0811 ...SPECIAL NOTICE... THIS IS A RESTATEMENT OF A PREVIOUSLY ISSUED ADVISORY NOTICE. IN THE INTEREST OF NATIONAL SECURITY AND TO THE EXTENT PRACTICABLE, PILOTS ARE STRONGLY ADVISED TO AVOID THE AIRSPACE ABOVE, OR IN PROXIMITY TO SUCH SITES AS POWER PLANTS (NUCLEAR, HYDRO-ELECTRIC, OR COAL), DAMS, REFINERIES, INDUSTRIAL COMPLEXES, MILITARY FACILITIES AND OTHER SIMILAR FACILITIES. PILOTS SHOULD NOT CIRCLE AS TO LOITER IN THE VICINITY OVER THESE TYPES OF FACILITIES. WIE UNTIL UFN
Stingers now being issued to thwart those insidious gliders and Cessnas.