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Banner Tow Pilots arrested as TERRORISM!

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Daresuzy

Active member
Joined
Mar 27, 2002
Posts
26
Lessoned Learned.........No more buzz jobs like the "good ol' days"........shucks........used to do this in flight school all the time

Suze

2 Planes in Restricted NYC Air Space
Fri Jul 5, 8:52 PM ET
By DEVLIN BARRETT, Associated Press Writer

NEW YORK (AP) - Two pilots were charged Friday with reckless endangerment for flying through restricted airspace around New York City, spurring fears of a July Fourth terrorist attack.


The two planes flew just 25 feet over a swimming area, well below the required 1,000-feet minimum, federal authorities said. The pilots had been returning to their New Jersey base from Massachusetts, where they towed advertising banners above holiday beachgoers.

Pilots Andre Morais and Daniel Oliveria, both of Miami, each face up to seven years in prison if convicted of reckless endangerment and violating air traffic rules.

Queens District Attorney Richard Brown said they flew dangerously low Thursday evening while cruising past Rockaway Beach.

"Their alleged aggressive and reckless actions put many lives in danger, including their own, and showed extremely poor judgment during a heightened state of security, especially on our nation's birthday," Brown said.

Three helicopters followed the planes along the New Jersey coast to the airfield in Wall, N.J., about 40 miles south of Manhattan, where the pilots landed.

Neither pilot had their radio or transponder on, officials said.

The FBI ( news - web sites) questioned the men for several hours, determined they posed no terror risk and released them. Federal Aviation Administration ( news - web sites) spokesman Jim Peters said the pilots could face flight sanctions ranging from a written reprimand to revocation of their licenses.

Arrest warrants were issued Friday in New York for the men, according to the prosecutor's office.

The planes are owned by Aerial Sign Corp. in Hollywood, Fla. The company's chief executive officer, Jim Butler, dismissed the charges as "grandstanding."

"Until I receive the tapes from the air traffic control facility, I cannot reach the conclusion that these people did this," Butler said.
 
These were acts of stupidity. If the good old days to you represents stupidity, then you need to rethink the "good old days."

Is it a lesson learned because someone got caught, or because you suddently realized that flat hatting and buzz jobs are for less intelligent life forms who have little respect for others, for their industry, or for their careers?
 
Not to thier defense...

But, from being from that neck of the woods, this is sort of common SOP...

To beat the Class B of JFK, other flight restrictions, save time, headaches and the list has gone on for years. You skirt the shoreline and keep quiet. If you go the "correct" way you will get the longer route taking you above LGA and down behind EWR.

Again, not to defend these bozo's but for as many years as I can remember many guys did the shoreline run at barely enough altitude. If you lost one you were swimming for sure.
 
I would not "convict" these guys until ALL the facts are out.

The history of this is the the NYPD helicopters on Long Island have been in "dispute" with the banner towers for years.

My suggestion is to wait until the radar tapes come out and then go from there.

LearAv8r-
 
Ungh...

More governmental knee jerk reactions. Back before this debacle, crusing down the cost of Long Island, just offshore at low altitude was normal. It would get you under the TCA (I mean "Class B") just off of JFK. You would then go over and join the VFR corridor up the Hudson, or scoot on out over New Jersey. It was SOP, and a good time saver. Not to mention a lot of fun.

By the way, I assume the VFR Corridor is closed now? Anyone know for sure? It was a great trip, and great sights.
 
If this had occurred prior to September 11th, nobody
would have so much as given these planes a second look...


It's just the blowback from everybody screaming homeland security and then going after the wrong people
 
sabreliner,

as far as i know the vfr corridor is closed within 2 nm of ground zero up to 8,000 ft. its a shame, probably the nicest, most scenic bit of flying i've ever done.
 
Anyone fly along the VFR corridor in California?

That must be a blast, all the way up the Pacific coast line with LA, San Francisco, along the route.
 
I think it goes like this now ?

You enter from the north and fly down to abeam central park just south of the GW and turn around or you can enter from the south and fly north to the lady and turn around but there's something like a 2 mi area around the WTC so you can't go thru any more. This is in effect all time except when they close it like this past holiday weekend. Anyone please correct me if i'm wrong.

I first flew thru the corridor when I was 16 on my second solo x-country. I returned home thru the shoot as we called it and have been flying it for the past 12 years, well I guess untill now, thanks Osama and the rest of the building wreckers. Friends I flew thru there in highschool still talk about it . When I flew 135 between tittyboro and phl i'd takeoff out of teb with a quick turn be in the shoot southbound hit sandyhook and go direct to phl or pne or N67 it was faster than going around mmu and ewr. The pax would love it and usually request it if they had flown w/ us before. Again thanks Osama. O well.

When I moved to syr I planned on flying home for the holidays by way of the mohawk/hudson river corridor hit sandy hook and make a right, would have been a great flight 500 agl all the way no sectional just talk to alb once and enjoy the ride. guess not now. would someone please kill that mother *ucker.
 
Last edited:
$250,000

Ok... that is just WRONG!!!!

I would love to know how the idiot on the ground knew EXACTLY it was 25 feet off of the deck. Was he able to see the rivets?

Sounds like someone just finally had it with guys taking the shortcut.

I love NY and would not want to live anywhere else, but some of the people really need to get a grip on reality..

$250,000 for doing what is basically SOP for years? Filling Federal charges, extraditing and what banner tow pilot has $250,000 laying around for bail? Heck if they would of made it $10,000 it would probably be too much!

It is a sad day when they come down like a ton of bricks for someone doing there job and trying to get home....
 
Note in the story they say bond has not been posted. Of course it hasn't the planes that they were flying are barely worth 10% of that.

Come on any New York pilots should start calling up thier law makers and complaining of this unjust prosecution of pilots. Someone has to step up to the bar and help these guys.
 
"Banner Tow Pilots arrested as TERRORISM!"

No, Daresuzy. They were not arrested as terrorists. After six hours of interrogation, the feds were satisfied that they were NOT terrorists.

As far as I know, the VFR corridor was reopened recently. I'll have to check on it, but I think I saw that somewhere last week.
 
This is just the beginning of "Big Brother" over reacting to innocent off course exursions in aviation. I'm sure many of us have had an experience where we were suddenly much closer to a restricted area or "wrong" airport before we realize our mistake, only that was then and this is now.
 
Delta3 i have been blessed to fly both vfr routes in Cali and NYC-Breath-taking!!!;)
 
>>I'm sure many of us have had an experience where we were suddenly much closer to a restricted area or "wrong" airport before we realize our mistake, only that was then and this is now.

You're right. We now need to get with the new program, and fly accordingly.
 

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