Someone's in deep trouble!!

[wahoo250]

the govt. did not respond inappropriately, the media has... a small suitcase nuke can surely fit in a 152 if it can fit in a suitcase. the 152 would not even need to hit the white house, 1500' above is more than sufficient. use your heads a little.

 

[SlapShot]

What is funny is they sent F-16s after a freakin 150.

With all the precautions put in place after 9/11 how the heck did a 150 get that close? What was Potomac approach doing while this 150 was going for a scenic flight down the Potomac river.

 

[gnx99]

Here is what I can't figure out about all of this. Everybody in aviation knows that the nations capital has secure airspace around it. Everybody in aviation knows what class B airspace is right. Have these two guys been under a rock for the last century.

I don't get it.

Exactly. It just blows my mind how it's even possible

 

[psycho]

You guys are right!! I know that when I got my luggage works bag I paid extra for the padded "briefcase size nuclear bomb" pouch.

 

[SkyBoy1981]

While I think the response to this particular incident was appropriate, I also agree with what someone else posted about security being too focused on just aviation. Just because aviation was used in the last attacks many seem to have developed a tunnel vision that automatically links all future terrorist attacks with airplanes. It just doesn't work that way...the possibilities for creating an attack are endless. Personally, I think the biggest priority should be sealing our borders and keeping this scum out of our country to begin with. This can never happen though because, God forbid, we may offend someone.

 

[BoilerUP]

Yeah, a briefcase nuke will fit quite nicely in a C-150. Then again, you could just CARRY IT up Pennsylvania Avenue and put it right beside the White House. With much less scrutiny, and plenty of places to hide it if you weren't inclined to go meet Allah right away.

Bottom line is something, somewhere broke down if a 90hp Cessna could get within 3 miles of the White House. What if it was any type of turbojet aircraft?

I say put the Hawks back on the WH roof and let the Secret Service clean up the mess of any airplane that comes within 5 miles of the White House without permission. Dumbasses like these and the bad press they recieve are the reason GA pilots have such a hard time getting back into DCA.

 

[LXJ31]

Whats worse, a cellphone-nuke could be easily carried in the right breast pocket of a pilot shirt, the kind of pilot shirt easily worn by a C-150 pilot streaking toward the Capitol at 75 mph.

 

[Prof. ATP]

A UHaul truck loaded with explosives will do a hell of a lot more damage than a 1500lb C150.

Why does everyone assume that a suicide bomber would pay attention to aircraft limitations?

 

[No Delay]

When you are not 100% sure, you have to err on the side of protecting our country. I think Ingeousy made a good point...I would not want to be the guy who had to explain why he sat there and did nothing....

You've got to give it up to the Airforce and the Secret Service...they did their job. If you can maneuver an F-16 @ C150 speeds - not bad flying. They got his @ss out of their. And the Secret Service was rocking and rolling...

And lets not be too hard on the CFI. I have done some pretty stupid things in my day (well, not quite this bad - but stupid none the less). And I would never say "this would never happen to me" - most lessons I learn come from some pretty good screw ups.

Hey, I wonder if a NASA report will get him out of this???? Don't you know he is going to be ragged on at his flight school / flying club....that's got to be the worst part!

 

[TIS]

There were no great restrictions placed on general aviation after 9/11...were there?

Sure there were! You ever heard of enhanced Class B? But I digress. The reason there aren't significant restritcitons on GA is because is twofold. First, it's not practical, pure and simple. Too many planes that won't get used will lead to too many lawsuits complaining about the loss of personal investments, etc. Second, the American public, thanks in part to our wonderful news media, know NOTHING about aviation and hence has no idea that airliners are not the only things flying above our homes, farms, and cities. No knowledge = no fear. No fear = no problem. End of policy statement.

These guys flew within about 3 miles of the capitol. Should they be allowed to practice turns about a point over Washington monument? What would an appropriate response/restriction be?

Yup and it's a really good thing it wasn't a jet of any kind. The "security" in place over Washington will not stop an attack by a jet aircraft that launches from DCA or IAD (or any other small airport locally - FDK for that matter).

Perhaps that's the answer. They reacted the way they did to show that the system works - as long as the craft is only capable of 90 kts (in a steep descent).

Whoever this guy is he deserves to have every ticket he has permanently revoked for sheer stupidity alone, let alone actually deviating from the FARs. I'm sorry if that seems harsh but we have enough morons out there calling themselves professional pilots and THEY manage to stay out of places they don't belong. This guy couldn't. He flunked a most basic test on 5/11. His game SHOULD be over!

TIS

 

[Palerider957]

All I know is that these IDIOTS are making life that much harder for honest GA pilots. AOPA is constatnly trying to fend off the Govt. and private groups that want to kill GA, then here come these tools.


The Govt. needs to make an example out of the CFI, perhaps a little well publicized jail time would get the message to the ten percent BONEHEAD pilots.

 

[h25b]

My guess is that the decision to shoot-down has to go through so many levels that by the time it got close to that point he had already turned around.

This guy definately needed weeded out of the general population and chalked up to natural selection. I've always wondered what a Cessna taking a sidewinder would look like ...

 

[sgu]

Free again

Easy there deputy dog. No need for jail time. The CFI most likely lose his job if not a temporary suspension of his certificate.

http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/05/11/evacuation/index.html

 

[SigAV8R]

First of all...hasn't it already been said that the PIC was NOT a CFI. I thought someone posted his Airman record in an earlier (or possibly the general) thread. Personally, I'm in favor of a bunch of artillery on top of the white house which automatically targets unidentified aircraft and fires when it's within a certain distance. If you stray...you die. Plain and simple. Natural selection takes over at that point if you're stupid enough to not do your homework the night before.

Shoot em down and let God sort them out. At the minimum, I think this guy should have every license revoked and IMO a little jail time wouldn't be all bad either. If people still persist on doing this stupid sh*te, then we will have missiles shooting down planes pretty soon.

 

[goaliemn]

There were no great restrictions placed on general aviation after 9/11...were there? The only change has been much tighter security for the Washington DC area and some other possible targets such as nuclear power plants. Also there are tighter controls on training foreigners. Stalinist?!? Give me a break.

Lessee.. The ADIZ is a huge restriction placed on GA pilots. Before 9/11, you could fly around most of washington, DC except for a few small pockets right over the capitol and white house. DCA is still closed to General Aviation, the 3 GA airports that are still inaccessible, unless you can get a security clearance, which you can only get by traveling to DCA (I don't mind that security clearance, but it would be nice if I could go to the local TSA office or FBI office and get fingerprinted there, instead of only authorizing the TSA office at DCA)..

These guys flew within about 3 miles of the capitol. Should they be allowed to practice turns about a point over Washington monument? What would an appropriate response/restriction be?

Check your sectional for Washington DC. I believe the original restricted areas are still on there, surrounded by the "Temporary" ADIZ.

You guys in the big jets seem to forget about the restrictions placed on the little birds..

 

[goaliemn]

I will say these guys had to have popped Class B airspace to get that close, so I figure the CFI will get multiple violations for both the TFR and Class B incursions.

The student, I'm assuming, will get nothing, since he's a student and wasn't PIC. I may be wrong, however.

 

[IFLYSIU]

Take one for the team...

Again the repercussions from this mishap will be a significant setback for GA improvements....one step forward and two steps back now! I still think it's ironic they were forced to land at the same airport that AOPA is based. What a slap in the face? Also, we have MR. Daley, my hometown mayor in Chicago, using this event as ammunition to ban my lakeshore flights.

Link for Daley story....

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-0505120199may12,1,7425994.story?coll=chi-news-hed

 

[Go Figuare]

I bet the aircraft smells like poo poo though.

 

[goaliemn]

Daley is insane, yet again..

Small planes should have to fly over Lake Michigan and navigate around the city, and pilots who stray should pay a big price--"maybe half a million dollars," Daley said.

Meigs did a great job "protecting downtown" because it made most of downtown controlled airspace. Restricted airspace won't stop a terrorist. I am so sick of politicians not accepting/understanding this.

 

[SigAV8R]

taken from the Chicago Tribune article:

"On Wednesday, the mayor continued to question why such bans are OK for the nation's capital, parts of New York, Disney World and Disneyland, but not for Chicago and other big cities"

MICKEY MOUSE = WORTH PROTECTING, and a VALUABLE PART OF AMERICAN CULTURE

Mayor Daley = Not worth the paper I wipe my *ss with!