Secret no fly zone

Disconcerting article about over zealous law enforcement when a glider pilot flew over a nuclear power plant that had no restriction at or around it on sectional charts and no NOTAM either:

http://www.aopa.org/aircraft/articles/2013/130110secret-no-fly-zone.html?WT.mc_id=130111epilot&WT.mc_sect=gan

 

I haven't read the whole article yet but I just have to say, I love the title of this thread.

The idea of a secret no fly zone is funny. The story isn't though.

 

This country needs a rule that any policeman that incorrectly arrests an innocent person has to be locked up in jail for ten times the number of hours that the innocent person spent in jail.

That might make them think twice before they decide to enforce a law they don't know anything about.

And not allowing the arrested pilot to call the airport he took off from is insane. What purpose did that serve?
.

 

The beauty of flying: Police have no jurisdiction over aviation.

 

Actually, they do in certain circumstances. For example - if you land your plane on an interstate highway they may very well have the power to impound it and make you pull the wings off and trailer it back to the airport instead of just fixing it and taking off again from the highway.

 

If you have an aircraft on the interstate then you have an unlicensed vehicle on the road and now your in the police's jurisdiction, so yes your right on that. I was just referring to aviation laws.

 

Right. They don't have any authority to enforce aviation rules in normal circumstances.

We did have a pretty obviously drunk pilot come in to Wiley Post in OKC back in the 1970s and the police arrested him for public intoxication.

 

Bob Hoover experienced the short arm of the law when he told us about having engine failure while flying across Canada to the Abottsford air show. He landed on a two lane road and let his airplane roll back into a side road to keep the main road clear. Along came a very irate woman who railed at him for interfering with her progress into town. A constable appeared and ticketed him for improperly parking his P-51.

 

this is the best idea i've heard in a while

 

I cannot imagine it is proper or legal for a Judge to drop the charges only in exchange for a promise not to persue remedy for a civil rights violation by a government agency.


Sounds too much like coercion.

I gotta believe a good lawyer can rip that to shreds.

 

What charges? Apparently he did nothing illegal. Nothing to drop IMO.

He most certainly deserves compensation.

Demanding that he land the sailplane distant from his point of origin certainly resulted in expense and significant inconvenience. It would have turned out better for everyone if they had simply followed him back to the airfield and asked a few simple questions.

 

Yup, wouldn't stand up for a second.

Mark

 

Great find..!!

 

Happens all the time in California.

Art

 

+1000 and make him share a cell with big ol' "Thunder D**k" just to make things interesting and maybe poke a little arrogance out of him.