Glider Pilot arrested for airspace

It's too easy to write this off as one isolated incident involving one overzealous sheriff.

On 1/11/2013 5:56 AM, Paul Remde wrote:
Hi,

This is amazing.

http://www.aopa.org/aircraft/article...WT.mc_sect=gan

Paul Remde

When ignorance, over-zealousness and incompetence are combined with the power
of the state (at any level[s]), the outcome is generally abusive of such
trivial concepts as "freedom", "personal responsibility" and "accountability".
Joe Public tends on average to lose the former, while Joe Bureaucrat generally
manages to avoid the latter pair.

In the "I feel Robin's pain" sense...BTDT over the past 8 months on 2
unrelated (save jurisdictionally) cases...expensive fun. And by "fun" I mean
"real pain"...at many levels.

Bob - government meeting your expectations can be lots worse than it not - W.

P.S. Please note there's no hint of political affiliation or bent in the above
post. It is NOT intended as political. It IS intended as dispassionate,
observational, personal-experience-based, food for thought...

Makes me want to listen again to Arlo Guthrie and "Alice's
Restaurant". His description of rural cops seems to be still
spot-on, even after all these years...

However, it bears remembering that Officer Obie later became one of
Arlo's better friends. He had enough of a sense of humor, or at least
perspective, to play himself in the 1969 movie _Alice's Restaurant_.

I somehow doubt we'd see those sensibilities in the officers of the
Darlington County Sheriff’s Office.

On 1/11/2013 10:35 AM, wrote:
On Friday, January 11, 2013 12:00:23 PM UTC-5, son_of_flubber wrote:
On Friday, January 11, 2013 10:38:30 AM UTC-5, wrote:



DHS was intending to use deadly force in this

instance.



How do you know that? I do not see that in the article.

Because I talked to Robin after the incident. There's reference to it
in the article. Fortunately they asked the helicopter guys to do it,
who knew better.

I don't see any reference to the DHS intending or considering use deadly
force in the article, or asking/requesting the helicopter guys (which
were from the Sheriffs dept) do it. Can you give me the sentence or
paragraph for that?

--
Eric Greenwell - Washington State, USA (change ".netto" to ".us" to
email me)

This seems to be a perfect cue for glider operations to announce "First Responder Appreciation Day" at the airport. Free glider rides, toy gliders for the kids, barbeque, etc..

We need to cultivate good long term non-confrontational relationships with first-responders. The good guys will keep the loose cannons in check if they understand what the heck we are doing up there in the sky without an engine.

I'd prefer to see a big smile on the deputy's face when an irate farmer calls him/her out to mediate a contentious land out.

Eric,
It is where the woman at the FBO is talking about the cop gone mad. To quote from the article:

"Griffin said she had to tell the officers on the scene to clear out the runway, and one officer talked about commandeering the airport. “He was running around, the one guy that was commandeering everything, saying, ‘We were going to shoot him down,’” she said."

The cop saying "We are going to shoot him down" sounds an awful lot like the plan to use deadly force to me. Right below the last picture in the article on the AOPA website.

Steve

I have it on very good authority that the cooling towers of nuclear power plants provide extremely strong and reliable sources of lift. Generally that lift is downwind of the source and not over the actual cooling tower or associated facilities.
Some important points to consider.
Local authorities have no jurisdiction for the use or control of aircraft operating in US airspace.
Only the FAA or a US military aircraft may request or require you land your aircraft.
There is no such thing as a “No Fly Zone”.
In you are not under arrest, you are free to go and must be released.
If you are under arrest, you must be allowed access to an attorney.
While under arrest you are not required to answer any questions.

On 1/11/2013 1:07 PM, son_of_flubber wrote:
This seems to be a perfect cue for glider operations to announce
"First Responder Appreciation Day" at the airport. Free glider
rides, toy gliders for the kids, barbeque, etc..

We need to cultivate good long term non-confrontational relationships
with first-responders. The good guys will keep the loose cannons in
check if they understand what the heck we are doing up there in the
sky without an engine.

I'd prefer to see a big smile on the deputy's face when an irate
farmer calls him/her out to mediate a contentious land out.

I like the way you think. Suppose, instead of just agreeing not pursue
legal action, the pilot had every local person involved - plant
operators, managers, police officers, sheriff - agree to come out to the
glider field for a free glider ride as part of the "no legal action"
deal. And tell them their kids can have a free ride, too!

It may not be too late: extend the offer ASAP to as many of the people
as can be reached, maybe get the local paper in on it. Possibly, Bermuda
Soaring could bring the towplane and glider to the airport the glider
pilot landed at, and give the rides there. That might get even more
people out.

--
Eric Greenwell - Washington State, USA (change ".netto" to ".us" to
email me)

On 1/11/2013 2:14 PM, Steve Leonard wrote:
Eric, It is where the woman at the FBO is talking about the cop gone
mad. To quote from the article:

"Griffin said she had to tell the officers on the scene to clear out
the runway, and one officer talked about commandeering the airport.
“He was running around, the one guy that was commandeering
everything, saying, ‘We were going to shoot him down,’” she said."

The cop saying "We are going to shoot him down" sounds an awful lot
like the plan to use deadly force to me. Right below the last
picture in the article on the AOPA website.

I saw that, but it did not involve DHS, as I think you suggested, but
only one local cop.

--
Eric Greenwell - Washington State, USA (change ".netto" to ".us" to
email me)

On Friday, January 11, 2013 4:16:27 PM UTC-8, Eric Greenwell wrote:
On 1/11/2013 1:07 PM, son_of_flubber wrote:

This seems to be a perfect cue for glider operations to announce

"First Responder Appreciation Day" at the airport. Free glider

rides, toy gliders for the kids, barbeque, etc..



We need to cultivate good long term non-confrontational relationships

with first-responders. The good guys will keep the loose cannons in

check if they understand what the heck we are doing up there in the

sky without an engine.



I'd prefer to see a big smile on the deputy's face when an irate

farmer calls him/her out to mediate a contentious land out.



I like the way you think. Suppose, instead of just agreeing not pursue

legal action, the pilot had every local person involved - plant

operators, managers, police officers, sheriff - agree to come out to the

glider field for a free glider ride as part of the "no legal action"

deal. And tell them their kids can have a free ride, too!



It may not be too late: extend the offer ASAP to as many of the people

as can be reached, maybe get the local paper in on it. Possibly, Bermuda

Soaring could bring the towplane and glider to the airport the glider

pilot landed at, and give the rides there. That might get even more

people out.



--

Eric Greenwell - Washington State, USA (change ".netto" to ".us" to

email me)

You kidding, right?
If not, I suggest you ask Robin first if this is what he perceives as reward for putting him in jail.

Ramy