Cessna forced down by the Feds

Apparently an immigrant smuggling operation. AP is reporting a Cessna was
forced down Tuesday morning near San Antonio with four Chinese nationals on
board. The plane, N98873, is supposedly owned by Afzal Hameed and Alyce S.
Taylor.

--
Christopher J. Campbell
World Famous Flight Instructor
Port Orchard, WA


Ne Obliviscaris

I've read this was a 172P model (but not confirmed it). I'm still
trying to figure out how they got four adults into the plane with a
valid W&B. I guess that an FAA action is awating this along with other
more urgent law enforcement actions!

wrote in message
oups.com...
I've read this was a 172P model (but not confirmed it). I'm still
trying to figure out how they got four adults into the plane with a
valid W&B.

It just depends on the adults. I have flown a C172 with all seats filled by
adults. As long as the adults aren't too heavy, it's just fine.

Why anyone would immediately assume that "adult" means "170 pounds" is
beyond me. I frequently see messages like yours, implying that it's
impossible to fly four adults in a C172, written by people without even
enough imagination to consider a very realistic legal-four-adult scenario.

Pete

On Thu, 27 Jan 2005 10:56:36 -0800, "Peter Duniho"
wrote:

wrote in message
roups.com...
I've read this was a 172P model (but not confirmed it). I'm still
trying to figure out how they got four adults into the plane with a
valid W&B.

You gotta be kidding:-)) Some one smuggling illegal aliens is going
to worry about a legal W&B?


It just depends on the adults. I have flown a C172 with all seats filled by
adults. As long as the adults aren't too heavy, it's just fine.

Why anyone would immediately assume that "adult" means "170 pounds" is
beyond me.

Basically because you almost have to hunt to find 4 adults who are
170# or under. The percent gets smaller every day. The FAA was
talking about raising the average to 200#.

I frequently see messages like yours, implying that it's
impossible to fly four adults in a C172, written by people without even

Not impossible, just difficult to find many times.

Roger Halstead (K8RI & ARRL life member)
(N833R, S# CD-2 Worlds oldest Debonair)
www.rogerhalstead.com

enough imagination to consider a very realistic legal-four-adult scenario.

Pete

"Roger" wrote in message
...

Basically because you almost have to hunt to find 4 adults who are
170# or under.

Well, they *are* Chinese, so they may be small, depending on where in China
they come from.

"Roger" wrote in message
...
Why anyone would immediately assume that "adult" means "170 pounds" is
beyond me.

Basically because you almost have to hunt to find 4 adults who are
170# or under. The percent gets smaller every day. The FAA was
talking about raising the average to 200#.

Yes, Americans are getting fatter. But some of us have friends who actually
manage to avoid making their diet consist primarily of McDonald's and frozen
dinners.

Especially for those of us that actually hang out with females, it's not
hard at all to find adults who weigh less than 170 pounds.

In any case, the point is that assuming that a C172 is overweight just
because four adults are aboard is dumb. That said, what's really dumb is
that we're talking about whether the airplane was overweight, rather than
the obscenity of a government that is willing to use deadly force when they
have not established the guilt of everyone (or anyone) being fired upon.

Pete

Roger wrote:

Basically because you almost have to hunt to find 4 adults who are
170# or under.

Four *American* adults, yes. You have to hunt pretty hard to find four Chinese
adults who weigh that much. And C.J.'s post says that's the nationality of the
passengers.

George Patterson
He who marries for money earns every penny of it.

There are adults weighing 170 lbs and under. Looking around my
neighborhood and office, however, there's not very many of them. Some
of this is based on height (hard to be 170 lbs and 6' 3" for example -
but yes, not impossible), some on the documented weight gains in
America. So, based on my admittedly anecdotal evidence on average
weight, my initial thoughts on this are that it's likely to be an
overgross situation.

Perhaps you live in an area with a lot of 170 lbs and under adults.
Good for you. Since this situation seems likely to be a smuggling
situation, it's pretty clear that a valid W&B isn't the prime
consideration for the pilot. I guess your own excellent imagination
didn't extend to seeing my indended tongue-in-cheek quality to my post.
Perhaps I should have been more clear.

-Malcolm Teas

" wrote:

There are adults weighing 170 lbs and under. Looking around my
neighborhood and office, however, there's not very many of them.

Not many Asians in your office, are there?

George Patterson
He who marries for money earns every penny of it.

On Sat, 29 Jan 2005 at 16:39:12 in message
, George Patterson
wrote:


" wrote:

There are adults weighing 170 lbs and under. Looking around my
neighborhood and office, however, there's not very many of them.

Not many Asians in your office, are there?

No so many women either?
George Patterson
He who marries for money earns every penny of it.

--
David CL Francis