16 year old steals a plane

Ritalin?

by " Feb 3, 2006 at 06:13 AM


If you were never a "dumbass kid" than you are a better man than I.

I've had my share of dopey stunts, believe me... But I would have never
done anything as dumb as stealing an airplane, especially without a
license. To me that tops the "Stupid Teenager Tricks" list. Plus,
anytime something like this happens the knee-jerk anti-GA types (like
Skylune) crow about the lack of security at airports etc. and the
unknowing public has yet another reason to think small planes are evil.

"Knee jerk"? "Evil" small planes? Hardly. Just how is the public
supposed to act when these things happen a few times a year? The AOPA
will tell you the airport watch program is the solution, even though it
keeps happening.

If GA were "evil," I wouldn't fly in the 172 at all. There are definite
problems, thats for sure, which the AOPA constantly tries to dismiss,
rather than address. That is because addressing them would cost money,
and pilots are so used to flying in large part on the taxpayers' dime.

But I would have never done anything as dumb as stealing an airplane, especially without a license

I'm not justifying just setting some items straight in the record..

1) The report said the kid held a solo endorsement for that plane.
Therefore I would not say "without a license" since he was legal to fly
solo
2) Yes, he did steal the plane but from a family friend who was also
his boss. Again, not an excuse but its quite different than just
grabbing a plane on the ramp.

-Robert

But I would have never done anything as dumb as stealing an airplane, especially without a license.

Again, the report said he didn't have his private, he was legal for
solo though.

-Robert

("Skylune" wrote)
Yeah, but 16 year olds will do dumb things if they CAN. And, with the
current state of (in)security at GA airports, these things will continue
to happen.


http://4wheeldrive.about.com/od/buysellcartrucksuvonline/a/moststolencars.htm
"Did you know that every 24 seconds, a motor vehicle is stolen in the United
States? The odds of a vehicle being stolen were 1 in 186 in 2002 (latest
data available). The odds are highest in urban areas."

Those cars all have two locks per vehicle - door and steering column.

So, just how many locks on small GA airplanes will make you feel safe? Fence
in airports?

I got an idea... fence in Wal-Mart, Target, Home Depot, K-Mart, Kohl's,
Walgreens. Entrance is gained by key-cards, special codes, secret
handshakes, ancient amulets...

Nope. Bad idea - idiots will still steal cars!


Montblack

by "Montblack" Feb 3, 2006 at 11:33
AM
I got an idea... fence in Wal-Mart, Target, Home Depot, K-Mart, Kohl's,
Walgreens. Entrance is gained by key-cards, special codes, secret
handshakes, ancient amulets...

How many Wal-Marts have been stolen?

Seriously, though.... obviously many more cars will be stolen because (1)
they are far more accessible (in malls and on streets) and (2) there are
many more of them. So, statistically I cannot determine the rate of
plane thefts vs. car thefts. Per capita or per vehicle odds may shed some
light....

Also, many more people can drive than can fly, so there is a much larger
pool of potential thieves. Attempted theft of a plane by someone who has
no idea of how to taxi around the airport would kinda be a joke.... They'd
probably play with the yoke and wonder why the plane doesn't turn.

I don't think this is really important, though. Airplanes and airports
should have a much higher security threshold than cars. There are GA
airports where I could walk right up to the planes if I wanted to.

Very very few airplanes get stolen per year. Something like 10 for
whole of USA. Not a common event at all.

The AOPA will tell you the airport watch program is the solution, even though it
keeps happening.

No way to tell how many aircraft thefts have been averted because of
the airport watch program. They probably go unreported. Naturally when
a plane is stolen the media jumps all over it.

There are definite problems, thats for sure, which the AOPA constantly tries to dismiss, rather than address. That is because addressing them would cost money,
and pilots are so used to flying in large part on the taxpayers'
dime.

If securing an airplane means buying a $50 prop lock I doubt many
owners would object. Aviation has never been a cheap hobby. As far as
your comment about pilots flying on the taxpayer's dime, remember
pilots ARE taxpayers. And they're using a system (sometimes) that was
designed for airlines. If GA went away the cost would be the same, so I
don't see your point having any merit.

On 2006-02-03, Skylune wrote:
I don't think this is really important, though. Airplanes and airports
should have a much higher security threshold than cars.

Why?

There are GA
airports where I could walk right up to the planes if I wanted to.

There are truck stops where I can walk right up to a fully laden 40
tonne articulated truck if I wanted to. What's your point?

--
Dylan Smith, Port St Mary, Isle of Man
Flying: http://www.dylansmith.net
Oolite-Linux: an Elite tribute: http://oolite-linux.berlios.de
Frontier Elite Universe: http://www.alioth.net

No way to tell how many aircraft thefts have been averted because of
the airport watch program. They probably go unreported. Naturally when
a plane is stolen the media jumps all over it.


How many aircraft were stolen before the airport watch program?

How many were stolen afterwards?

Not the perfect answer, but a big clue.


If securing an airplane means buying a $50 prop lock I doubt many
owners would object


But a prop lock does not secure the aircraft. It gives the illusion of
security.

Jose