First in Flight
November 7, 2007 6:57 AM Subscribe
...others in the stands feared terrorism.
That's ridiculous. How would terrorists have defeated the Department of Homeland Security security cordon around the high-value Hopewell-North Mecklenburg football game?
posted by DU at 7:06 AM on November 7, 2007 [4 favorites]
That's ridiculous. How would terrorists have defeated the Department of Homeland Security security cordon around the high-value Hopewell-North Mecklenburg football game?
posted by DU at 7:06 AM on November 7, 2007 [4 favorites]
"He's an honor roll student. He's very popular, and he helped start the Hopewell Ultimate Frisbee Club..."
But, he didn't invent Wedgie-Proof Underwear!
posted by ericb at 7:08 AM on November 7, 2007
But, he didn't invent Wedgie-Proof Underwear!
posted by ericb at 7:08 AM on November 7, 2007
How would terrorists have defeated the Department of Homeland Security security cordon around the high-value Hopewell-North Mecklenburg football game?
Well, Homeland Security predicted no potential threat, since no falafel vending trucks were expected that day!
posted by ericb at 7:11 AM on November 7, 2007
Well, Homeland Security predicted no potential threat, since no falafel vending trucks were expected that day!
posted by ericb at 7:11 AM on November 7, 2007
"In this day and time, you think terrorist attack," she said, "and whether someone's coming out to hurt us."
Well, you might think it, but that's because you're a paranoid bitch who wants to suck all the fun out of everyone's life in order to make them all as miserable as you.
posted by delmoi at 7:11 AM on November 7, 2007 [1 favorite]
Well, you might think it, but that's because you're a paranoid bitch who wants to suck all the fun out of everyone's life in order to make them all as miserable as you.
posted by delmoi at 7:11 AM on November 7, 2007 [1 favorite]
$85/hour for the airplane? The real crime is how much more I have to pay for a 172.
It's a real shame this kid threw away his license doing this, too.
posted by backseatpilot at 7:15 AM on November 7, 2007
It's a real shame this kid threw away his license doing this, too.
posted by backseatpilot at 7:15 AM on November 7, 2007
His biggest mistake: he should have left the Lite-Brite® kits back at the airport.
posted by ericb at 7:18 AM on November 7, 2007
posted by ericb at 7:18 AM on November 7, 2007
North Mecklenburg parent Beth Plummer said she feared for her family's life. The plane was so low she could make out its numbers and the faces of the pilot and passengers.
"In this day and time, you think terrorist attack," she said, "and whether someone's coming out to hurt us."
So the crazy paranoid woman knew the plane was occupied by teenage boys that she may well have recognized, yet she still jumped straight to thoughts of terrorism. What a country.
Flying so low as to endanger the public is a misdemeanor under state law. Huntersville police Capt. Michael Kee said his department "will certainly look into any criminal charges that we could levy against this young man."
It always bothers me when cops seem so eager to find anything on the books they can charge people with, especially in a case where no one was hurt and a lot of people enjoyed the stunt.
posted by jedicus at 7:19 AM on November 7, 2007
"In this day and time, you think terrorist attack," she said, "and whether someone's coming out to hurt us."
So the crazy paranoid woman knew the plane was occupied by teenage boys that she may well have recognized, yet she still jumped straight to thoughts of terrorism. What a country.
Flying so low as to endanger the public is a misdemeanor under state law. Huntersville police Capt. Michael Kee said his department "will certainly look into any criminal charges that we could levy against this young man."
It always bothers me when cops seem so eager to find anything on the books they can charge people with, especially in a case where no one was hurt and a lot of people enjoyed the stunt.
posted by jedicus at 7:19 AM on November 7, 2007
Well, there was the teen who committed suicide by flying a plane into a Tampa skyscraper in January 2002. People were "real jumpy" about potential terrorism regarding that event.
posted by ericb at 7:22 AM on November 7, 2007
posted by ericb at 7:22 AM on November 7, 2007
What a dumbass.
I’d bet his parents paid for his flight training. Nobody who paid his own way would waste it on something so stupid.
It’s stuff like this that’ll cause the FAA to enact a knee-jerk rule banning any sort of flying over any public event, or raise the minimum age for plane rentals. If that happens, I hope they name the rule after this idiot.
posted by bondcliff at 7:23 AM on November 7, 2007
I’d bet his parents paid for his flight training. Nobody who paid his own way would waste it on something so stupid.
It’s stuff like this that’ll cause the FAA to enact a knee-jerk rule banning any sort of flying over any public event, or raise the minimum age for plane rentals. If that happens, I hope they name the rule after this idiot.
posted by bondcliff at 7:23 AM on November 7, 2007
waste of natural resources. ban recreational flying altogether.
posted by mrgrimm at 7:36 AM on November 7, 2007 [1 favorite]
posted by mrgrimm at 7:36 AM on November 7, 2007 [1 favorite]
Cellphone video of the flyover can be seen at this television news website.
posted by ericb at 7:37 AM on November 7, 2007
posted by ericb at 7:37 AM on November 7, 2007
Is it just me...or have about 50% of the posts on mefi recently been "local news filter", "Fark filter", "spam filter", "who the f*** cares" filter....
posted by HuronBob at 7:46 AM on November 7, 2007
posted by HuronBob at 7:46 AM on November 7, 2007
Great prank, if for nothing else than to show the "you think terrorist attack" ladies that fear consumes their lives.
At the same time, it's also a nice little example of how this country is fucked, as the fearheads will most likely win the day on this one.
posted by hellbient at 7:50 AM on November 7, 2007
At the same time, it's also a nice little example of how this country is fucked, as the fearheads will most likely win the day on this one.
posted by hellbient at 7:50 AM on November 7, 2007
You damn kids get off my airspace
posted by stupidsexyFlanders at 7:52 AM on November 7, 2007 [1 favorite]
posted by stupidsexyFlanders at 7:52 AM on November 7, 2007 [1 favorite]
Well now the media has a story to hype, the cops have something to do and the whole town felt for a moment the illicit thrill that maybe, just maybe they were significant enough to warrant the attention of them terrrurists. The kid will probably become mayor one day. Or president.
posted by ob at 7:53 AM on November 7, 2007
posted by ob at 7:53 AM on November 7, 2007
Luckily, God is on North Mecklenburg's side.
posted by billypilgrim at 7:53 AM on November 7, 2007
posted by billypilgrim at 7:53 AM on November 7, 2007
waste of natural resources. ban recreational flying altogether.
you ought to ban recreational driving while you're at it. ah fuck it, just ban recreation.
posted by exogenous at 8:12 AM on November 7, 2007
you ought to ban recreational driving while you're at it. ah fuck it, just ban recreation.
posted by exogenous at 8:12 AM on November 7, 2007
It always bothers me when cops seem so eager to find anything on the books they can charge people with, especially in a case where no one was hurt and a lot of people enjoyed the stunt.
Sorry, but this makes no sense. This kid did not teepee the principal's house, and the fact that he didn't happen to crash, or that "a lot of people enjoyed the stunt," is entirely irrelevant. He risked the lives of a lot of people, and I would hope the lack of a specific law criminalizing "acting like a dumbass with a plane" would not deter the police from going after him.
posted by hawkeye at 8:28 AM on November 7, 2007
Sorry, but this makes no sense. This kid did not teepee the principal's house, and the fact that he didn't happen to crash, or that "a lot of people enjoyed the stunt," is entirely irrelevant. He risked the lives of a lot of people, and I would hope the lack of a specific law criminalizing "acting like a dumbass with a plane" would not deter the police from going after him.
posted by hawkeye at 8:28 AM on November 7, 2007
Sorry, but this makes no sense. This kid did not teepee the principal's house, and the fact that he didn't happen to crash, or that "a lot of people enjoyed the stunt," is entirely irrelevant. He risked the lives of a lot of people, and I would hope the lack of a specific law criminalizing "acting like a dumbass with a plane" would not deter the police from going after him.
Why? If what he did was unsafe he'll lose his pilot's license and feel like an idiot... so there's no chance he'll go back to his football game buzzing ways. Frankly, I bet that same cop would be pressing charges if he had 'tp'd' the principals house.
If we really cared about teenage boys doing unsafe things why do we let millions of them play football?
posted by geos at 8:51 AM on November 7, 2007
Why? If what he did was unsafe he'll lose his pilot's license and feel like an idiot... so there's no chance he'll go back to his football game buzzing ways. Frankly, I bet that same cop would be pressing charges if he had 'tp'd' the principals house.
If we really cared about teenage boys doing unsafe things why do we let millions of them play football?
posted by geos at 8:51 AM on November 7, 2007
"Eyewitness News helicopter pilot Andy Holt said FAA regulations are strict and for good reason.
'It’s dangerous to fly that low over a stadium. I don't know how else to put that, if you have an engine failure or any other problems -- that’s why they have the regulations, in case you have a problem,' he said."*
posted by ericb at 8:51 AM on November 7, 2007
'It’s dangerous to fly that low over a stadium. I don't know how else to put that, if you have an engine failure or any other problems -- that’s why they have the regulations, in case you have a problem,' he said."*
posted by ericb at 8:51 AM on November 7, 2007
Ouf. My heart goes out to these kids, who probably deserve every punishment the FAA, federal government, and Dad have to offer. The fact that they weren't planning to plunge the plane into the grandstand didn't preclude exactly that from happening.
posted by bicyclefish at 9:25 AM on November 7, 2007
posted by bicyclefish at 9:25 AM on November 7, 2007
"others in the stands feared terrorism, communists, aliens, liberals, satan, bigfoot, gays, atheists, bears ..."
posted by R. Mutt at 10:01 AM on November 7, 2007
posted by R. Mutt at 10:01 AM on November 7, 2007
Bunch of whiners. It was a great stunt. The kid has balls, he'll go far. So what if he would have crashed and the terrerrist-fearing idiots on the grandstands got chopped to bits by the propellor?
Too many people on this planet anyway...
posted by Djinh at 10:04 AM on November 7, 2007
Too many people on this planet anyway...
posted by Djinh at 10:04 AM on November 7, 2007
Dropping the football also may have violated FAA rules.
Let me know when they go after FEMA then.
posted by CynicalKnight at 10:07 AM on November 7, 2007
Let me know when they go after FEMA then.
posted by CynicalKnight at 10:07 AM on November 7, 2007
that is a really boring prank.
posted by unknowncommand at 10:23 AM on November 7, 2007
posted by unknowncommand at 10:23 AM on November 7, 2007
At least he wasn't drunk, unlicensed, and landing at night in a stolen plane.
posted by bhance at 10:51 AM on November 7, 2007
posted by bhance at 10:51 AM on November 7, 2007
The fact that they weren't planning to plunge the plane into the grandstand didn't preclude exactly that from happening.
So what did?
posted by hellbient at 10:54 AM on November 7, 2007
So what did?
posted by hellbient at 10:54 AM on November 7, 2007
Wow, I wish someone had done this at a game when I was in high school. We need a bit more recklessness in our lives.
posted by oddman at 11:17 AM on November 7, 2007
posted by oddman at 11:17 AM on November 7, 2007
This proves once and for all that crazy ass flying stunts should only be performed in lawn chairs.
posted by Muddler at 11:22 AM on November 7, 2007
posted by Muddler at 11:22 AM on November 7, 2007
When it comes to teenage boys doing wacky civil-aviation stunts, Matthias Rust is still in a class by himself.
posted by pax digita at 12:52 PM on November 7, 2007
posted by pax digita at 12:52 PM on November 7, 2007
Yeah, yeah cool stunt and there are too many FAA regulations.
However,
The plane was so low over the field that the pilot dipped below stadium lights
That's flying a bit too low. You have to have rules regarding this otherwise every Jim, Dale and Barbara with a plane would be out buzzing the neighborhood.
posted by Rashomon at 12:53 PM on November 7, 2007
However,
The plane was so low over the field that the pilot dipped below stadium lights
That's flying a bit too low. You have to have rules regarding this otherwise every Jim, Dale and Barbara with a plane would be out buzzing the neighborhood.
posted by Rashomon at 12:53 PM on November 7, 2007
"A woman at what is thought to be Morris' home declined comment."
Now this I find interesting and worthy of further investigation.
posted by inconsequentialist at 3:19 PM on November 7, 2007
Now this I find interesting and worthy of further investigation.
posted by inconsequentialist at 3:19 PM on November 7, 2007
Cellphone video of the flyover can be seen at this television news website.
No one at the Charlotte NBC affiliate could figure out how to take video off of a cellphone, so they actually just pointed a camera at the phone as the video played on the tiny phone screen.
And we're surprised that members of this community instantly thought "oh noes, terrah!" when the tiny plane buzzed their football game?
posted by Dreama at 7:21 PM on November 7, 2007
No one at the Charlotte NBC affiliate could figure out how to take video off of a cellphone, so they actually just pointed a camera at the phone as the video played on the tiny phone screen.
And we're surprised that members of this community instantly thought "oh noes, terrah!" when the tiny plane buzzed their football game?
posted by Dreama at 7:21 PM on November 7, 2007
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Tell those people to stay in their houses.
Forever.
posted by Kirth Gerson at 7:05 AM on November 7, 2007 [13 favorites]