AOPA Pilot Blog: Reporting Points

Talk about a miracle.  Three men who were flying a Vans RV-10 kit aircraft for a ski trip managed to survive an accident outside of Lake Placid, N.Y., reports NJ.com.  After the accident, the man spent 10 hours in sub-freezing temperatures until they were rescued by state forest rangers.

He just walked away, part 1.  Ricky Ford, III of Irvington, Ala., would surely win the prize for the most unusual customer to walk into Lackey’s Steak & Seafood Restaurant in Hamilton, Ohio.  Ford sat in the restaurant’s kitchen and told the owner he had just been in an aircraft accident, reports the Columbus Packet. After the police were called, it was determined that he really had been in an accident and had been declared missing.

He just walked away, part 2.  Frank Leroy Bell managed to walk away after being forced to land his twin-engine aircraft in a cemetery outside of Abilene, Texas, reports BigCountryHomePage.com.  It was reported that he ran out of fuel.

What a rescue!  A woman who nearly climbed to Piestewa Peak in Phoenix became part of a dramatic helicopter rescue, reports AZFamily.com.  The woman was injured, and weather conditions were windy, making the rescue more difficult.

It was the accident that wasn’t.  A group of golfers in Ulverston, England, reported what they thought was an aircraft accident in the sea off the Furness Coast, reports the North-West Evening Mail.  It turns out the light aircraft was only a microlight on a training mission.

Who knew? As Pope Benedict XVI begins the first day of his retirement, the Catholic News Agency came up with some interesting facts about the pontiff, including that the 86-year-old has a helicopter pilot certificate and has flown the papal copter to his summer residence at Castel Gandolfo outside Rome.

It was a story that ended well.  Aimee Turner and her seven-month-old son Benji had the chance to thank Rick Harvey, a Sunshine Coast AGL helicopter rescue crewman, for saving them from their rooftop during floods in Bundaberg, Australia, reports the Sunshine Coast Daily.  It was only the second time Harvey had been reunited with people he had rescued.

What is WRONG with people? Two pilots found themselves facing a laser light in their cockpit as they were on final approach to Scotland’s Aberdeen Airport, reports STV News.  Local police are now investigating the incident.

Another helicopter rescue.  The Belfast Coast Guard rescued a man whose kayak capsized off Scotland’s Ayrshire coast, reports the Guide and Gazette.

This is a park I want to visit. The city of Greenville, S.C., has taken delivery of a Boeing 737 fuselage that will become part of a community aviation park, reports WYFF-TV.  The project has become a labor of love for the city, including Greenville Downtown Airport, GE Capital Aviation Services, Aircraft Demolition, Paragon Building Systems, the Greenville Jet Center and Greenville Technical College’s Aircraft Maintenance Technology.

Another miracle on the Hudson.  A man aboard a Piper Cherokee Six that ditched in New York’s Hudson River called his wife before calling 911 for help, reports AOPA Online.  Christopher Smidt and flight instructor Deniece De Priester were rescued by a boat operated by Yonkers police officers.

Daring helicopter rescue, part one!  Australia’s RACQ Capricorn Helicopter Rescue is being credited with saving the life of a 14-month-old child and two women from a truck that had been swept up in flood waters, reports the Observer.  It took three tries to rescue the trio.

Daring helicopter rescue, part two! Australia’s AGL Action Rescue Helicopter saved an elderly couple whose home had been flooded, reports the Observer.  The couple was seen clinging to the side of a log.

Do the crime, do the time.  Lamar Kelly will spend 41 months in a federal prison after being convicted of shooting at a Louisiana Army National Guard helicopter that was doing drug surveillance, reports SFGate.  Once he is released, he faces another three years of supervised release.

Bleeding, here – your airplane.  A romantic flight over Jacksonville, Fla., on New Year’s Eve took a bizarre turn when pilot Graham Hill realized that he had been shot, reports AvWeb. He handed over the controls to his girlfriend while he tended to his wound, and they made an emergency landing at Craig Field.

Pssst-wanna fly a U-2?  The good folks at the Jalopnik blog managed to get their hands on a declassified copy of the manual to fly the iconic U-2, made famous in 1960 after pilot Gary Powers was shot down in the aircraft while flying over the Soviet Union.

I want my airplane back!  Puerto Rican singer Noelia is accusing the Venezuelan government of “arbitrarily” seizing her private jet at Maiquetia International Airport in Caracas, reports Latino Daily News.  She accused National Institute of Civil Aviation agents of extortion in apprehending the jet and has asked Venezuela’s vice president for its safe return.

It’s a novel form of a user fee.  Indiana’s Putnam County Airport needs runway improvements and there’s not enough federal and state funding to make the repairs.  So county officials are asking local residents to help raise the $27,000 needed to make the repairs by donating $5 a foot for the 5,400 foot runway, reports Indiana Public Media.

No more private jets — for now. The Nigerian government has stopped the country’s billionaires from importing private jets and helicopters until it develops a new policy on the practice, reports the Osun Defender.  The newspaper says the Aviation Ministry has a four-month backlog of applications to import private aircraft.

Charter fight!! Rizon Air, a Qatar-based aircraft charter company is accusing flag carrier Qatar Airways of unfair competition, reports FlightGlobal. Rizon believes that Qatar Air is trying to promote its own charter company, Qatar Executive.

Washington Dulles turns runway into a parking lot.  One of the runways at Washington Dulles International Airport was closed from Thursday through Tuesday to park 300 private jets that flew in for the president’s inauguration, reports CBS DC.

It’s a runway, it’s a parking lot — two treats in one! New York’s Calverton Airport is using its runways as parking lots for cars damaged during Super Storm Sandy, reports Yahoo! News.  Insurance Auto Auctions Corp. is paying the airport, which is closed in the winter, nearly $3 million to rent its runways.

An amazing helicopter rescue–with a twist! A helicopter pilot under contract with the Canadian military was sent to the west shore of Hudson Bay to rescue two Nunavut hunters stranded on the ice.  But all three ended up being rescued by another helicopter after the original chopper landed on ice and sank, reports MSN News Canada.

Probation for airplane shooter.  Jason Allen McCay received probation after pleading guilty to firing a shotgun at an antique biplane, reports AL.com.  Under his probation, he can’t have access to guns and ammo, and may have to take anger management classes.

It’s moving day!  Officials at Wisconsin’s Wittman Regional Airport recently completed an operation to relocate two snowy owls that had made the facility their new home, reports the airport’s blog.  Gene Jacobs of Raptor Services  used a lure and remote-controlled net to capture the owls, and they were relocated far away from the airport.

Someone should have said something. General Aviation News reports on a pilot flying a Piper Cherokee who landed on a runway in Platinum, Alaska, that had been closed for two years. The pilot said he activated the runway lights but didn’t see them when he landed. His passenger said she saw the lighted runway as they flew over and wondered why he was landing on the closed runway, but didn’t ask.

An expensive rescue.  Jacalyn Toth Brown, who survived a 2008 aircraft accident in Eagleswood Township, N.J., was awarded a $125,000 settlement by the state, reports NJ.com. Brown said state police forced her to wait hours for medical care when they didn’t start a search-and-rescue mission for her immediately after the accident was reported.

One heck of a landing, part one!  A 21-year-old student pilot made the landing of a lifetime after one of the wheels fell off his Piper Cherokee right after he took off at Australia’s Mangalore Airport, reports the Herald Sun.  He flew solo for five hours to burn off fuel, then was talked down by his flight instructor.  Check out the YouTube video here.

One heck of a landing, part two!  A pilot made what was called a “perfect” landing in the middle of traffic on Interstate 40 in Memphis, Tenn., reports WREG-TV.  Pilot Trevor Prather said his Cessna 172 experienced engine trouble, so he let ATC know about his emergency and landed his 172 between an 18-wheeler and a car.

That’s one way to avoid an aircraft repossession!  Argentina President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner has decided to charter a private jet on her next official trip in order to keep the official presidential aircraft from being impounded by “vulture funds,” reports the Buenos Aires Herald.

He’s exactly where he belongs.  Michael R. Fischer found himself sitting in a Palm Beach, Fla. jail after he was arrested for shining a laser in the cockpit of a county Sheriff’s Office helicopter and an AirTran Boeing 717, reports the Palm Beach Post.  After being caught by police, Fischer claimed he was only fooling around with the laser. Right…

Airplanes – the ultimate crime stopper.  David Zehntner saw an interesting sight as he was flying his own plane over LaBelle, N.C. — a thief was attempting to steal a trailer parked at his home, reports TBO.com. Zehntner followed the thief, who had attached the trailer to his truck, and called police from the air. The thief was caught and charged with grand theft.

Driving and sleeping don’t mix.  Three small aircraft in a Valdosta Regional Airport hangar were damaged after a sleepy driver drove through the facility’s fence, reports the Valdosta Daily Times.  The driver bumped his head and lost a tooth in the incident.

Flight training is a relative bargain in the United States.  The Niger government is facing some heat after disclosing that its the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology spent US$5.1 million to train 10 pilots, reports AllAfrica.com.

What a waste.  Two Afghan women trained as helicopter pilots in the United States have been grounded since October, as that country’s military continues to “review” their applications to fly, reports the Los Angeles Times.  The hold on their flying is blamed on a resurgence of the Taliban in Afghanistan, which denies women the right to any education.

Was the photo really worth all that?  Photographers in Germany assigned to cover the final landing of a Transall C-160 twin turboprop nearly had it become their final assignment, reports AvWeb. The photographers, placed 100 feet short of the runway, were nearly hit by the aircraft’s wings as it bounced on a raised roadway.

That’s Hollywood for you! “Modern Family” star Jesse Tyler Ferguson appeared to have been in a real rush to leave the Caribbean island of St. Bart after reports say he tried to take a jet being used by fashion designer Ramy Brook Sharp, reports FOXNews.com.  The star was trying to leave the island before its sundown deadline on flights.

Amazing helicopter rescue story number one.  A California Highway Patrol helicopter crew is being crediting with saving the life of a 58-year-old man after his truck drifted into a creek that was swollen after heavy rains, reports the Napa Valley Register.  Swimmers had tried to rescue the man, to no avail.

Amazing helicopter rescue story number two.  The Royal Canadian Air Force’s 442 Transport & Rescue Squadron  managed to extract a snowboarder who was stranded in a steep ravine between Horseshoe Bay and Lions Bay in British Columbia, reports Canada.com. The squadron was able to make the rescue despite poor visibility caused by snow and wind.

I’m glad Alyssa is my flight instructor.  Ravindra Pal Sing, the former director of a flight school in New Zealand, was found guilty of assault of two of his students by a local court, reports AvWeb. Sing was accused of slapping one student and pushing his head into the side of the cockpit. The other student accused him of elbowing her and raising his hand in a “threatening” manner.

Nice trick, but it still won’t help the New York Giants get into the playoffs.  .  The FAA has investigated and debunked a YouTube video purportedly showing star receiver Victor Cruz catching a football that appeared to be thrown from an airplane, reports AvWeb.

A beach landing.  A pilot was able to walk away after making an emergency landing on a beach in New Jersey’s Bay Head, reports NBC Philadelphia.

Nice, but I’d rather have the real thing.  Top Gear’s James May, who is a pilot, was recently featured in Radio Times demonstrating how to make the ultimate paper airplane.  He said his creation was a cross between a Vulcan bomber and a Fairey Delta.

So that’s why my car had an extra kick!  Officials in New Jersey have confirmed that vendor Pasmel Property delivered aviation fuel instead of gasoline to six gas stations in four counties, reports the Asbury Park Press.  The fuel, designated as super unleaded (93 octane), is 104.7 octane and will not damage cars engines, officials noted.

A piece of the past in present times.  The Naval Aviation Museum Foundation paid to have a World War II  FM-2 “Wildcat” Fighter aircraft brought up out of Lake Michigan, reports NBC Chicago.  The fighter, which crashed in 1944, was part of a fleet used to train fighter pilots.

New Zealand clips glider wings.  A new rule passed by the Civil Aviation Authority of New Zealand is forcing the Tauranga Gliding Club to stop offering trial flights after 55 years of operating them, reports the Bay of Plenty Times.  Under the new rule, the club will only be able to offer flights to those with a “genuine interest” in pursuing gliding.

 They really taught the the kids a lesson.  Students at England’s Sunny Bank Primary school in the village of Bury discovered an amazing site — the remains of a UFO that appeared to have crashed on their playing field, reports the Bury Times.  Students saw burn marks, holes and a green slime in the area, which was taped off while government officials investigated. it turns out the whole thing was a hoax created to teach the children recall and observation skills.

But it looked so real!  WGN-TV news anchors Larry Potash and Robin Baumgarten were just doing their job when they went live and began reporting on what appeared to be an aircraft accident in Chicago, reports the Herald Sun.  The problem was, the accident was fake, having been staged for the NBC television series “Chicago Fire.”

Rocky Mountain Low.  Pilot Carl Steven Gruber’s excuse that he flew 55 pounds of pot into Boulder Municipal Airport to provide medical marijuana didn’t fly with Judge Thomas Mulvahill.  Gruber was sentenced to two years probation and a $10,000 fine, reports the Daily Camera.

Those were expensive airplane rides!  Among the gifts Inland Waters CEO Tony Soave gave former disgraced Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick was private jet flights totaling nearly $400,000, reports WXYZ-TV.  Soave, who also gave Fitzpatrick and his family an all-expenses-paid trip to Naples, Fla., says he did it because he didn’t want to lose the city’s business.

From private to commercial.  Juan Manuel Marquez, who will fight Manny Pacquiao on Saturday in Las Vegas, arrive six hour later than expected.  Why?  The private jet he was using had to make a U-Turn after the pilot discovered a problem with the tire right before taking off, reports Yahoo Sports. The pilot determined the aircraft would not be able to fly, so Marquez ended up catching a commercial airline flight.

We’ll end the week with this blog post from Huffington Post: The Emily Post Guide to Flying Private. Enjoy!