Posted on 01/09/2004 3:37:55 PM PST by The Magical Mischief Tour
Question about flight simulator brings visit from police By VIRGINIA RAY Recorder Staff
COLRAIN - An innocent inquiry to a Staples store clerk about a computer software program that teaches how to fly an airplane by instrumentation brought a surprise visit this holiday season to a local family from the state police.
"At first, I felt a little angry and violated" about someone telling authorities about her inquiry, said Julie Olearcek, a 15-year Air Force Reserve pilot. "But now that time has gone by, I realize it may take someone like that, who's a little nervous, who may save the day." Olearcek's husband, Henry, is also a flier, currently on active duty, and frequently away from home these days.
About a week before Christmas, Olearcek said the couple's 10-year-old son, who has flight simulation software and is keenly interested in learning to fly like his parents, commented that he'd have to wait until his dad retired to learn to fly by instruments. She went to Staples soon after and took her son to the office supply store, where he looked through the available software.
"He was disappointed because there was military stuff, but it was all fighting stuff, so I asked the clerk, and he was alarmed by us asking how to fly airplanes and said that was against the law," Olearcek said. "I said I couldn't imagine that, but, because (the clerk) was a little on edge ... I left." But "what saves us, is people are paying attention," she said.
Olearcek said she and her husband both were well aware that the Office of Homeland Security had raised the threat level during the holiday and of the generally increased terrorism alert following the Sept. 11 plane attacks.
"And rightly so, this puts people on edge," she said.
But she was taken aback by what happened next.
"By 8 p.m., a state trooper was at my house," she said. "At first, it was a little unnerving because it was pouring rain and my husband had just left ... My son said he heard someone walking around outside and it startled him. We had put our Christmas tree in front of a sliding glass door and the trooper ended up tapping on the glass of that door and putting a flashlight in and it scared us."
But Olearcek said she doesn't believe the trooper was intentionally trying to frighten her family. Nor does she blame the clerk for erring on the side of caution.
"We all have to be aware," she said, not really even wanting to speak of the incident on the record, but wanting to keep the record straight. "It's not just the people in uniform who have to be looking after this country. So when people see something out the ordinary, they pay attention. Maybe by the way we worded the question - who knows? - it triggered the individual. Still, if they had done their homework (at Staples) they would see I home school my children and am a frequent customer and have a teacher's ID on file."
Olearcek said the trooper asked her if she had inquired about the software, and she said she had and showed him her military identification.
"He was totally understanding, but protocol means he has to follow through," Olearcek said. "I immediately gave him my military ID and I had no problem giving it to him. At first I felt like, 'Wait a minute, this is America.' But we also have to understand it takes everybody to pay attention. At first I was a little frazzled with someone knocking on my window at 8:30 at night, but the bottom line is this is a civilian who has tried to do his best."
Sgt. Donald Charpentier of the Shelburne Falls State Police barracks said police received a telephone call from the Staples manager "that a person had been looking for instructional videos regarding flying planes."
"Those programs are quite common for entertainment and training, but he felt it was suspicious enough to warrant a call," Charpentier said. "We responded, and it turned out to be innocent enough; a person looking to buy a Christmas gift."
Staples' spokesperson Sharyn Frankel said the employees were doing what they have been told to do.
"After 9/11, our store associates were instructed that if they see something suspicious or out of the ordinary, they're to contact their managers and local authorities," Frankel said. "It's all about keeping our associates and customers safe and this was out of the ordinary and kind of raised a red flag and they did what they thought was right."
"Bottom line is we've all got to look out for each other, and I wasn't harmed," summed up Olearcek. "And what if it were the other way around? It's going to take everyone in each town to look after one another."
That "sharp clerk" called the police and accused a customer of committing a crime, when none was committed.
In my book, that's a false police report: a misdemeanor offense. The clerk should be arrested.
Flight Sim has come a long way since then.From: Ken Poe (poek@psueea.uucp) Subject: Re: Question for St. Louis (was Greetings from new poster) Newsgroups: rec.aviation Date: 1990-03-03 19:25:42 PST For those of you that have always wanted to fly through the St. Louis arch, DON'T. You might find some kind of fun with Microsoft's Flight Simulator - I don't klnow if you can go through the arch, but it would make an intrtesting added feature. Anyway, there are cameras installed on the arch that take very high resolution photos of aircraft that fly through the arch. One would be fortunate to only get a one year suspension. Most likely the outcome would be revocation of ALL certificates and possibly a fine. Ken Poe
Flight simulation programs (for the home PC) are games.
For novice pilots flying low performance general aviation planes (like the Cessna 172), it's a useful "practice" tool, but even the FAA doesn't recognize them as real simulators, except in the classroom with an instructor.
I found some of the early simulators useful for practicing certain instrument procedures, like holding patterns and procedure turns. But, my experience in the airplane made it easier for me to shoot ILS approaches on the simulator -- not the other way around.
Some flight instructors are reporting that new "computer literate" students have much better "spatial orientation" skills than pre-computer era students. But, there's still a lot more to flying a plane (especially large ones) than one can learn on their own with a game
The poor clerk had the right idea. Tom Ridge did tell us to keep our eyes open. I would not bust his chops. I would train him.
No, he didn't. Flight simulation software is not illegal, by any stretch of the imagination.
Tom Ridge did tell us to keep our eyes open.
There's a big difference between "keeping your eyes open", and jumping like a nervous cat every time something happens that you don't like.
I would not bust his chops. I would train him.
If he was working for me, he'd be fired. And I'd offer to give the customer whatever software they want, even if I had to make a special order for something I didn't stock.
Accusing a customer of a crime when none was committed is a good way to get sued and lose a lot of money. That's why retail stores have strict requirements for evidence before accusing someone of shoplifting. The manager is lucky that the customer chose to not pursue it.
'By the way, old boy,' he said. 'I hear that little beggar of mine let fly at you with his catapult yesterday. I gave him a good dressing-down for it. In fact I told him I'd take the catapult away if he does it again.
'I think he was a little upset at not going to the execution,' said Winston.
' Ah, well -- what I mean to say, shows the right spirit, doesn't it? Mischievous little beggars they are, both of them, but talk about keenness! All they think about is the Spies, and the war, of course. D'you know what that little girl of mine did last Saturday, when her troop was on a hike out Berkhamsted way? She got two other girls to go with her, slipped off from the hike, and spent the whole afternoon following a strange man. They kept on his tail for two hours, right through the woods, and then, when they got into Amersham, handed him over to the patrols.'
'What did they do that for?' said Winston, somewhat taken aback. Parsons went on triumphantly:
'My kid made sure he was some kind of enemy agent -- might have been dropped by parachute, for instance. But here's the point, old boy. What do you think put her on to him in the first place? She spotted he was wearing a funny kind of shoes -- said she'd never seen anyone wearing shoes like that before. So the chances were he was a foreigner. Pretty smart for a nipper of seven, eh?'
'What happened to the man?' said Winston.
'Ah, that I couldn't say, of course. But I wouldn't be altogether surprised if-' Parsons made the motion of aiming a rifle, and clicked his tongue for the explosion.
'Good,' said Syme abstractedly, without looking up from his strip of paper.
'Of course we can't afford to take chances,' agreed Winston dutifully.
Full-motion simulators. Now, those are cool. When the hydraulics are enabled, (inside) observers have been known to get motion sickness.
I've flown in a couple (with motion turned off), and they are realistic -- down to every dial and knob. Some of them even have a smoke generator to make emergency procedures a little more urgent. :-)
They are so realistic, that airlines use them to completely train first officers (right-seat pilots) for that particular model/type of airplane. His/her first flight in the real airplane is while on duty (with the captain watching, of course). Some people think that's scary, until I explain that a trainee can get a lot more relevant experience in a simulator (landings can be repeated over and over again, without wasting time on takeoff, climbout, and circling around to approach). They can also practice emergency procedures that would be unsafe in a real airplane.
Of course, you can't buy the software for those in an office supply store. There are a few companies that specialize in that sort of thing and the software is their primary asset.
United used to have a "Pilot for a Day" package, where you could get an hour or two in one of their simulators. I guess they dropped it, post 9/11. Read about one person's trip here:
This was before 911 but I know it must have made someone somewhere nervous. I also buy all of my "subversive" literature and ammo on my credit card.
That never stopped the local mules with Cessnas, flying marijuana in from Mexico. They just put a piece of Mylar over the registry numbers and go on about their business.
1. The terror threat was High/Orange, wasn't it?
2. If you lived in the vicinity of Boston and Newark where most of the 9/11 flights originated perhaps you'd be extra cautious, too.
3. We don't know from the article, but who is to say the mother and her son aren't Middle Eastern, or otherwise suspicious, in appearance?
4. The kid looks through the software and then the clerk is told that it isn't games or simulators that are sought -- it's videos on how to actually fly an airplane.
I'll cut the clerk some slack under the circumstances.
It's like Julie Olearcek said: 'But "what saves us, is people are paying attention[.]"'
Go ye and do likewise...
America's Fifth Column ... watch PBS documentary JIHAD! In America
http://12thman.us/media/jihad.rm (Requires RealPlayer)
so I asked the clerk, and he was alarmed by us asking how to fly airplanes and said that was against the lawBullsh*t. The clerk is full of used food.
This nutcase needs his head examined.
Just damn.
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