WRONG FIELD??!!
Posted on 11/05/2007 4:33:19 AM PST by Rb ver. 2.0
A 17-year-old Hopewell High student was apparently acting on a dare when he did a fly-over prank at a Hopewell High football game Friday, at one point dipping below the stadium lights.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools officials said Sunday that the teen pilot and two teen passengers flew the length of the field three times around 8 p.m. The plane reportedly came within feet of a flag pole.
On the final pass, a pair of tennis shoes and a football dropped from the single-engine Cessna 172 into the end zone, officials said.
The pilot, who apparently broke multiple federal aviation laws, is being investigated by the Federal Aviation Administration, Huntersville police and CMS.
“My immediate reaction was that we were going to have a terrorist act of some sort,” said Vincent “Bud” Cesena, head of CMS law enforcement, who was among the 4,000 people in the stands.
“Then, as he circled, you saw that it was kids in the plane, and I was hoping it that it was just some kind of prank. I was thinking to myself: ‘Should I empty the stands and risk someone being trampled or see what happens?’ I knew for sure someone would get hurt if I emptied the stands.”
Witnesses say the plane came within 75 feet of an embankment at the field at the school on Beatties Ford Road in Huntersville.
The plane flew low enough that Cesena and several Huntersville police officers were able to take down the tail numbers and call them into Charlotte/Douglas International Airport.
It was quickly identified as being rented from Lincoln County Regional Airport. That’s where Lincoln County sheriff’s deputies were waiting when it landed.
Detained at the airport for questioning were the 17-year-old pilot who had rented the plane and his passengers, another 17-year-old Hopewell student and an 18-year-old Hopewell graduate.
No charges had been filed as of late Sunday, officials said.
“It was a dare,” Cesena said. “They knew they were very much breaking the law. He’s a registered pilot and knows the consequences of this.” FAA spokeswoman Kathleen Bergen said that if it is proved that the pilot broke rules, his pilot’s license could be suspended or revoked.
The FAA requires an altitude of at least 1,000 feet when flying over a large group of people. Dropping the shoes and the football from the plane also may have been against FAA rules, Bergen said.
In addition, CMS officials are considering disciplinary action, said CMS spokeswoman Nora Carr.
If it can be proven that lives were endangered, those involved could face a minimum of a 10-day suspension and possible expulsion. “It’s a very serious thing, so I know a lot of folks are very, very concerned and are taking it seriously,” said Carr.
That's the minimum age for a PPL. Additionally, there is the Recreational Pilot Permit (1 passenger max) with a minimum age (in Canada) of 16, and the Student Pilot Permit (solo only) with a minimum age here of 14.
Very cool. I’m jealous. During the national anthem at the local Montana State - Northern Arizona game, a couple of sparrows flew over the crowd.
I always told my kids that I used to have six fingers on each hand, but blew one finger off each with explosives back when I was a kid.
The believed me until they were about 10. Of course, according to their mother, that sounds like something I would do...
That's the minimum age for a PPL.
That's the minimum age for a PPL with an Airplane rating. The Glider rating is 14/solo and 16/certificate. (I knew some kids who did this, but unfortunately I didn't go for it myself.) Also, while I think you can get a student pilot certificate in the U.S. at 14, you still have to be 16 to solo.
</FAR nitpicking>
I’m not sure about the US rules, but here no permit of any kind is required (nor are there age restrictions) for dual flying; a student permit is required to solo. Like the USA, the ages I cited were for the Aeroplane category; the minimum age for PPL- Glider is 16.
No kidding! He sure gave this guy a tough decision to make.
“Then, as he circled, you saw that it was kids in the plane, and I was hoping it that it was just some kind of prank. I was thinking to myself: ‘Should I empty the stands and risk someone being trampled or see what happens?’ I knew for sure someone would get hurt if I emptied the stands.”
Negative Ghost Rider, the pattern is full....
WRONG FIELD??!!
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