Florida police use motorised paragliders

Telegraph ^ | 09 May 2009 | Jacqui Goddard

[decimon]

As if bird strikes weren’t rough enough on airplanes.

[UnwashedPeasant]

...purchased using proceeds from the sale of criminal assets...

When they want a new toy, they just confiscate more "criminal assets".

[Moltke]

Grand Theft Auto - The Palm Bay Sky.

Criminals with shotguns are going to have a lot of fun with this.

[Neidermeyer]

Lt Eakins and his colleague, Lt Mark Renkens, will generally operate at around 400ft, on the lookout for trouble below. They will also assist in search-and-rescue operations, photographing crime scenes, assessing damage after disasters such as fires and hurricanes - and even in keeping an eye out for sharks loitering off Palm Bay’s beaches.

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I’m not up on my FAR/AIM regs but this sounds like they expect to get paid for their flying which means they will need at least a single engine commercial license... How many Federal laws will these “law enforcement officers” break doing what they outlined in the article as their intended missions?

For the record I got a speed ticket dropped about 5 years ago (along with over 100 other people ticketed the same day) when I challenged a Florida Highway Patrol Pilot to produce a “single engine commercial” (or better) pilots license in a deposition ,, he didn’t have one (I checked the FAA database) and he refused to answer the deposition ,, case dropped. I AM SO FRIGGING TIRED OF COPS THAT BREAK THE LAW!

[Neidermeyer]

Oh , for the record the FHP states that they don’t need a commercial license and the FAA looks aside as a “courtesy” ... I guess laws are just for us little people.

[Joe Boucher]

You sound jelous?

[Atlas Sneezed]

You sound jelous?

---

Do I? Why would I be “jelous” of unionized folks who were paid by the public to goof off with recreational toys?

I’m certainly not jealous of people who pay for their own toys.

[Joe Boucher]

I fly out to Okeechobee airport once in a while for fuel,
The state govt. has a couple of planes that they fly to observe plants and animals and GOD knows what out of there.
Couple of young fools flying on the govt’s. dole. I’m jealous.

“jelous” Sorry I lost a finger tip in an industrial accident years back and it still gets a little funny at times.
Can’t pick my ear or nose with the nub.

[China Clipper]

These vehicles were used and described very much like this in a "post apocalyptic" (sp?) book called "War Day". A rather brilliant novel based on a "small" nuclear exchange that occurs in the USA-USSR days around 1982 or so.

Very conceivable.....

[Atlas Sneezed]

Thanks for the clarification.

It’s probably not to suggest that those who are outrages by apparent government abuses of “jealousy” of the abusers.