Posted on 02/24/2007 1:09:53 PM PST by buccaneer81
Pilot broke rules when he buzzed Downtown Saturday, February 24, 2007 Matt Tullis THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
The F-16 flight carrying then-Lt. Gov. Bruce Johnson over Downtown in August rattled workers for only a few seconds. The investigation into whether the jet flew too low or too fast took 174 days.
The Federal Aviation Administration’s conclusion: The F-16 Fighting Falcon was flying at almost twice the speed limit and too low.
The report the agency turned over to the Air National Guard on Feb. 7 says the pilot flew at speeds of up to 550 mph at altitudes between 2,100 and 3,000 feet.
FAA regulations say the top permissible speed over Downtown is 288 mph. The jet pilot, it added, did not have authorization from air-traffic controllers at Port Columbus to fly below 10,000 feet.
The flight also "was contrary" to a regulation that no one may operate an aircraft in a careless or reckless manner, according to a synopsis of the report.
Regulations for congested areas such as Downtown say a pilot must obtain authorization to fly as low as 1,000 feet above the tallest structure. The city’s tallest structure is the 629-foot-high Rhodes Tower.
The agency has no jurisdiction to discipline a military pilot, FAA spokeswoman Elizabeth Cory said. Instead, it turned its report over to the military.
Col. Mike Roberts, vice commander of the Guard’s 178 th Fighter Wing based in Springfield, where the flight started, said he had not seen the report. He said the pilot was disciplined based on the fighter wing’s own investigation.
"We found that the pilot did inadvertently go faster than FAA regulations allow," Roberts said. He would not describe the discipline, saying it was an internal matter.
The F-16 fighter jet roared north over Downtown on Aug. 17 at about 3,000 feet and between 422 and 550 mph, according to the FAA report. It flew over the Ohio State University campus between 2,100 and 2,300 feet and as fast as 497 mph before heading back Downtown for a final pass.
As the jet left Downtown, it was traveling at nearly 472 mph.
The Air National Guard said that day that the flight was "by the book" to show Johnson what the plane could do. One day later, though, the FAA announced it was investigating because it had received "a couple" of complaints."
Some people found the flyover unnerving; many called 911, and one woman was described as panicked by the sound and sight of a fighter jet over the city.
Mike Overly, spokesman for the Aviation Safety Institute, a nonprofit center based in Worthington, said he was not surprised the FAA took so long to reach a conclusion.
"I don’t think this is really high on their priority list," he said, "because this is the military and a politician, a bad combination; and nothing happened except some people got scared."
mtullis@dispatch.com
The way some PD's like to arm their SWAT teams with military weapons, I wouldn't bet they don't.
Yup. Two weeks of this Anna Nicole soap opera crap is making me puke. What's amazing is that one of the Anna Nicole threads here on FR had over 12,000 posts!
And I think nut-cases who "panic" at the sound of military aircraft should be locked up.
I wonder how freepers would vote about the "seriousness" of this?
The 911 operator should have sent a patrol car down there to arrest that fool.
Pretty slick but probably not too smart a move on the pilot's part.
That all depends.
Is he a Democrat or a Republican?
By the way, I never want to hear Pelosi's 747 flying over my house. Ever!
I will call 911 and complain every time!
The P-38 was my father's favorite, as well. "If you saw one of those twin boomed beauties, you knew every plane in the sky was American." Dad was in the Philippines and Okinawa during WWII.
Mrs Grammar says,..."Funny, if the farmer had a 2.75in inert rocket in his side, I wouldn't think he would be so worried over his dead cow. If it were a cow, the bovine would be a 'she'. If a 'he', then it was a steer or a bull, (or calf) and the farmer likely was a rancher."
Republican. But his boss was the loathsome Bob Taft. He probably ought to leave that off his resume.
Your moniker appears to fit your viewpoint. But even Kermit had a personality.
Republican?
Too bad for him! It was definitely an expensive joy ride then.
Damn Carl Rove!
Obviously they never saw the tv commercials in the late 50s and early 60s letting us now that the sounds they hear are the defenders of freedom (SAC) are in the air protecting the nation.
Your moniker suggests you are an equipment operator, not much more. Paid like one, too.
It's the same with all the insanity revolving around global warming.
Wouldn't it be nice if we had unlimited resources and we could, with the snap of fingers, solve all the worlds problems. Unfortunately for us... that's not how the world works.
All the folks on the left are in panic mode because the temp MIGHT increase .5 degrees in the next 100 years and we have folks all over the world starving TODAY!
How about we address the pressing issues of today first!
JUST WOW!
I flew one of these in 1972-73 in Vietnam.
Now I drive Corvettes, my wife likes BMWs, and I fiddle with my 1964 Shelby AC Cobra, as depicted on my FR homepage.
As a semi retired old fool at the age of 57, as an "equipment operator" flying and driving to my Forbes 500 clients as a business ERP analyst., I pull down low to mid six figures.
Remember, never go to a NASCAR race or watch the Navy Blue Angels exhibition without a supply of Depends.
Regards
alfa6 ;>}
Is this a great country or what!
Thanks for your service and ENJOY, you deserve it my friend!
Maverick: Tower, this is Ghost rider requesting a flyby.
Air Boss Johnson: That's a negative Ghost rider, the pattern is full. ...
Goose: No. No, Mav, this is not a good idea.
Maverick: Sorry Goose, but it's time to buzz a tower.
LoL!
They can fly low and fast over my house anytime...
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