Posted on 07/11/2002 3:37:40 AM PDT by 2Trievers
FLORENCE - An investigation into the aerial antics of two unidentified pilots during the Spirit of Freedom Celebration at McFarland Park is being conducted by the Federal Aviation Administration.
The planes, described as a vintage military plane and a small red sport plane, treated the crowd to an impromptu air show July 4.
The only problem was that airplanes were not an official part of the day's entertainment of music, food and fireworks.
The planes flew over Pickwick Lake from the Sandy Beach area to Wilson Dam.
Deputy Police Chief Tony Logan said a report of the incident was sent to the FAA.
"I didn't see them down on the water, but several people said they got awfully close to boats and the water," Logan said.
There were even unconfirmed reports that one of the plans flew underneath O'Neal Bridge.
Logan said he and other law enforcement officials at the event were especially concerned after learning of a plane that crashed at a Fourth of July celebration in Los Angeles.
Two people in the twin-engine Cessna and two people on the ground were killed in that incident.
Logan said the first report of the flights came in about 5 p.m. He said they flew around the McFarland Park area for about two hours.
"I do know we had way over 10,000 people in the park and that our only concern was the safety of the public," Logan said.
He said all local law enforcement could do was turn over the information to the proper authority, which in this case was the FAA.
FAA spokesman Christopher White said the agency does not comment on ongoing investigations.
"We are investigating the incident that occurred in the vicinity of O'Neal Bridge on July 4," White said.
He said the agency's Flight Standards Division would determine if the pilots violated any FAA regulations. "There is a standard flight restriction nationwide that prohibits aircraft from flying over large, open-air assemblies of people," White said.
Park and Recreation Director Regina Gresham said the military plane flew mainly up and down the river. The small red plane, however, was flying close to the water and near the numerous boats that dotted the river.
Logan said on one occasion, the red plane flew over the crowd in the park.
"We will want to pursue what we can to ensure that doesn't happen in a future event," Gresham said.
White said he could not say how long the investigation would take.
"Each investigation is different and has its own timeline," he said. "We're really investigating to see if any federal aviation regulations had been broken."
Gresham said the plane's flights were videotaped.
"We have a tape of it to keep for evidence if we need it," Gresham said. "We froze some frames."
She said the videotape reveals that the pilot of the red plane was a white male. Gresham said there were no clear shots of the military style plane's pilot.
White said pilots who violate temporary flight restrictions might be subject to disciplinary action by the FAA.
"Generally, the FAA would have a range of options," White said. "If we did learn that federal aviation regulations were broken, the penalties could range from a letter of correction to revoking their pilot's certification."
The planes were reportedly escorted from the area by a trio of military jets.
Logan and Gresham said they would not have granted the pilots permission to participate in the July 4 event. "It would have been an easy call," Gresham said. "Absolutely not."
Russ Corey can be reached at 740-5738 or russ.corey@timesdaily.com.
I was in Salzburg Austria.....of the Sound of Music fame.
But, I always kind of wondered what she looked like naked.
See 2Trievers, what you make people admit to! By the way, I never, ever, ever, pulled a flying stunt like the one in the article (that either of you know of).
Do you really think she would have posed naked........Nah.....only in our dreams.
When I was little, my Aunt used to say about Julie Andrews:
"She always looks like she just came out of a bath!" But my older cousin said: "Mom, she isn't really a nun, ya know! I saw Julie Andrews go to bed with Dudley Moore in the movie 10!"
My Aunt refuses to believe that to this day.
Uh huh ... and I'm a nun ... a flying nun. &;-)
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