hopharrigan
10th Nov 2005, 18:32
I read an outburst from the president of AOPA concerning the stupidity of pilots who ignore TFRs and then get caught, F16s, flares, FBI and so on, which gives GA pilots a bad reputation.
But surely, the better question is "why are there TFRs in the first place?"
Flying in the US used to be so simple, just hop in and go. Now that can result in the loss of a flying licence, loss of livelihood, time in prison and who knows what else? So AOPA shows the latest info on the movements of the Pres and his vice. Without a computer how can it be accessed? Do all the small landing fields around the country even have electricity much less a computer?
How can the citizens of the world's most free nation accept this crap? Why do they not protest, and throw out the cowardly pollies who brought this stuff in?
What is it meant to achieve? How does it make the Pres, etc, safer? Safer from what? A small airplane? How would a terrorist use a small airplane to attack someone on the ground? All the assets being used to watch the area, catch offenders (none of whom have ever been terrorists and I predict never will be terrorists), arrest and handcuff them, prosecute or investigate etc, and to what end?
When the pres flies over a natural disaster area to have his obligatory look-see, the genuine airborne responders have to land and wait for him to leave, so what does that do other than defy common sense?
A better question might be, "why is W so desperately afraid of his own subjects that he feels it necessary to impose this draconian restriction on basic freedoms?"
Does any other country have a similar rule? (I know about purple airways, but does the Queen have a 30 mile circle drawn around her wherever she is into which only flight planned and approved airplanes may venture, and in which light airplanes are subject to being shot down if they enter without permission?)
But surely, the better question is "why are there TFRs in the first place?"
Flying in the US used to be so simple, just hop in and go. Now that can result in the loss of a flying licence, loss of livelihood, time in prison and who knows what else? So AOPA shows the latest info on the movements of the Pres and his vice. Without a computer how can it be accessed? Do all the small landing fields around the country even have electricity much less a computer?
How can the citizens of the world's most free nation accept this crap? Why do they not protest, and throw out the cowardly pollies who brought this stuff in?
What is it meant to achieve? How does it make the Pres, etc, safer? Safer from what? A small airplane? How would a terrorist use a small airplane to attack someone on the ground? All the assets being used to watch the area, catch offenders (none of whom have ever been terrorists and I predict never will be terrorists), arrest and handcuff them, prosecute or investigate etc, and to what end?
When the pres flies over a natural disaster area to have his obligatory look-see, the genuine airborne responders have to land and wait for him to leave, so what does that do other than defy common sense?
A better question might be, "why is W so desperately afraid of his own subjects that he feels it necessary to impose this draconian restriction on basic freedoms?"
Does any other country have a similar rule? (I know about purple airways, but does the Queen have a 30 mile circle drawn around her wherever she is into which only flight planned and approved airplanes may venture, and in which light airplanes are subject to being shot down if they enter without permission?)
