Iraqi military plane lands in rural Florida

[KiloDeltaYankee]

Venus, Florida - A Department of Defense airplane that was apparently built for the Iraqi Air Force made an emergency landing in ruraly Highlands County.
The single engine propeller-driven plane landed Wednesday afternoon on County Road 731 after having engine trouble. It landed less than a half mile from the Highlands and Glades county line, that's in the south central part of the state, near the small town of Venus.
A spokesman with the Highlands County Sheriff's Office could not say where the aircraft was headed and said no other details about the flight were being released.
There were no injuries or damage to the plane and according to the Charlotte-Sun Herald, the pilot was taken to an undisclosed location.
The plane also had markings on the side of it but are now covered up with tape and cardboard. A witness who drove by the plane shortly after the landing says the markings appeared to look like an Iraqi Air Force symbol.
Officials say the plane was owned by a contractor working for the U.S. Military and not by Iraq.
Deputies are guarding the plane.

http://www.tampabays10.com/news/specials/popular/article.aspx?s=popular&storyid=74502

[ABO944]

Apparently the pilot had a large beard and answered to the name Saddam :}

[Solid Rust Twotter]

New stealth C172 with hardpoints for paintball guns and cherry bombs.

[harrogate]

A better headline would've been 'Iraqi plane lands on Venus'.

[BEagle]

A colleague of mine once bought an ex-Iraqi Hawker Fury ISS in the US, was checked out on it to the FAA's satisfaction, then flew it to an aerodrome near a port for preparation for its trip across the Pond in a shipping container.

This was in 1991. News of the flight made the local paper....and not long after some dim-witted mononeuronic Yank with a large calibre handgun stopped his pick-up truck outside the hangar, levered his crimplene clad blubber-bum out of the cab, then took a few pot shots at the aeroplane. One of which went through the port mainplane, fortunately it missed any major components.......

What sort of a country allows such idiots out with guns when they shouldn't really be trusted with anything more lethal than a water pistol?

Fortunately the Fury went on to provide its owner with many years of enjoyment.

[brickhistory]

But it sure is nice to have the option of ownership as well as the morons.

I believe you can only claim one of those....................


I'm glad the Sea Fury survived.

[knowitall]

"But it sure is nice to have the option of ownership as well as the morons."

its even nicer to to have to run the risk of being shot by said morons in the first place

[preduk]

"Iraqi Air Force fly their brand new C172 aircraft to participate in Operation Red Flag" just imagine it! lol :ok:

[Clockwork Mouse]

Perhaps he's spent the last few years trying to find Iran?