Conspiracy theory

[Genghis the Engineer]

By all means tell me I'm paranoid about this, but to quote a well known fictional FBI agent "just because you're paranoid, doesn't mean that they aren't out to get you".


Twice this week I've found myself talking to somebody in central England who has had their airfields vandalised.

In one, hangars were broken open, and a single all-metal aeroplane had two single hacksaw cuts made, one into the leading edge, and one into the propeller.

In the second all the hangars have been damaged (and opened) and no visible damage has been initially seen to the aircraft, but they feel (entirely reasonably) that they need to now do an annual standard inspection on all the aircraft.

I've heard other mutterings over the last 6 months or so about damage to or at airfields, usually smaller club strips.



Now here's where I start to get paranoid. I know as an aircraft engineer that you can't simply patch up a cut to the leading edge and propeller, and these require very substantial and expensive repair or replacement work - but would your typical pissed yob?. If somebody has broken into a hangar but not apparently touched the aircraft - why? Surely pure mindless vandalism would have just smashed the aircraft up with a large blunt object, whilst theft would have seen engines and avionics removed (which they weren't).

So what is happening here? Are these isolated and unfortunate cases, or is there a risk that somebody with some aeronautical knowledge is breaking into GA strips and hangars for a particular reason? If so, what?

I really hope that I am paranoid, but it's starting to worry me that there's a pattern going on. Can anybody else comment - either to support or disprove my suspicions?

G

[VP959]

G the E, I sincerely hope that what you've spotted isn't a pattern. Kids/vandals seem to either do relatively minor damage (nicking fire extinuishers from parked A/C at EGLS springs to mind) or major damage (smashing up all those A/C at EGKR) rather than something as horribly subtle as you describe.

I rather suspect that there cannot be too many individuals that would have such a twisted frame of mind as to do something like this, which rather leads one to suspect a connection between the two events.

Perhaps it is someone with a mindset rather like that aggrieved (and mentally disturbed) cyclist in Bournemouth, who was recently found guilty of slashing hundreds of car tyres in misguided retribution for having been splashed by one once when out on his bike.

It rather behoves us all to very, very thoroughly check for similar damage, and perhaps think about devising some form of unauthorised entry detector to alert us of possible intruders.

[Monocock]

I think what G the E is getting at is his concern for the obviously "aviation educated" damage that is taking place.

Your average pikey who wants to damage a plane would probably do something like kick the fuselage to bits or snap off the rudder.

When you've got someone putting single swipe cut marks in the prop you've got even more of a problem on your hands. I always worry myself silly that someone I have pissed off in the past might do something to my plane and emphatically check all my control cable connectors before flight extra well!!! I don't know why but these always seem so vulnerable to a nasty person with a little adjustable and some nimble fingers......:ugh:

[WestWind1950]

much more of a worry is damage being done that you can't SEE!... real sabatoge... I heard of a case of sugar being put in the fuel tanks... luckily it was discovered in time (don't ask me how....). Fuel caps should be lockable...unfortunately most aren't...

Westy

P.S. hope none of these idiots are reading here and picking up ideas :\

[bluskis]

A charge of attempted murder should be brought against the first person they identify. It must have shaken the bridge/brick yobbos when theygave the bloke they caught a substantial prison sentence.

[bar shaker]

Blueskis

I think "endangering an aircraft" can carry a very substantial prison sentence.