Frankfurt Light Aircraft Hijack

[bertiethebadger]

In case you haven't heard, a light aircraft was stolen near Frankfurt yesterday & the pilot then circled Frankfurt threatening to crash into a building.

Full Text (http://uk.news.yahoo.com/030105/80/dhvs6.html)

Though I'm gald it ended peacefully, I am also a little surprised. German fighters were scrambled though took no action.

Maybe it was because he was talking to Frankfurt ATC, maybe because he was already over a populated area & they didn't want to engage it or maybe a light aircraft is too difficult for a Tornado to handle.

Now, the most alarming thing for us is the opposition to GA flying that this could encourage.

[Dusty_B]

The Tonka pilots were probably too busy laughing their heads off...

"You're gonna do what with that???"

"That's a GROB 109, not a ME-109..." :rolleyes:


(ps - yes, I know it wasn't a Grob...)

[ppl(a)]

No, not a Grob, maybe a Dimona.....?

The one thing it definately was not, was a Cessna, which appears to be the only possible generic name known to reporters and TV broadcasters for any light aircraft whatsoever.

[aidanf]

...anyone feel that the amount of media coverage with this one was slightly more than it warranted?...or that same high level of media coverage may only suggest similar activity to other loonies?...or that it will be the poor old responsible GA community that will untlmately be the ones who will suffer the most as a result of this? I think I'll take up sailing - I've yet to read a report of a 30 foot yacht taking out some prime target as past of concerted terrorist attack!!!

[Philip Whiteman]

I wrote this afternoon to The Independent, pointing out that the 'Cessna' they had written about was a Super Dimona and the machine shadowing it from above an F-4 Phantom (not a Tornado, as their photo caption suggested).

Perhaps my pointing out that the Dimona weighs half as much as a car—and could never carry the tonnes of explosives loaded into road vehicles and used routinely in terrorist horrors all around the world—will appear in print and give non-fliers some food for thought.

Perhaps not!

[ratsarrse]

This certainly won't improve public perception of flying. As far as I can see the general public put aircraft into four categories:

1. Proper planes, i.e. the important ones that take them on
holiday. Many people would prefer it if no other planes existed.

2. Military planes. A necessary evil, would prefer it if they stayed abroad most of the time and didn't fly anywhere near their houses.

3. Gliders, microlights etc - solely reserved for mad people. Should be banned.

4. Private aircraft - solely reserved for the rich and privileged. A Cessna is probably not seen as being much different to an executive jet. Obviously the people that fly these will be the first against the wall when the revolution comes.

With the public at large considering light aircraft unnecessary and dangerous, and with the current vogue amongst the unbalanced for crashing planes into buildings, we could see draconian measures in the future. The more that is done to promote general aviation in a positive light the better.

[rustle]

ratsarsse

The more that is done to promote general aviation in a positive light the better.

I'll be flamed for saying this, but I disagree :)

General aviation will not survive if the "best" arguments in favour of it are as pathetic as they seem to me.

2 examples:

1. Future commercial pilot training. Bollox! If they cannot train here, they can train elsewhere. I can name 2 countries south of the equator who will willingly and cheaply train these people - then there's the US as well...

2. Commercial benefits to locals (this one used in defending airfields). Rubbish! There's far more commercial gain to local shops/industry if the airfield is converted into 100-400 houses, each spending £100++ on shopping every week.

GA in the States doesn't rely on these sorts of easily-beaten arguments.

They defend their right to fly and do their hobby/passion/whatever - and they do it in a (seemingly) united manner - not the hotch-potch of PFA/AOPA/GAAC/BGA/A4A/&tc that we present to the power brokers...

I'd be delighted to be proven wrong.

[ratsarrse]

Yes, the arguments in defence of GA are not overwhelming. You are quite right. On the other hand the arguments that might be used against GA aren't particularly strong either. The destructive potential of a fully loaded 747 is vast compared to a C152, say. No-one would consider for a second banning B747s though. We have to defend GA for purely selfish reasons, and it would be an easier task if the indifferent man in the street was better informed.
Take the issue of fox hunting as an example. People that hunt are in a tiny minority; the impact of a ban would be minute economically. A vocal minority are actively opposed to hunting and the majority of the population are indifferent. The pro-hunting lobby have organised themselves and have been very active in promoting their cause. I would suggest that this time last year, your average man the street would have supported a ban on hunting without hesitation, but now at the very least he might think twice having heard so much more about the issue.
Just making yourself heard is sometimes important.

[Kermit 180]

Saw this article on the late news last night, it seems someone with a handicam thing made some money for being in the right place at the right time.

Well, no matter what organisations are promoting good aviation views, all it takes is one nutter and a couple of recent accidents for the media to explode in a frenzy of fantasy to spoil it for everyone, in any country. Although I do agree with the sentiments regarding USA GA being united and powerful, unlike most other countries, including my own, which seem to have adopted a British approach of dilluted efforts.

As for the Dimona, it looked as though it would have bounced off the building's safety double glazed glass windows anyway. Scrambling a fighter to intercept such a small target is overkill, clear the ground around the area and let him kill himself. I doubt a Tornado, Phantom or whatever it was, could have shot the thing down anyway.

Kerms :rolleyes: