Gyrocopter lands on Capital lawn

Has anyone talked about James Bond and Little Nellie?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WbCnvxiF_rw

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Dr. O said:
What had me wincing were the talking heads, hyperventilating and bloviating all over the TV news. I only watch TV during breakfast. I shut it off after quick scan of the channels revealed they were all doing it. No 'real' news today apparently.

Yeah, I expect a hysterical reaction from our steely eyed congress critters. No way their irreplaceable mental genius should be at risk. What would the country do if we lost 3 or 4 of them while taking a smoke break on the balcony?
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Pure government calculus requires hundreds of citizens die in a shoot down of an airliner over heavily populated DC in order to save the lives of 535 morons.
 
Matthew said:
The TV heads were really going on about it on the channel I flipped to. "He was headed right towards the Speaker's Balcony! It really could have gotten serious!"
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Yeah, they might have had to touch up the fresh paint....
 
I wish people knew that if the majority just ignored the laws they didn't like the laws would change.
 
wsuffa said:
Charged with operating an unregistered aircraft and violating national defense airspace.
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Is that thing really heavy enough to require registration? I though 254 lbs or under didn't require registration.
 
Jeff Oslick said:
Is that thing really heavy enough to require registration? I though 254 lbs or under didn't require registration.
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If he has more than 5 gallons of fuel, he no longer qualifies under Part 103. He looked to have in excess of that.
 
Fearless Tower said:
You obviously haven't worked with any senior government officials.
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This ^^^^.

But having said that, there are some that have been quite helpful in ensuring that GA didn't get cut out completely from the DC FRZ.
 
Jeff Oslick said:
Is that thing really heavy enough to require registration? I though 254 lbs or under didn't require registration.
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hold that thought....it ain't over yet. I can't believe that one will stick...but there are still airspace violations.
 
Released on his own recognizance. :rockon: No terrorism charges. They're going to have a hard time making any hay out of this. :yawn:
 
Lindberg said:
Released on his own recognizance. :rockon: No terrorism charges. They're going to have a hard time making any hay out of this. :yawn:
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House arrest, ordered to stay away from aircraft, I think an appropriate response for his stupidity. A fine that hurts and probation would do it for me after a few weeks of house arrest.
 
They don't want to make hay on this, they want it to go away quietly. There are some really embarrassed bureaucrats right now.......
 
I wonder if he was thinking on the way: All my preparation worked, they are letting me make my statement!!
 
PaulS said:
I wonder if he was thinking on the way: All my preparation worked, they are letting me make my statement!!
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Your sarcasm notwithstanding, I'd venture that far more people have read his website now than 72 hours ago. The country is full of people who were willing to trade 48 hrs in a holding cell for media exposure.
 
yetti said:
Maybe if they had some phalanx mounted somewhere, but that lead has to go somewhere after it passes though/by the target.
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That's a disturbing thought....a few hundred rounds of tightly grouped tungsten coming down on the tourists around the Mall.
 
If the FAA gives him flak, the solution is obvious -- he should ask his representative from Florida to help out with the agency, and give the congressman a nice campaign donation to help things along.
 
Apparently they hauled the gyro copter to a scale and weighed it. 150 pounds over the limit. And too much fuel.
 
Few gyros, even most marketed as ultralights, actually can make weight. Their owners count on the fact that the FAA never shows up with a scale.

When so-called "heavy ultralights" crash, the FAA usually looks the other way and considers the accident to have occurred during Part 103 operations, probably to avoid paperwork and costs to investigate. In some cases, such as this one, they'll call it unregistered operation of an aircraft under Part 91 to expand options for punishment.

The biggest penalty facing our friend Doug is the forfeiture of his US Postal Service pension. I hope he really thought this through.
 
What did he do that would cause him to forfeit his pension? Not that I think that was his biggest concern.
 
acrophile said:
Wouldn't it suffice to shoot him with a rifle?
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Well after that 5.56 or .308 round or rounds goes through him, then what else will it hit behind him? Unless they are willing to accept collateral damage, the DC Mall area is indefenseable from air attack.
 
Anthony said:
Well after that 5.56 or .308 round or rounds goes through him, then what else will it hit behind him? Unless they are willing to accept collateral damage, the DC Mall area is indefenseable from air attack.
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Given the issues with identification, I'd expect a change in deployment for JLENS (now up in Maryland), other identification measures, and potentially discussion of expanding the SFRA. How they'll distinguish a low-flying collection of lawn-furniture parts from cars on the highway in sufficient time to do something is a question yet to be answered. But Congress is demanding that something happen, so it will. Let's hope it doesn't impose a huge new burden on the rest of us.
 
wsuffa said:
Given the issues with identification, I'd expect a change in deployment for JLENS (now up in Maryland), other identification measures, and potentially discussion of expanding the SFRA. How they'll distinguish a low-flying collection of lawn-furniture parts from cars on the highway in sufficient time to do something is a question yet to be answered. But Congress is demanding that something happen, so it will. Let's hope it doesn't impose a huge new burden on the rest of us.
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Yep, we'll add more theater :yes:
 
If he was under 400 feet and could prove he was autonomous he could add much fuel to the UAV discussion. I am talking pages of discussion.
 
wsuffa said:
Given the issues with identification, I'd expect a change in deployment for JLENS (now up in Maryland), other identification measures, and potentially discussion of expanding the SFRA. How they'll distinguish a low-flying collection of lawn-furniture parts from cars on the highway in sufficient time to do something is a question yet to be answered. But Congress is demanding that something happen, so it will. Let's hope it doesn't impose a huge new burden on the rest of us.
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In a "free" society you can only do so much, and as we've all said before, a large truck can carry a heck of a load of stuff, and much more than a gyrocopter or GA aircraft. I know that doesn't matter to our Kabuki Theater masters.
 
Just heard the new air safety rule. You may pilot an aircraft only if you are a prior(before the last election) registered voter of the same party that is in office. Your party wins you get to fly, other side wins you are grounded until the party of your voter registration is elected.
 
ClimbnSink said:
Just heard the new air safety rule. You may pilot an aircraft only if you are a prior(before the last election) registered voter of the same party that is in office. Your party wins you get to fly, other side wins you are grounded until the party of your voter registration is elected.
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Heck.... It it like that with the IRS and audits now.......:mad2::mad2::mad:
 
Anthony said:
Well after that 5.56 or .308 round or rounds goes through him, then what else will it hit behind him? Unless they are willing to accept collateral damage, the DC Mall area is indefenseable from air attack.
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#4 buckshot.
 
wsuffa said:
Given the issues with identification, I'd expect a change in deployment for JLENS (now up in Maryland), other identification measures, and potentially discussion of expanding the SFRA. How they'll distinguish a low-flying collection of lawn-furniture parts from cars on the highway in sufficient time to do something is a question yet to be answered. But Congress is demanding that something happen, so it will. Let's hope it doesn't impose a huge new burden on the rest of us.
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Two ways to fix this:

Ban all GA from the SFRA

Realize some people are crazy and deal with it like we did before the 90s.
 
Why didn't they scramble the fighters and evacuate the Capitol? He could have just been the first of a wave.
 
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