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No one fessed up to the encounter cited below. Anyone know about the outcome? Ed Burkhead Beginning Challenger II builder Peoria, Illinois [EMAIL PROTECTED] <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> http://edburkhead.home.insightbb.com/ > -----Original Message----- > From: Mitch Hines [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > Sent: Friday, July 12, 2002 12:33 PM > To: [email protected] > Subject: [COUPERS-FLYIN] Blackhawk in chase of Ercoupes at Jefferson > Co., WA tonight > > > ----[Please read http://ercoupers.com/disclaimer.htm before > following any advice in this forum.]---- > > > > Ok, which one of you 'Coupers up there in the NW was playing with the > Blackhawk...stand up! ;-) > > --Mitch Hines > N6369V > > > The follwing post was copied from rec.aviation.piloting: > > It was a beautiful, sunny day here in Seattle, so I went flying after > work. I flew north, then crossed Puget Sound and headed for Jefferson > Co. Airport in Port Townsend. Carefully dodging between the TFRs > (there are four of them between my home airport, Boeing Field, and > Jefferson County), I landed at Jefferson County without incident. It > was a quiet evening, not much happening, a very relaxing stop. > > After stretching my legs for a few minutes, I climbed back in the > plane, started up and taxied to the departure end of runway > 27 for the > 30 minute flight home. As I taxied towards the runway, I heard an > Ercoupe call in entering downwind. Then a second Ercoupe called in > behind him. I'm in no hurry, so I figure I'll just wait there and > watch 'em land. What could be a prettier sight on a nice summer > evening than a couple of old airplanes (even older than mine!) in a > flight of two? > > So I'm sitting there next to the runway. The first Ercoupe lands. > While the second one was on final, the first one turned off the runway > and called "hey, bob [don't recall the name actually], you got a > blackhawk on your tail." Hah, hah, I thought, very funny, just a > couple of buddies with Ercoupes out for a nice flight on a beautiful > summer evening having some fun on the CTAF. The second > Ercoupe lands, > rolls out, and turns off the runway. > > I take a look up towards the approach end of the runway, and > there's no > sign of any other arrivals, so I get on the CTAF and I announce that > I'm taking the runway for departure. As I start to pull onto the > runway, I look over the middle of the runway, and see - and > then hear - > a Blackhawk settling down midfield, he comes on the CTAF > saying "aircraft about to depart, please stand by." OK, I'm > not going > anywhere with a helicopter settling down halfway down the runway, I > reply that I'm holding where I am (even though I'm sort of > half on the > taxiway, half on the runway). The blakhawk hover-taxies over acoss > the taxiway and ramp, following the Ercoupes to the gas pumps. No > additional radio chatter from anyone. I wait 30 seconds, clear the > area for traffic, announce that this time I really AM taking the > runway for departure, and I take off. As I'm climbing out, I see the > two Ercoupes parked at the gas pumps, the pilots looking a bit > worried, with the blackhawk approaching them. > > As I'm departinging, I hear soemone else on the radio asking what has > happened. No replies from anyone. So I respond, two Ercoupes came in > to JeffCo, and a blackhawk came in and landed midfield, > unnanounced, by > the way, looks like somebody may have busted one of the many TFRs > around here, etc. THEN the blackhawk opilot comes on CTAF and says > sorry about that. I respond that it would be nice if they self- > announced arrivals at civil airports, just like everyone else does > (never mind the fact that they came in at 90 degrees to the > runway and > traffic pattern, popping in over the runway). He comes back and says > they don't like to announce their arrivals in cases like this, 'cause > the person they're chasing might get away. I let it drop and flew > home, but the more I thought about it, the more it possed me off. > > I'll be the first to admit that I have a very bad attitude about the > continuing airspace restrictions around here. There is absolutely no > justification for the continuing TFRs: they don't contribute to > security one iota, they inconvenienc law-abiding pilots and put them > at risk (by funneling traffic into increasingly narrow > corridors), and > the whole political climate of stupidity and hysteria about anything > that flies just makes my blood boil. But putting that all aside (as > much as I can)...what the hell did the blackhawk pilots > really think - > terrorists in two Ercoupes brushed the edhe of one of their > TFRs? OK, > so it's their job to follow the orders no matter how stupid they may > be, and pursue these great threats to the nation's security. Why do > they have to come busting through an airport traffic patern > unannounced? Do they think that if they flew a standard traffic > pattern and announced themselves the two Ercoupes would have made a > run for Canada and escaped? How fast do they think an Ercoupe really > goes? With the resources of the US and Canadian military > (quite thick > around here) they couldn't catch an Ercoupe they were already > following? It sems to me that this incident is just another example > of how the military has taken over our airspace. Standard procedures > and a concern for safety? Nah, can't bother with that, we're > at war! > We gotta catch Osama in his Ercoupe - come in across the runway at > treetop level and don't bother with that radio. If that Cessna rolls > down the runway without turning on his radio (it's a non-towered > field), whose fault would it be if the Cessna slammed into the > blackhawk as it popped over the treeline across the runway. > Collateral damage in our brave war to rid the world of > evil-doers, I guess. > > > ================================================================== > TO UNSUBSCRIBE go to: http://ercoupers.com/lists.htm > > > > ================================================================== TO UNSUBSCRIBE go to: http://ercoupers.com/lists.htm
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