wannabepilot

http://www.charlotte.com/breaking_ne...ry/348230.html

A 17-year-old Hopewell High student was apparently acting on a dare when he did a fly-over prank at a Hopewell High football game Friday, at one point dipping below the stadium lights.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools officials said Sunday that the teen pilot and two teen passengers flew the length of the field three times around 8 p.m. The plane reportedly came within feet of a flag pole.
On the final pass, a pair of tennis shoes and a football dropped from the single-engine Cessna 172 into the end zone, officials said.
The pilot, who apparently broke multiple federal aviation laws, is being investigated by the Federal Aviation Administration, Huntersville police and CMS.

“My immediate reaction was that we were going to have a terrorist act of some sort,” said Vincent “Bud” Cesena, head of CMS law enforcement, who was among the 4,000 people in the stands.

“Then, as he circled, you saw that it was kids in the plane, and I was hoping it that it was just some kind of prank. I was thinking to myself: ‘Should I empty the stands and risk someone being trampled or see what happens?’ I knew for sure someone would get hurt if I emptied the stands.”

Witnesses say the plane came within 75 feet of an embankment at the field at the school on Beatties Ford Road in Huntersville.
The plane flew low enough that Cesena and several Huntersville police officers were able to take down the tail numbers and call them into Charlotte/Douglas International Airport.

It was quickly identified as being rented from Lincoln County Regional Airport. That’s where Lincoln County sheriff’s deputies were waiting when it landed.

Detained at the airport for questioning were the 17-year-old pilot who had rented the plane and his passengers, another 17-year-old Hopewell student and an 18-year-old Hopewell graduate.
No charges had been filed as of late Sunday, officials said.

“It was a dare,” Cesena said. “They knew they were very much breaking the law. He’s a registered pilot and knows the consequences of this.” FAA spokeswoman Kathleen Bergen said that if it is proved that the pilot broke rules, his pilot’s license could be suspended or revoked.

The FAA requires an altitude of at least 1,000 feet when flying over a large group of people. Dropping the shoes and the football from the plane also may have been against FAA rules, Bergen said.
In addition, CMS officials are considering disciplinary action, said CMS spokeswoman Nora Carr.

If it can be proven that lives were endangered, those involved could face a minimum of a 10-day suspension and possible expulsion. “It’s a very serious thing, so I know a lot of folks are very, very concerned and are taking it seriously,” said Carr.
STAFF WRITER EMILY ACHENBAUM CONTRIBUTED

LeoSV

If you're mature enough to get your pilots and understand the rules, you shouldn't be doing things like this. I say revoke his license at once. If they don't, then other teenagers with a pilots license will know they won't get affected and do similar stunts.

Spartan07

Didn't we just have a group of teenagers pull a stupid prank like this a couple of months ago? Maybe this group of retards saw that group of retards get away with a slap on the wrist and thought they could get away with this act of idiocy. Revoke his license and give him some community service or something, this kind of stunt does nothing but demean the general aviation community in the eyes of the public. For every step GA takes forward some less than intelligent person does something like this that takes us ten steps back.

Flying low with your friends in the plane over an unpopulated area is stupid and immature. Doing it over a large congregation of people is just plain moronic and even criminal.

Planespotta

Great, now what will everyone think of the rest of us 17 yr-old pilots? One fool goes and ruins the rest of our images. That kid probably has his future in aviation ruined.

de727ups

"One fool goes and ruins the rest of our images."

Now you know how I feel....

Stormy Knight

Go create your own image (quietly), and learn from idiots like this. With his judgement, by the way, he HAD NO future in aviation. Feel free to be different from him.

Spartan07

I agree, seperate yourself from him by becoming an eighteen year old pilot. And then eventually you will become an old pilot like De727

Rocco

Spartan what is your avatar? Is that an old airline(cargo)?

Spartan07

Nah. It's the emblem of the flight academy I attend. It has been in use since 1929 when Spartan's 'Dawn Patrol' first took flight. The student pilots of the time would go up for a large formation flight to different towns in the area. They emblazoned the Black Cat and the number 13 on their aircraft to show that "Knowledge and skill overcome superstition and luck.".

We still have the emblem on all of our aircraft and still carry out Dawn Patrols on a regular basis (Though not in formation anymore).

So to answer your question in short, its the logo on the planes I train in

vagabond

Imagine this scenario happening in November 2012.

This kid logs on to APC and makes his first post. “Hi all… wanna introduce miself, ive been lurking for a while and deecided to post. this may be to personal but i really need help… can u get a job at a regional if u have a criminial history?.... it happened when i was 17 but ive been good since i got out of jail and finishe 500.0 hours of community service. im no looser. that judge their was meen. "


On another note, de727, you have a delightful sense of humor, much like UPSFO4LIFE and ToiletDuck.