Woman tries to shoot down plane for being too noisy

[Are_grits_groceries]

Every now and then you come across a story that can be filed under "you can't make this stuff up". Such is the story of 69 year old Judy Davis from Fulton, MO.

Apparently, ultralight planes had been doing practice runs all afternoon, and some of them had been flying pretty close to her house. Normally, when someone encounters aviation noise annoyance, they contact the airport, their local authorities, or the FAA.

Sadly, Mrs. Davis decided to skip all of that, and took matters into her own hands. With a gun in her pocket, she walked into the terminal building, announced that she was going to shoot down a plane, then waltzed right onto the runway and did just that.

Even though it wasn't clear whether she actually hit the ground, or a plane, a pilot coming in for a landing aborted his attempt while authorities "intercepted her".

The most surprising part of the story, is that the local police let her go on a $4,500 bond, once again proving that airport security is one big puppet show. While you and I were being searched for bottles of water, a 69 year old lady could walk right onto the runway of a municipal airport and shoot at landing aircraft.

http://www.gadling.com/2009/09/01/woman-tries-to-shoot-down-plane-for-being-too-noisy/

Now that's some Homeland Security!

[rollingrock]

1. People who ride mufferless motorcycles

sometimes I wish someone would shoot them.


edit: I'm talking about the ones on busy public streets.

[Ron Green]

5. +1

There doesn't seem to be a jurisdiction here into which these assholes fit. The State Police leave it to local city ordinances, which aren't enforced. I just wish they could be clotheslined. I'm so tired of that "loud motorcycles are safe" bullshit.

[michreject]

7. That would be me

It alerts those on the phone or texing that I'm close.

[Dappleganger]

23. +1

[ProgressiveProfessor]

25. Nonsense...Loud pipes risk rights...with no discernible benefit.

I ride daily, have more miles on motorcycles than most adult drivers do in their cars There is never a need for loud pipes on the street outside of the owner's ego.

[michreject]

26. You do what you want

Loud pipes risk rights

?????

[ProgressiveProfessor]

31. More and more HOAs etc are not allowing MCs access and cops are cracking down as well

Loud pipes do nothing but annoy others. The warning aspects of them are a lie

[michreject]

32. I don't live in a place with a HOA

If it's a public access street through their sub, I will give no thought to their policies. If my pipes are legal, then to hell with any HOA, or anyone else for that matter. My pipes are loud, but they have the minimal required baffles.

The warning aspects of them are a lie

That's a lie onto itself.

You have a good morning.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

42. Its a sure bet if your pipes are not stock, they are not legal

Its a certification issue not just dB level

[Robb]

44. No one hears your pipes in time to help you

Believe what you want, but the stats don't lie.

[michreject]

46. Because the people who are included in the stats

are liars. You think that they're gonna tell the cop the truth and go to prison?

[Robb]

47. No, actually, they're dead.

Sorry.

I can't believe how many people who ride think they're not invisible. Hope you beat the odds. Seriously.

[Taitertots]

27. Sure

I think someone just wants to be loud and will think of whatever to justify it. Even worse than the boombox stereos.



I'm sick of motorcyclists complaining about car drivers. Don't whine when you want to drive something inherently unsafe.

[TommyO]

28. Motorcycles are far from "inherently unsafe"

It's when people in four-wheeled vehicles attempt to occupy the space that holds the two-wheeled vehicles that problems occur. Of course there are motorcyclists who do stupid things, but that's not an indictment of motorcycles themselves.

[Taitertots]

30. No, hanging onto a tiny piece of metal at speed is inherently unsafe

Not to mention trying to share the road with full size vehicles.

[michreject]

33. No. I'll ride it when ever and where ever

You don't like it, get over it. Or not. Nothing you can do about it.

[Taitertots]

34. Just don't complain about how people drive cars

If you want to ride fine, don't act like 13 year old girl. If you want to ride something unsafe you accept the risks of driving with cars.

Stay out of my blind spot, I'm moving over and I can't see you and hearing isn't directional. I can't tell if your shitty sounding motorcycle is a helicopter landing on my van or an airplane about to touch down.

[michreject]

36. I didn't see him is no excuse

Vehicular homicide.

[TommyO]

39. If you're not sure if somebody is in your blind spot

you shouldn't be moving over in the first place. It's your responsibility to make sure that the space you intend to occupy is already taken.

[guitar man]

35. that would be me too

The drags on my Sporty saved me just this morning, idiot on the phone was about to pull over into my lane without looking. He heard my bike and pulled back into his lane just as I was reaching for the horn button.

[michreject]

37. I have a Heritage

1450 cc with a stage ll kit. Screaming Eagle pipes.:)

[Posteritatis]

38. Amen

There's herds of them who are very obviously in the "loud for loudness' sake" school who tear ass up and down my street all afternoon and half the night. If I can hear a motorcycle over my normal-TV-volume radio from most of a kilometer away, it's too goddamned loud.

[armyowalgreens]

41. Loud pipes= not getting hit by an SUV.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

43. Thats actually not true

The sound projects behind, not ahead. In a buttoned up SUV, you don't hear them until they are along side

[Robb]

45. Sadly not remotely true. nt

[katandmoon]

2. It was either go easy on her or face the wrath of the NRA

[ashling]

10. Guns don't shoot down ultrlight aircraft, people do

Besides, she could have gone after that airplane with a knife, so there!

Obama is going to take all your anti-aircraft guns!

:rofl:

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

12. Do you have any evidence of the NRA defending someone trying to shoot down a plane?

[Zix]

13. Do you have any evidence of the NRA NOT defending someone shooting down a plane?

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

14. Do you have any evidence that proves you aren't a pedophile?

[rd_kent]

16. Do you have any evidence you are not a troll?

[rd_kent]

15. Now THAT'S an intelligent argument

not.

[-..__...]

20. More likely "or face the wrath" of the AARP.

[BlooInBloo]

3. Wonder what it would be like if she were brown and muslim...

and everything else was just the same?

EDIT: I kid. I don't actually wonder at all.

[Indenturedebtor]

19. I think you could stop at brown... that would be enough for a death sentence

Unbelievable...

[BlooInBloo]

22. Yah, I was just trying to be inclusive of the "it's not about race" people here.

[MindPilot]

4. Apparently the key is announcing your intentions first.

"I'm going to take this 8 oz tube of sunscreen to Miami."

[michreject]

6. She should have used a 50 BMG

Just ask the gunguys or 50 caliber terror. Those are used to shoot down aircraft.

[flvegan]

8. That's some good policing there, Lou.

[Morning Dew]

24. Did ya hear the one about

the guy who couldn't afford personalized plates, so he went and changed his name to J3L 2404?

[tanyev]

9. Thank goodness they let her out on bond.

She probably has a town hall meeting to go to.


:sarcasm:

[Lagomorph]

11. Contrary to some popular beliefs...

about firearms, there's a reason military air defense units don't use pistols.

[jmowreader]

17. And there's a reason military flight units don't use ultralights

I think it would be possible, if you got the angle right, to shoot a person landing an ultralight. You couldn't shoot one down because they have really large wing areas, but if you stood on the runway and fired directly at the plane as it approached, you could hit the pilot.

[The Straight Story]

29. We should email Mythbusters and have them try it

:) I'd watch it.

[DefenseLawyer]

18. John Wesley Hardin would be proud. n/t

[david13]

21. All of mer'ca's "security" is one big puppet show. On a recent

visit to my local airport, a crew for the B17's commented that they arrived, drove through an open gate and into the tarmac area, with trucks, trailers, and numerous people ... at 3:30 a.m. in the morning.
dc
PS Doesn't this woman understand you don't have to go far in this country to find heat seeking missles for sale?

[armyowalgreens]

40. It's very easy to gain access to the runway of a municipal airport.

[TheWraith]

48. I can really sympathize with her.

Some of those ultralight pilots are really fucking annoying, particularly since they tend to love hovering over the same spot for long periods of time. I've been tempted to try and put a hole in one of their para-sails myself more than once.

[Pangolin2]

49. Ultralights don't have parasails and they don't hover.

Other than those bungles, your post made perfect sense.
\:D

[TheWraith]

50. Uh, yes. They do.

Try googling "powered paragliders." It's a small ultralight aircraft relying on a parasail for lift instead of a rigid wing.