I'm sure there's more to this story than was in the article. If you take NYC SFRA course that's on the FAA web site you'll see that it is still very easy to visit the SOL. My guess is that he was either busting the Bravo that is very close or really buzzing the SOL close enough to freak out people on the ground.
Helen
On 6/1/2010 7:46 PM, Gary Orpe wrote:
Message Interesting that he could be flying a registered two seat Ultralight, a 3hr 100 hp one at that!!! They never get it right or there will never be such a thing as a light sport. They still call mine a heavy Ultralight.I also guess we are no longer able to be greeted by the statue of liberty. What has happened to us, the US.Gary O.
"Mitfield"
-----Original Message-----
From: Sport_Aircraft@yahoogroups.com [mailto:Sport_Aircraft@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Chris
Sent: Tuesday, June 01, 2010 4:25 PM
To: Sport_Aircraft@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Light-Sport Aircraft Yahoo group Ultralight pilot buzzes Statue of Liberty
An ultralight aircraft flew within 150 feet of the Statue of Liberty Monday morning prompting a police helicopter to escort the aircraft to the Westchester County Airport.
Police said Barry Maggio, 59 years old, of Hampden, Mass., buzzed the Statue of Liberty in the fixed-wing, two-seat aircraft at 7:10 a.m. After the U.S. Parks Police notified the Federal Aviation Administration, the New York Police Department launched a chopper to intercept the flight.
The police helicopter radioed Mr. Maggio as he neared the George Washington Bridge, police said. It was unclear exactly how much time had elapsed, but police said the call from the FAA was at 7:45 a.m.
Mr. Maggio was questioned at Westchester Airport about the incident and released, police said. A spokesman for the FAA said there would be an investigation, but as of Monday afternoon no charges had been filed or fines levied by the FAA or NYPD.
"I haven't lived here in a while but I guess I didn't realize that security was that tight," Mr. Maggio said in an interview. Security is "obviously different in the city here, in Lower Manhattan, and I didn't take that into account."
Mr. Maggio, who grew up on Staten Island and returned to the East Coast after 14 years in San Diego, said that while he flew low, he followed all regulations and videotaped the three-hour flight starting with his takeoff from Ellington, Conn., at sunrise. Mr. Maggio said that police viewed the video, saw that "they weren't terrorism videos," and released him.
The flight was in an Apollo Aircraft Inc. Monsoon, which has a 100-horsepower engine and is steered by shifting weight, according to Mr. Maggio. Police said that Mr. Maggio and the aircraft are licensed.
"This morning was absolutely gorgeous," Mr. Maggio said. "It was dead calm. The sun was up. It was bright."
Still, he said he didn't take into account heightened security, including that there might be extra concerns due to the Memorial Day weekend.
"They just told me to follow them in," said Mr. Maggio about his radio contact with the police helicopter. "It was a unique morning."
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703406604575278840181561192.html?mod=dist_smartbrief
I don't know what would make anyone think that buzzing a national monument and on top of that on Labor Day would be a good idea. I guess he is lucky if they don't at the least fine him regardless of his intentions.
Cheers,
Chris
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