Threats Made, Say Pilots

The pilots in question (we know who they are but have decided not to identify them) claim they were on final approach to the south of the airport, over private property next to a conservation area, when a man standing on a levee pointed a gun at the lead aircraft. “As I was flying over this field at low altitude I noticed a guy standing on a levee about 150 yards in front of me pointing a shotgun or rifle right at me,” the pilot of the lead aircraft wrote in an e-mail forwarded to AVweb. The pilot hit the power and turned out of potential harm’s way with his flying buddy watching in amazement from about 1,000 feet back. According to the pilot, the confrontation wasn’t over, however. The pilots said the man with the gun then met them at the airport and threatened to shoot them if they flew over his property again. As they watched the angry hunter drive away, another vehicle arrived and the occupant identified himself as being with the hunting club at the other end of the runway. The pilots said the alleged club member, who didn’t identify himself, said the club didn’t want anyone flying over their property and that he couldn’t be held responsible if someone was shot. His comments were directed at all aircraft using the airport (including a DC-3), not just the parachutes, the pilots said.