Someone stole a plane from the airport in my city.

[sycho]

Someone mentioned this on facebook and then I googled it. I can't stop laughing to be honest.

A plane that was stolen from a flight school in Thunder Bay has finally landed in southern Missouri after over nine hours in the air.

The Cessna 172 was stolen from the Confederation College Aviation Centre of Excellence at around 2:30 p.m.

Judi Maundrell, the college's vice president of academics and student services, told tbnewswatch.com someone jumped a fence into the airfield and jumped into the aircraft, which had its keys in it.

She said the thief taxied down the runway and took off before anyone could stop them.

Two U.S. F-16 fighter jets were scrambled to intercept the plane and monitored its flight.

Mike Kucharek, spokesperson for the North American Aerospace Defence Command in Colorado, said the pilot had been flying erratically and had not communicated with the fighter pilots, who intercepted the plane at the Michigan-Wisconsin border.

http://www.thestar.com/News/Ontario/article/614761

http://news.google.com/news?um=1&ned=us&cf=all&ncl=1328162784

 

[r.j.s]

They must have missed their connection.

 

[Drumjim85]

2 F-16s? dang, i guess we don't take flying lightly anymore do we?

 

[r.j.s]

2 F-16s? dang, i guess we don't take flying lightly anymore do we?

Not when the plane is stolen and flown across the border, with no flight plan and no communication.

 

[sycho]

Not when the plane is stolen and flown across the border, with no flight plan and no communication.

Well that is how we roll in Thunder Bay. Actually, not really, but I still can't stop laughing. First I find out with have a 3D projector in the Theatre and then this, and I got some new monitors too! This day can't get any better!

 

[r.j.s]

Hey, at least they didn't crash.*

*(Unless I missed that part of the article.)

 

[Drumjim85]

Well that is how we roll in Thunder Bay. Actually, not really, but I still can't stop laughing. First I find out with have a 3D projector in the Theatre and then this, and I got some new monitors too! This day can't get any better!

do you ever listen to 91.5 CKPR?

 

[sycho]

do you ever listen to 91.5 CKPR?

Not really, I am quite against Dougal Media since their Rock94 station constantly plays Nickleback and says, I kidd you not, "The greatest band in Canada."

How often do you listen to CKPR and how did you find it?

 

[Drumjim85]

Not really, I am quite against Dougal Media since their Rock94 station constantly plays Nickleback and says, I kidd you not, "The greatest band in Canada."

How often do you listen to CKPR and how did you find it?

Living in TX, i don't. But they're a client of mine (ours / the company i work for).

 

[SactoGuy18]

Not when the plane is stolen and flown across the border, with no flight plan and no communication.

We've had a couple of incidents since the 9/11/2001 attacks of people deliberately crashing planes into buildings--once in Tampa, FL and once in Milan, Italy. Small wonder why our national defense was so nervous about this plane flying south into the USA with no flight plan.

 

[OttawaGuy]

Maybe he was delivering Persians?

 

[Keebler]

We've had a couple of incidents since the 9/11/2001 attacks of people deliberately crashing planes into buildings--once in Tampa, FL and once in Milan, Italy. Small wonder why our national defense was so nervous about this plane flying south into the USA with no flight plan.

and, this isn't to get racist or stereotyping, but it raises the eyebrows - the pilot is originally from Turkey. It could mean nothing, but there's more to this story I'm sure. Not saying terrorist related, but after all, the terrorist pilots of 9/11 did fly at local schools (not colleges mind you), but still.

 

[allmIne]

and, this isn't to get racist or stereotyping, but it raises the eyebrows - the pilot is originally from Turkey. It could mean nothing, but there's more to this story I'm sure. Not saying terrorist related, but after all, the terrorist pilots of 9/11 did fly at local schools (not colleges mind you), but still.

I agree.

 

[sycho]

and, this isn't to get racist or stereotyping, but it raises the eyebrows - the pilot is originally from Turkey. It could mean nothing, but there's more to this story I'm sure. Not saying terrorist related, but after all, the terrorist pilots of 9/11 did fly at local schools (not colleges mind you), but still.

He was trying to kill himself by flying into the states, nothing terrorist related at all. I don't blame him, Thunder Bay is really that crappy.

 

[notjustjay]

This is why we don't leave the keys in the ignition...!

 

[IJ Reilly]

Nine hours in a Cessna 172? With a range of about four, maybe five hours max, I wonder how he managed it.

 

[patrick0brien]

I want to know how the F16s stayed in the air, they're not very good at flying at Cessna speeds.

 

[dmr727]

I want to know how the F16s stayed in the air, they're not very good at flying at Cessna speeds.

From the AIM, section 5-6-4, Note 2:

"If the intercepted aircraft is not able to keep pace with the intercepting aircraft, the latter is expected to fly a series of race-track patterns and to rock its wings each time it passes the intercepted aircraft."

 

[IJ Reilly]

According to the article, this 172 had extended range fuel tanks, so I suppose that's how he managed to keep it in the air for such a long time. Still I think the extended tanks are 52 gallons completely full, good for only 7.5 hours with careful fuel management.

 

[jzuena]

Nine hours in a Cessna 172? With a range of about four, maybe five hours max, I wonder how he managed it.

He was really good at leaning the fuel mixture?

 

[iJohnHenry]

Caught buying a Gatorade. How embarrassing.

 

[IJ Reilly]

He was really good at leaning the fuel mixture?

If you lean too much the cylinders run hot, but I suppose he might not have been very concerned about the longevity of the engine. Actually the better way to extend range is to fly slow. Still -- nine hours? That's less than 6.0 GPH. Maybe it is possible, but...

 

[MorzillA]

Caught buying a Gatorade. How embarrassing.

yeah not only that but the guy didn't even flintched when state law walked in!!!
LOL!!!!

Never did they say what type of problems he had, may be wifey left him.....?!

 

[iJohnHenry]

Perhaps all the "targets of opportunity" (Major Kong - Dr. Strangelove, etc) were denied him by the F-16s??

 

[Keebler]

He was trying to kill himself by flying into the states, nothing terrorist related at all. I don't blame him, Thunder Bay is really that crappy.

yup. i heard that today. i believe that one only makes their city as crappy as they want it to be.

TBay is near some of the most prestine and gorgeous wilderness on this planet. If the city 'sucks', it's time to get out of it and experience what some ppl will never have the chance of experiencing.