Please, no Buzzing the Statue of Liberty
These pages tread lightly in complaining about the actions of fellow pilots. Something about stones and glass houses. Any one of us can make mistakes, I know I have plenty that fortunately no one was around to see.
Still, it’s the event that happened over Memorial Day weekend that raises the ire of many pilots who worry that the freedom of flight is being encroached. A 59-year old Massachusetts resident decided to fly his ultralight around the Statue of Liberty within 50 feet of the Lady. On paper, it seemed like an ok idea. The weather was great and the flight in the weight-shifted Apollo aircraft certainly provided fantastic views. But, needless to say, this caused the NYPD to escort him to White Plains airport, where he was questioned. There was no risk here. But when the pilot, Barry Maggio, said he was unaware of the tightened security regulations around the Hudson River, one has to question his overall attitude toward flying.
Here are the things simple common sense would have told him:
IT WAS MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND AND HE WAS BUZZING THE STATUE OF LIBERTY, perhaps most visible sign of Americana (even though she’s French). Lady Liberty is within a golfer’s swing to Ground Zero.
Second, the FAA just recently published a new policy for flying along the Hudson, which was implemented in response to last year’s horrific mid-air collision that killed nine. Mr. Maggio was completely oblivious.
Finally, it’s clear Maggio did not get any sort of briefing from the briefing people. I could have imagined the call: “I’d like a standard briefing for a VFR flight as I buzz the Statue of Liberty.”
In conclusion, Maggio posed no threat. And we do overreact. It appears all reacted appropriately this time. He got an unnerving, but unthreatening, escort to HPN. And his FAA penalty should be some training, hopefully not a certificate action. But, all of us should remember that every time we get in the cockpit, like it or not, we represent all pilots.