I don't know what they are teaching these news reporters in college
now days, but I suspect that all programs follow the same, dull
agenda. The recipe is as follows....

1) Find a hot/controversial topic in the public eye.
2) Send the most clueless reporter out into the field to "stir the
pot"
3) If the story does not go your way (or the way you expect), skew the
interview till it does.
4) At the end of the report, state that "News channel XXX ‘on your
side' will continue to cover this story for the good of the community"

About 20 years ago when the Delta airline plane crashed due to
windshier in DFW, I worked at our local airport cleaning planes at
night. This particular night we noticed a news truck at the local FBO
and went over to see what was happening. Well, the only person at
night at the FBO was the local redneck that sold fuel. This guy
dropped out of the 8th grade and only had a few teeth in his mouth
(hence why he worked night shift). Well, the local news channel sent a
young reporter out to "get the scoop" and this guy was the only one
they found. The live news report went something like this…

Reporter: So, we are talking to Daryl. He's a pilot for Corporate
Air. Daryl, in your opinion what happened this evening at DFW?

Daryl: Well, I've been watching the same news coverage you have and
I've been praying for the people on that aircraft.

Reporter: In your career, have you ever encountered similar weather
conditions that existed at the time of landing at DFW?

Daryl: No, I've never been that far away from here. However I have
seen a few storms that would not be good to fly through.

Reporter: So weather is likely the cause of this crash?

Daryl: Well, the FAA has some good people and I'm sure they will find
out what happened.

I was amazed at how obvious it was that Daryl had NO idea what
happened and clearly he is NOT a pilot. Afterwards I talked to Daryl
and he said that they showed up at the airport about 15 minutes before
the local news went on the air and was asking to speak with a Pilot.
He told them no one was around and he was only the "night watchmen"
and was NOT a pilot. However they were going to make him a pilot
anyway since they did not have enough time to look elsewhere.

You might also notice that all news reporters follow the same
patterns.

Christmas – Go out to the local mall and interview shoppers and ask
them how crowded it is in the parking lot. Also, go to the airport and
show people standing in line at the ticket counter. Laugh a lot and
say Merry Christmas.

Thanksgiving – Interview a family sitting down to dinner and talk
about how much your going to eat. Show people feeding the homeless.
Laugh a lot.

The first snowfall of the year – Go to the local hardware store and
interview people buying snow shovels and salt. Or, go to the grocery
store and ask people what they are buying. Talk about spring. Tell
people to drive no faster than a walking pace. Laugh and throw a snow
ball at camera man.

Big rain storm – Go stand in a puddle near the road and give the road
conditions. Be sure to remind people to slow down to a crawl (also
good to do during a snowfall). Talk about sunny days.

Drought – Show people watering their lawns. Talk about rain. Laugh.

First warm day of spring – Go to the park and show people walking
their dogs. Talk about winter. Laugh.

First day of school – Show kids waiting at the bus stop. The day
before, show same kids shopping for school supplies. Talk about summer
vacation.

Airline crash – Go talk to people on the street about their fears of
flying. Show an aircraft landing or taking off at the local airport.
If small aircraft had an engine failure, be sure to use the phrase
"the engine quit and the plane fell out of the sky". Look somber.


Jezzz, I'm starting to sound like Andy Rooney.



Corky Scott wrote in message . ..

"Earlier today two Middle Eastern men attempted to penetrate our
security. They telephoned one of my helicopter FBOs and asked about a
charter flight. After discussion of price and directions to the
business, they arrived an hour later. When the office agent asked how
they were going to pay for the flight they produced cash. When asked
for ID, they produced driver's licenses from two different states and
they were driving a car licensed in a third state.

Things didn't smell right so the mechanic took them into the hangar to
see the aircraft while the office person called the FBI and local
police. The helicopter they were going to fly was blocked in by other
aircraft so the mechanic was able to stall them by having to slowly
shuffle the blocking planes. Meanwhile the two men got their
backpacks and odd-shaped luggage out of their car. Soon the local
police arrived and they were hauled off to jail in handcuffs.

After a little time behind bars, the FBI verified that the two men
were employed by NBC New York and were on assignment to get a story of
how easy it is to charter a helicopter for a terrorist attack. The
men had stayed in a local hotel and purchased box cutters, leather-man
knives, and other potential weapons at the local Wal-Mart using a
credit card. The box cutters had been hidden in the lining at the
bottom of the back packs and the other weapons were hidden throughout
their baggage. They had audiotaped the telephone conversation with
Arlene and were going to use it as part of a national news story about
how easy it is to get information and directions to the location of
the helicopter and then hijack it to commit a terrorist attack.

I doubt they will be back at our airport soon and this is a story that
will never be seen since they were caught. A very "well-done" to my
FBO and staff and the local FBI and police response forces. We have
since learned that we were the first airport where this had been
attempted and NBC planned to attempt similar penetration stories
around the country. Please help me spread the word to other
airports."