Bullets raining from the sky (long)

Bob Noel wrote:
In article . com,
"AJ" wrote:


"I'm covering my eyes and laughing," said Wendy Keefover-Ring of
Boulder, Colo., coordinator of a national coalition of environmental
groups that wants to end aerial gunning of wildlife. "It's unsafe even
when you are in a plane that has a stronger engine than these
ultralights have."


so what qualifies Wendy to assess the safety of anything related
to aviation?

Anybody with a hyphenated last name is not to be taken serious.

"Bob Noel" wrote in message
...
so what qualifies Wendy to assess the safety of anything related
to aviation?

She's an "air head"?

State and federal game-animal control laws.



"Flyingmonk" wrote in message
oups.com...
| Now, wouldn't these guys be on or over their OWN land?
Why would they
| NEED permission to carry weapons or shoot from it on/over
their own
| land? Especially if they are in a powered parachute or
ultralights,
| which are not regulated.
|
| The Monk
|
|
| AJ wrote:
| From an article in the Caspar (WY) StarTribune.net --
am I wrong in
| thinking this is not a good idea?
|
| AJ
|
| New weapon in the sky
| By CHRISTOPHER SMITH
| Associated Press writer
|
| BOISE, Idaho -- Idaho's congressional delegation and the
administration
| of Gov. Dirk Kempthorne spent the past two years
convincing the Federal
| Aviation Administration to give ranchers permits to
shoot coyotes and
| other wild predators while flying overhead in powered
parachutes and
| ultralight flying machines.
|
| After initially refusing to allow the state to issue
aerial gunning
| permits for experimental aircraft operated by
non-certified pilots, FAA
| Administrator Marion Blakey relented last spring and
agreed to come up
| with "the most appropriate means of accommodation,"
according to
| correspondence obtained by The Associated Press under
the Freedom of
| Information Act.
|
| The FAA is now allowing Idaho to issue permits to
ranchers for aerial
| shooting of predators to protect livestock if their
vehicle qualifies
| as a "light sport aircraft" under new FAA regulations.
The new category
| has spawned a squadron of unconventional flying craft
known as "aerial
| ATVs."
|
| "These are the newest, hottest things for ranchers,"
said Allen
| Kenitzer, a spokesman for the FAA in Renton, Wash. "This
is something
| people out West really wanted, to be able to use these
aircraft out in
| the middle of nowhere to do the things they need to do."
|
| But wildlife activists say the use of kit-built and
experimental flying
| contraptions for airborne attacks on wild animals is
dangerous and
| absurd.
|
| "I'm covering my eyes and laughing," said Wendy
Keefover-Ring of
| Boulder, Colo., coordinator of a national coalition of
environmental
| groups that wants to end aerial gunning of wildlife.
"It's unsafe even
| when you are in a plane that has a stronger engine than
these
| ultralights have."
|
| State law authorizes the Idaho Department of Agriculture
to issue
| permits for people to "shoot, capture, harass or kill"
wildlife that is
| threatening livestock while the person is airborne in an
aircraft. The
| practice did not get FAA scrutiny until 2003, when a
southeastern Idaho
| rancher was cited by the FAA for illegally using his
powered parachute
| -- a cage-like cockpit with a motorcyle-size engine and
propeller
| suspended from a parachute -- to shoot coyotes.
|
| The federal agency determined that because ultralight
craft could only
| be flown for sport and recreation. Using them for
livestock protection
| or to collect a bounty on predators was prohibited.
|
| "It was animal rights people who turned him in," said
Eulalie Langford,
| a former state legislator from Montpelier who took up
the fight on
| behalf of the rancher, whose name was not released by
the FAA. "Baby
| lambs have rights too, and I told our officials that
people might be
| getting a lot of sport and recreation out of shooting
these coyotes
| that were eating their lambs."
|
| In April 2003, the state formally asked for a waiver to
allow the use
| of powered parachutes in airborne predator control.
|
| "As technology has improved, it has become apparent that
powered
| parachutes are an ideal vehicle for airborne predator
control," wrote
| Stanley Boyd, a lobbyist for woolgrowers, elk breeders
and cattle
| ranchers who heads the Idaho Animal Damage Control
Board.
|
| The application was denied, prompting Idaho's
all-Republican
| congressional delegation to write an appeal to FAA
Administrator Marion
| Blakey.
|
| "It is important to note that these activities occur in
the vast open
| spaces of rural Idaho and pose no real threat to human
safety," Sens.
| Larry Craig and Mike Crapo, along with Reps. Mike
Simpson and C.L.
| "Butch" Otter wrote in the September 2004 letter.
|
| After several months of investigation and negotiation,
Blakey
| responded, writing that FAA "does not want to unduly
restrict these
| activities, but only wants to ensure they are conducted
safely and in
| appropriately certificated aircraft."
|
| The solution came with the creation of the new light
sport aircraft
| category and new sport pilot certificate issued by FAA.
Under the new
| rule, lighter-than-air balloons, gliders, airships,
flying trikes,
| gyroplanes, powered parachutes and other ultralights
that meet certain
| weight, speed and capacity standards can be certified
and receive a
| tail number just like a full-size private airplane. The
test required
| for a light sport aircraft pilot's certificate is not as
extensive as a
| traditional pilot's license.
|
| "Now, ranchers can take eight hours of instruction, pay
a small
| certification fee and then just take a felt pen to write
your 'N'
| number on the side of your craft and bingo, you're
legal," Boyd said in
| an interview. "We didn't issue any permits for
ultralights this past
| year, but ranchers are just learning this is available
to them."
|
| Keefover-Ring, who tracks aerial gunning accidents for
the conservation
| group Sinapu, said although she has never seen a report
of an
| ultralight crashing while aerial gunning, her group has
records dating
| back to 1989 of 24 crashes of standard airplanes or
helicopters during
| airborne predator flights that killed 32 people.
|
| "There is so little margin for error when you are flying
10 feet off
| the ground shooting a gun at a moving target," she said.
|
| But Langford maintains the ultralights are safer than
standard
| airplanes for picking off coyotes, foxes and other
livestock predators.
|
| "Airplanes, even small planes, can travel over 100 miles
an hour, while
| these aerial ATVs move along about the speed that a
coyote can run,"
| she said. "If there's a mountain coming up, you have
plenty of time to
| see it and take evasive action."
|

"Bob Noel" wrote in message
...
In article . com,
"AJ" wrote:

"I'm covering my eyes and laughing," said Wendy Keefover-Ring of
Boulder, Colo., coordinator of a national coalition of environmental
groups that wants to end aerial gunning of wildlife. "It's unsafe even
when you are in a plane that has a stronger engine than these
ultralights have."

so what qualifies Wendy to assess the safety of anything related
to aviation?

She's evidently one of the "Annoited" as Tom Sowell puts it.

"Jim Macklin" wrote in message
news:7ZO2g.6583$ZW3.5691@dukeread04...
It has been long practice from J3 to Super Cub, just open
the door and shoot at a 45 degree angle, the prop doesn't
like buckshot.

We need these on the Mexican border to shoot coyotes.

Two legged or four?

Jim Macklin wrote:

State and federal game-animal control laws.

That's not it. Coyotes are not protected. They are classified as
pests. There are no seasons, bag limits or any other restrictions. You
may shoot them with any gun that is legal to own. You may herd them
with airplanes and use radios to talk with people on the ground. Out
here in the West the USDA uses helicopters and Cubs to shoot coyotes.

optional, wondered how long before somebody caught the
double meaning.



"Matt Barrow" wrote in message
...
|
| "Jim Macklin" wrote
in message
| news:7ZO2g.6583$ZW3.5691@dukeread04...
| It has been long practice from J3 to Super Cub, just
open
| the door and shoot at a 45 degree angle, the prop
doesn't
| like buckshot.
|
| We need these on the Mexican border to shoot coyotes.
|
| Two legged or four?
|
|

varies by state to state.


"Newps" wrote in message
. ..
|
|
| Jim Macklin wrote:
|
| State and federal game-animal control laws.
|
| That's not it. Coyotes are not protected. They are
classified as
| pests. There are no seasons, bag limits or any other
restrictions. You
| may shoot them with any gun that is legal to own. You may
herd them
| with airplanes and use radios to talk with people on the
ground. Out
| here in the West the USDA uses helicopters and Cubs to
shoot coyotes.
|
|

I see no problem with this... I live in Boise Idaho, and there is a lot
of wide open land around here. Ranchers flying over their own ranges
in powered parachutes popping coyotes is not a big deal. You can fly a
powered parachute hands off by leaning your body anyway... that leaves
two hands free to aim your 0.223 (favorite ranch rifle)

PETA folks can whine all they want...

that leaves two hands free to aim your 0.223 (favorite ranch rifle)

You must be talking 'bout the Ruger Mini14, had one once, loved it.

The Monk