On Sunday, July 14, 2013 11:37:56 AM UTC-6, Glidergeek wrote:
On Saturday, July 13, 2013 9:18:18 PM UTC-7, Frank Whiteley wrote:

http://www.wenatcheeworld.com/news/2...dger-mountain/



Hmm, something might have been said that was perceived as a bit derogatory? and it doesn't take much sometimes. Last year in the summer I made a landing (C180) on a full moon in the desert on a paved but unmaintained road in San Bernadino County Ca. To pick up my son who was loading one of our trucks at a mine. I made my final over the BNSF tracks and there were 2 locomotives moving east to west and I passed right over them.



I taxied up within 100' of the tracks turned around and shut down got out waved at the men in the locos and made cell contact with my son who was passing on old 66 a couple miles away. He proceed into the mine to loading it was 11:00 pm I pulled a chair out and set up camp on the horizontal stab sat down with the iPad some water and was relaxing to some music minding my own business.



The plan was he would load a load that would go up to Henderson Nv on Monday morn, it was Friday night, he would park the truck by the tracks and walk across them to the plane, I take him home, I would fly him back out there early Monday and he would go, he would be home for the weekend and not backtrack the truck costing an extra 400 miles and I would get to fly and my company pays for it. I've landed on this road several times.



About 12:30am headlights come speeding down the road and a San Berdo Sheriff shows up. He pulls within I'd say 30' of the plane and sits there for a while, I went to him He asked if I was ok I replied I was, He asked what I was doing, I told him just what I stated above. No bull **** no indignation no disrespect.



He asked for my D/L I gave it to him he ran it thru dispatch Asked me if I had any weapons and a few other questions, I gave him one of my biz cards also. Pretty soon dispatch returned and said the plane is registered to the same guy who is on the D/L. We chit chatted a bit he bought my story told me to be careful and left.



No bull **** no indignation no disrespect. I guess I was lucky or is it that I cooperated?

Perhaps I'm lucky but that's been my experience as well. I recall being requested to appear as an expert witness at a trial in a remote mountain community without an airport nearby. No airport, no problem. I flew over in my airplane, found two patrol cars blocking off a mile of highway outside town as promised and landed between them. I left the airplane on a scenic overlook with a patrolman guarding it. Late in the afternoon we reversed the process and I was on my way. The county had found that section of road to be a serviceable runway and it was much cheaper than building an airport.

Yes, there are jerks with a badge but more often than not they'd just like to avoid the paperwork that results from a confrontation. A smile and a "little respect for the law" goes a long way. I've found most cops have very mixed feelings about the "war on terror" and DHS. The like all the COP toys the feds funded but they don't like the questionable constitutionality.