"Terrorists" try to hijack helicopter...

Re: \"Terrorists\" try to hijack helicopter...

Ok one more time people....


DO YOU REALLY THINK TERRORISTS ARE GOING TO TRY TO HIJACK ANYTHING AVIATION RELATED!!!!!!!
 
Re: \"Terrorists\" try to hijack helicopter...

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NBC stresses that nothing the men did or carried was illegal.

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I think this part is rather telling. While it may have been legal, it was of poor taste. Sensationalistic journalism at it's worst.
 
Re: \"Terrorists\" try to hijack helicopter...

isn't the fact that they were arrested by FBI agents sort of disprove their story?

(assuming they were trying to prove that they could do it, or some idiotic thing? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif)
 
Re: \"Terrorists\" try to hijack helicopter...

Sensationalist journalism at its best.

Nevermind the fact that someone can still stop by U-Haul then make a trip to the fertilizer plant and pull a Tim McVeigh doing 100 times the damage a little Bell helicopter could do.
 
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I think they should be charged with some sort of attempted hijacking crime... after all that was their goal!!

I mean, what would they have done if they got on the helicopter to get their story? Pulled out their knives and say "this is a simulated hijacking"!

News people get way too much slack!

This sort of thing tickes me off! The good news is that we didn't fall for their antics!
 
Re: \"Terrorists\" try to hijack helicopter...

I wish NBAA, AOPA, EAA, and any other GA representative would file a class action lawsuit for loss of business due to sensationalism in journalism and trying to scare the public. Then, maybe they would stop. I mean, everybody else sues and it affects all of us, why not sue them for defamation of character, or something, slander, maybe? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif
 
Re: \"Terrorists\" try to hijack helicopter...

[ QUOTE ]
I wish NBAA, AOPA, EAA, and any other GA representative would file a class action lawsuit for loss of business due to sensationalism in journalism and trying to scare the public. Then, maybe they would stop. I mean, everybody else sues and it affects all of us, why not sue them for defamation of character, or something, slander, maybe? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

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The only problem with that is this incident showed how tight the security was. And as the station pointed out: "nothing the men did or carried was illegal". That's the way with this type of "journalism". When they nail somebody we don't like, or think deserves it, it's good journalism. When they step on our toes, it's bad journalism. I'm against journalistic stings and police stings. There's enough news to report and crimes to prosecute without creating your own.

"sensationalism....and trying to scare the public" is basically the definition of modern journalism. Good luck suing that away.
 
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I agree stings are good for nobody, except police to get a promotion and journalists to sell advertising. Damned you Tony and your advertising! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

I know we aren't going to get rid of sensationalism in journalism, but at least then if they decide to do it again, in the back of their mind, they'll be thinking of how much it cost them last time they pulled a stupid stunt like this.

I also think the journalists should be locked up and tried for attempted hijacking of a commercial aviation operation. They let them go because they are journalists; that's BS! And their story failed, so they didn't even say anything about it as far as I know...if it had succeeded, though, it would have been the lead story. I had to search to find the story in the local news, no national news covered it. Go figure. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/banghead.gif
 
Re: \"Terrorists\" try to hijack helicopter...

This report could very easily have been a great one -- think you're not safe from hijackers? Our reporters found out otherwise.

And I guarantee you the ratings would have been just as good as if they did a negative story. I'd love to pitch that show -- hey, look, I've got a feel good story for a change, and you should be in that show.

Stupid, stupid, stupid. Bad business, bad journalism!

/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/banghead.gif
 
Re: \"Terrorists\" try to hijack helicopter...

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sue them for defamation of character, or something, slander,

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Whose character was defamed? Who was libeled/slandered? If they wrote a story after the fact saying it was easy to get into the FBO and that a specific FBO did wrongful things (even though the "reporters" were arrested) that may be grounds for a successful lawsuit – you can sue for anything, doesn't mean the case will a) be heard or b) be successful. As it is now, the "reporters" simply walked in and tried to trick an $8/hr employee and got caught. Nothing illegal or even really all that wrong.

The failure comes in the fact there is no balance.

As someone pointed out there are no stories on rental trucks, cars, items you can buy at a home improvement store that can cause serious damage.

Nor are there any storys explaining that if a 200,000lbs. aircraft moving at 500+mph can't knock down the one of the tallest buildings in the world (the ensuing fire not withstanding) a 5-10,000lbs. helo isn't going to do much to anything but very small, stick-built buildings.

Those are the failures .... and yes "sensationalistic" journalism if rampant these days but why? Because people tune in and watch, which equals hgher ratings which equals more $$$ for advertising. If you want to blame someone blame ourselves for watching/reading/buying this kind of crap. If no one watched they wouldn't produce it. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smirk.gif
 
Re: \"Terrorists\" try to hijack helicopter...

I think the beautiful point of the story on AOPA's website is that it is not easy to hijack any sort of aircraft.

Those guys are lucky that the FBO owner didn't try to press the issue. I mean they in effect were committing fraud since they were attempting to gain control of an aircraft under false pretenses.

Had it been me, I wouldn't have cared if they worked for NBC or not, they would've answered for what they did...or at least spend more than a few hours in jail.

I mean if you read the story from Aero-News they were going to charter a flight and take weapons on board. Sounds like a crime to me. Possibly conspircy to hijack an aircraft?

I think NBC should still run the story, but actually do GA a favor and show how difficult it is to hijack a GA aircraft, but that'll never happen. God forbid they actually put people at ease.

The justice in this story though is this: I just imagine these guys pitching this to their producer, he of course thinks it's a great idea. Then a week or so later when they actually try, the producer gets a call from them telling him that not only did the story fail, but they're in jail. Something tells me there was a very uncomfortable meeting after they were released.

Producer: "How the hell did you land in jail?"
Moron: "Well...umm...aparently the people at the airport are part of this project called Airport Watch, and they stalled us and called the FBI."
Producer: "Airport Watch? What the hell is that?"
Moron: "Well it's this system of people at airports keeping an eye out for suspicious activity. Apparently there is a national 800 number to report tips."
Producer: "<sarcastically> And you didn't come across that in your research?"
Moron: "Umm. no"
Producer: "So the big f'ing yellow sign that said 'Airport Watch' didn't clue you in?"
Moron: "Ummm."
Producer: "Well, apparently you two morons need to learn more about the news business before I give you another story. So, go get me a soy latte, extra foam, two shots, and a sprinkle of cinamon. Maybe you can research how easy it is to hijack a frickin' cup of coffee."

Ahhhhh I love irony...especially with sprinkles.

Naunga
 
Re: \"Terrorists\" try to hijack helicopter...

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Ahhhhh I love irony...especially with sprinkles.

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FLMAO

that was hillarious /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
Re: \"Terrorists\" try to hijack helicopter...

More than likely these bozos were the producers ... TV reporters rarely go in for the "real" undercover stuff anymore.

And up until the point they actually take weapons on board an aircraft, without consent of the pilot, they've broken no laws ... of course under the patriot act just looking at someone the wrong wail will get your a$$ tossed in jail with no expectation of due process ... but hey we're all safer right!?

[/sarcasm]
 
Re: \"Terrorists\" try to hijack helicopter...

Either way, they report to someone.

I don't like the Patroit Act at all, but in this case, I'd have loved to have seen a report something:

"TV Producers Land Themselves In Camp X-Ray For Faked Hijack Attempt"

If you ask me I think that the no-fly list (if that's even still out there) should include the name of every "jounalist" who attempts to circumvent security. I mean the airlines have no idea if you're really just flying to get someplace or if you're trying to disrupt security. You're a risk.

Think about this: You're a terrorist. You get a job with NBC etc. Pitch a story about airport security. Smuggle a bunch of weapons on board. Then hijack the plane. If you're caught before you can do anything, you say, "Oh ha ha, we work for NBC your security sucks." if you succeed then you've not only killed more of the infidels, but you've also made every news person on an airplane suspect. You want to undermine this country destroy the media's credibility. What would people do without being able to trust the talking heads?

Naunga
 
Re: \"Terrorists\" try to hijack helicopter...

[ QUOTE ]
Think about this: You're a terrorist. You get a job with NBC etc. Pitch a story about airport security. Smuggle a bunch of weapons on board. Then hijack the plane. If you're caught before you can do anything, you say, "Oh ha ha, we work for NBC your security sucks." if you succeed then you've not only killed more of the infidels, but you've also made every news person on an airplane suspect. You want to undermine this country destroy the media's credibility. What would people do without being able to trust the talking heads?

Naunga

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And we CAN trust the talking heads now?? Apparently I missed meeting.

MF
 
Re: \"Terrorists\" try to hijack helicopter...

Ah .. so the patriot Act is ok ... just so long as it's applied to people/professions you don't like/understand ..... got ya! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif

Just givin' you a hard time ....

But the press (media = TV bozos, press = everything other legitimate source of news) serves, in part, to test our limits. Do you really want to believe, or do now, everything coming from the administration? The TSA? I doubt it. So we rely on our press to "test the waters" so to speak. Sometimes they do it the right way, sometimes they don't ... but this is still a free (partly at least) country and until specific laws are broken you can't haul someone off to jail.

And again ... why does the "media" (i.e. TV Hacks) do this crap?

Because, we, as a society, tune in and watch it ...
 
Re: \"Terrorists\" try to hijack helicopter...

Gee, I wonder why I can't find this story on the major news sites...
 
Re: \"Terrorists\" try to hijack helicopter...

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What would people do without being able to trust the talking heads?

Naunga

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You're kidding right? They'd have a lfe.
 
Re: \"Terrorists\" try to hijack helicopter...

I showed this story to someone earlier today who made a good point that hasn't been brought up. We have not considered the resources wasted towards investigating this fake hijacking attempt. The police and local FBI dispatched units to come to the airport, interview everyone, make arrests, question the suspects, they probably had to do some other investigations to confirm their identities. Local law enforcement put men, time, and money towards this while the real bad guys are still walking around free. Seems like they should have been held for something, sort of the old yelling Fire! in a crowded theater.
 
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