Has anybody actually gone to jail ?(over a aviation offence)

[dazza 38]

Hi folks, I was wondering, has anybody actually gone to Jail/Gaol for flying a UL unregistered and/or without a certificate? I reckon the answer is nope. Jails are too full .

 

 

[facthunter]

Don't encourage them dazza. The fines will be steep and they will make an example. They are MEAN at times. Maybe all the time..Nev

 

 

[Guest steve-nz]

Was about to reply and posted then saw the rest, initially just saw the title :-)

 

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/ashburton/news/article.cfm?l_id=161&objectid=10365761

 

Guy was sent to jail, not for flying but faking.

 

 

[dazza 38]

Fraud carries a hefty penalty here as well Steve.

 

 

[facthunter]

Could you make a fraudian slip? Don't take faking lightly. Nev

 

 

[dazza 38]

Fair enough Nev. I am asking more out of curiosity. I wonder what the Sapphire pilot got in fines. It has been mentioned that it has nothing to do with the RAA as the Sapphire wasn't registered with the RAA. What I mean is and this is a bit off topic - But what peeps are supposed to get and what they actually get are to different things. Example- a few dudes from time to time get busted up here with a un licenced hand guns. I think the max is a jail term with massive fines. But what actually happens is a slap on the wrist. Eg- IIRC A bloke up here at Gympie or Tin Can bay a few years ago got off with a fine of about $1000. No jail time. And from memory- no conviction recorded

 

It happens up here all the time where people get off lightly for serious offences. I guess though aviation would come under Federal law so I guess it may be different. It all depends on the magistrate and how full the jails are.

 

 

[facthunter]

There is a reluctance to gaol people, but this offence of strict liability might have some teeth in it. I wouldn't want to test it. I know of a few instances where charges were pressed and when beaten they just handed the person more charges. These were in a civil court , I think. It is common to go bankrupt and lose businesses. Nev

 

 

[Guest steve-nz]

Seems odd that people would risk flying unlicensed anyway, one if these things that you can't really afford to get wrong through not having license.

 

 

[facthunter]

It is odd but I can see some people who are of different thought music not considering it to be serious, and justifying it by saying THEY stuffed up my right to fly my Jigger and stuff them I'm still going to do it. With Aviation, always think of how it will work out "at the Inquiry". and if you will look stupid, have no excuse, lose your house etc don't do what you thought you might try. Nev

 

 

[farri]

Dazza,the answer to your title question is YES. I won`t mention the guys name but most of us who have been flying UL, AC, from the early days of the AUF, know the guy.

 

As I understand it, it wasn`t for not holding a current pilot certificate or the AC being unregistered, it was for repeated low flying over someones house.

 

Don`t know how much time he actually served, but it was more than I`d like to do.

 

Frank.

 

 

[Guest Maj Millard]

About two years I heard Frank, anyway long enough to get a website up and running from inside !!!!!....he may have got a lot less if he had not denied all the charges against him, and then decided to fight the case......FAIL !!.....Maj...

 

 

[frank marriott]

Dazza,the answer to your title question is YES. I won`t mention the guys name but most of us who have been flying UL, AC, from the early days of the AUF, know the guy.As I understand it, it wasn`t for not holding a current pilot certificate or the AC being unregistered, it was for repeated low flying over someones house.

 

Don`t know how much time he actually served, but it was more than I`d like to do.

 

Frank.

Frank

 

If it is the case I am aware of, he was charged with "Dangerous operation of an aircraft" under the Qld Criminal Code. Appealed and lost the appeal. 18months in the go slow from memory. There was another matter as well but not relevant here.

 

 

[kgwilson]

As I understand it, it wasn`t for not holding a current pilot certificate or the AC being unregistered, it was for repeated low flying over someones house.

Frank.

If you were really keen on going to jail flying into someones house would be a sure thing I reckon. Mind you survival would be the first choice.

 

 

[farri]

About two years I heard Frank, anyway long enough to get a website up and running from inside !!.....Maj...

Yes,Ross! I also thought it was two years and believe it or not, I received Emails from him, while he was inside.

 

Frank.

 

 

[metalman]

The guy who flew the unreg Gazzelle into cairns with no licence ,clearance or radio calls might have got a holiday I think, can't remember the facts though

 

 

[Phil Perry]

Here's an interesting one, . . .involving a member of my own family, ( NON - Flier by the way ) My Brother Graham has just returned from the Isle of Man TT races after spending a couple of weeks on the Island with his Wife and three friends on four motorcycles ( I couldn't get the time of Work this year GRRRR ! )

 

The Isle of Man ( for all you non-Poms and geographical southernites, is located between the English mainland, and that of Ireland, in the Irish Sea. The TT races have been held for over 100 years. The Flight regulations are subject to the prevention of terrorism act, as with flights to the Irish Republic and Northern Ireland,. . . and any pilot wishing to fly from England to the I.O.M. has to submit a GAR ( Gen aviation report form) 12 hours prior to any planned flight, and copies of this are sent to the Police Special Branch. On landing, all pilots have to complete a Special Branch landing card, which details the aircraft reg, the name of the pilot and passenger, and the proposed length of their stay. They have to then fill out a Departure card, and leave it in the Special Branceh letterbox for collection the following day. They must also have lodged a Flight Plan for BOTH trips, and been in continual communication with Scottish Information nad Ronaldsway Airport ATC, even though technically the I.O.M. Is classed as "British" even though it has it's own parliament, which is in fact OLDER than the British one ( ! )

 

Whilst on the Island, my Brother saw four trikes land at the site, containing eight persons in all. . . who, it tuned out, had NO permission to land, NOR any flight plans, Nor any Special Branch clearances, and these people were met by someone in a Range Rover with blacked out windows ( suspicious ?) where some discussion and the passing of goods one way or the other was witnessed. My Brother had no idea of the flight regulations to/from the Island until I told him about it later, and after he and his friends had ridden their bikes off the site for a ride around the circuit, they returned to find their tents ransacked, and several items, including foodstuffs stolen from their tent city.

 

Special branch are investigating, and it appears that the "Flock of miscreants" were from the Liverpool area ( or so they appeared by their accents )

 

Special Branch are now investigating this incident, and if any of the pilots concerned are identified, they will be facing almost certian Jail terms.

 

I'll let you know if this develops any further. Regrettably, my Brother did not take any registrations, as at that time, he had no real reason to, with no knowledge of flight regs. This lot broke around five primary rules during their little excursion, and I hope we find out who they were as they give us all a bloody bad name.

 

Phil

 

 

[Yenn]

That low flying pilot who was jailed had a history and RAAus couldn't get rid of him. I spent 3 days in Rocky during his trial, mada a 3 minute appearance to say it was not me low flying. I hope the ratbag had a hard time in the slammer, he really pissed me off, even gave me a smile when I went into the courtroom.

 

 

[Guest Maj Millard]

There is a clause in the RAAus regs that can deem you to be "persona non grata" and they can deny you a license renewal, or membership forthwith.

 

I believe this has been used a couple of times in the past.

 

The gentleman who did time in the slammer buzzed the house of his estranged wife,.....and she failed to have any sense of homer over the event.So the moral of the story could be " don't go down too low on your estranged wife !??...................Maj...

 

 

[dazza 38]

Our bus driver who takes us to Roma from work, was telling us about a bloke who used to fly over this ladies house in Chinchilla every afternoon. Apparently the lady likes to sit outside in the nude and have a glass of wine every arvo after work. He didn't say what kind of aircraft in was. But hopefully for the pilot, it was a slow one.

 

 

[facthunter]

He could have phoned and said, If you have nothing on today, can I drop over ? Nev

 

 

[Phil Perry]

Just an update to my earlier post, regarding interlopers at the Isle of Man. . . .

 

It turns out that three of the trikes mentioned were completely Kosher, having completed all of the required procedures to land at Andreas airfield on the North end of the island, where we always camp over for the TT races.

 

Only ONE of the trikes was commanded by a naughty burger, driving a Kwik trike, and I gather that someone got his rego, so he will be, and possibly already has, received a visit from some big hairy Special Branch coppers. If he was carrying some naughty substances, then they probably won't be able to get him for that, but they certainly will have him for flying in without the correct procedures. They almost ALWAYS prosecute for breaches of the anti-terrorism legislation. We've already had a couple of guys dragged out of a pub in Douglas for similar offences a couple of years ago, they really don't mess about.

 

Mind you, Australia is a pretty big place, and not THAT easily handy and close to foreign nations. . . so I wonder if there are any recorded incidents of people flying in using private aircraft without permission ??

 

Phil

 

 

[Guest Maj Millard]

Generally if this were to occur Phil, it would more that likely be along our Northern most coastlines, in similar areas to where loads of 'boat-people' arrive almost daily from Asian ports to the North.

 

There is a history of suspect aircraft carrying illegal substances landing covertly in the North Eastern sections of the country after transmitting the Torres Strait Islands off the Northern tip.

 

In fact going back to around 1969 I can recall seeing a brand new (then) Britten Norman Islander completed fitted out with ferry tanks in the cabin, sitting impounded at Richmond Air Base West of Sydney. It apparently had been impounded for some reason in the North of the country.

 

These remote areas to the North are now well patrolled and watched and have been for years. But due to their vast remoteness it is not uncommon to occasionally hear story's of suspicious aircraft operating in the dark of night at remote airstrips, of which there are many in this part of the country........Maj...

 

 

[Yenn]

That estranged wife was a very nice lady. the husband was just a ratbag and that is denigrating rats.

 

 

[facthunter]

We might have to watch the southern coastline as well. I heard someone was trying to bring some "ice" in that way. nev

 

 

[Lior]

Hereabouts the only pilots who get jailed are military ones on disciplinary offenses. Unlicensed pilots do not usually live long enough to be punished by the state.