Hearing about John and Martha King’s encounter with law enforcement and reading about similar horror stories, I adjusted my eye patch and was about to swing through the rigging, knife in teeth, in defense of pilots’ rights. Like Clark Kent, I would use my journalistic skills to battle the forces of evil — menacing cops stopping innocent pilots on taxiways and tossing them, cuffed and cowed, into the back of patrol cars while their airplanes are sniffed and slobbered over by dogs in search of … whatever.
Unusual Attitudes: Are We Really “The Bad Guys”?
Key Takeaways:
- The author, a former FAA inspector, generally found law enforcement officers to be professional, polite, and helpful to pilots, despite widespread "horror stories" of negative encounters.
- While acknowledging rare instances of overzealous deputies or police overstepping their authority, the article suggests that problems are sometimes exacerbated or even initiated by misguided FAA inspectors.
- The author advises pilots to cooperate if stopped or questioned by law enforcement, and then to report any inappropriate actions or harassment to aviation advocacy groups and elected officials.
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