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Bad Boy Surrenders Helicopter

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A Tulsa pilot's ham-handed attempt to cover his tracks has cost him his helicopter and earned him a two-year ban on flying or even owning an aircraft. William Stokely agreed to a plea deal with federal authorities last week to surrender his Robinson R44 and accept the flight ban after admitting he tried to outwit them by using a piece of electrical tape to change one of the registration marks on his aircraft from a Q to an O. Turns out that his five-cent solution to the fallout from a… (www.avweb.com) More...

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HunterTS4
Toby Sharp 7
Dear Wayne and Mike.....
I understand he got caught, I am just saying that people/pilots like these who seem to do what they want, usually do not being around for long because they end up killing themselves in a crash. Sorry for the confusion. Blue Skies
nitz11
Austin Miller 4
FAA regulations state that I and O may not be used in a registration number. http://www.faa.gov/licenses_certificates/aircraft_certification/aircraft_registry/forming_nnumber/

dtw757
mike SUT 2
Toby Sharp

What"s to sort out? He broke the law, got caught, got punished. If you did it with your car plates, or drivers license....same results. He learned he has to follow the same rules 99% of the rest of the world follows.
preacher1
preacher1 3
Toby, I'm in agreement here. Nothing to sort. He got caught
HunterTS4
Toby Sharp 2
This will one way or another eventually sore itself out.
onceastudentpilot
tim mitchell 2
He's probably one of those Dooms Day Prepers...lol
N9ZN
N9ZN 2
Even if this man is wrong I can see no reason why he should have to forfiet an expensive helicopter. No one would be required to forfiet thier car if they used false tags unless there was something else going on like transporting drugs.

To me the punishment does not fit the crime he was charged with.
HunterTS4
Toby Sharp 1
what if this move saves his life?
N9ZN
N9ZN 1
If a person drove without a license their auto would not be seized. This man knows how to fly, if he were that intent on flying I am certain he will find a way without his own helicopter. I see nothing to indicate he is in such a mental state as to threaten his life or the life of others. This reminds me of the U.S.A.F., ARMY, NAVY, and MARINE pilots who have buzzed ships, control towers, and other structures. Were there ever any instances where life was any more in jepardy than flying at FAA minimums over someones property?

The helicopter could crash begining at 12,000 feet or 2 feet AGL, the higher the altitude a craft comes into danger the more massive the impact damage. Can you agree with that?

This kind of punishment is rediculous and expected of an agency that has been given supreme rule over flight in the U.S. It is time to tear down the F.A.A. as we know it and make the agency much less powerful.

The FAA must have been wrong when comercial pilots hav e been found drinking yet flying passengers. They did not seize the planes of the air carriers however in fairness they should have given this nonsense.
werpy
william hall 1
i like it ZN..
werpy
william hall 2
And he used the wrong color tape.
HunterTS4
Toby Sharp 1
I agree ZN
preacher1
preacher1 1
There must have been more to this story than is being told. I didn't think that seizure power was around except for drugs and that has to go through a court for approval first. Does the FAA or any other gov't agency have confiscation powers for other than drug related?
werpy
william hall 1
Taking his bird is pretty bad..i hope they got the story right..as for saving his life???

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