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You may generally video police officers conducting an investigation in a public place as long as you do not interfere with the investigation. Juries get mad about these cases. Do not assume you would lose your case. We value our freedoms here and our jurors hold the government accountable. If you do not sue, they got away with it. The courts have decided civil lawsuits are the check and balance for illegal search and seizures. I would take your case in a heartbeat if it did not have to be filed in Louisiana. I would take it on contingency where you never had to pay me out of pocket. And I would try to blow the lid off this CPB illegal search epidemic. With Louisiana being 3 hours away by Mooney,and me not practicing there, I can't do it. But please at least talk to a lawyer there. Otherwise we have to wait until they pull this on someone like me. And by then it may be too late for a lot of pilots.

Didn't get his badge number, but got his card. His name is Louis E. Weaver,, Air Interdiction Agent, US Dep't of Homeland Security, 400 Judge Leon Ford Drive, Hammond, LA 70401, Tele 985 902 2200. It happened at New Orleans Lake Front airport, KNEW, immediately outside of the Flightline First FBO, while J. Brayton Matthews, general manager and his entire flight line crew watched. As you probably know, I live in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. I had crossed the border into KBRO the day before, cleared customs and immigration there where they searched the airplane and sold me this years Customs Decal by charging it on my credit card and giving me a receipt. The next day we left KBRo and went to 3R7 to refuel and then continued on to KNEW where Louis E. Weaver waited until I parked and then came over to the airplane and started the process. The dog was on the outside of the airplane with his handler. The handler from the New Orleans Police Department told the customs agent that the dog gave a "positive result." You know the rest. As far as suing the government under a Title 1981, 1982, or 1983 or any other basis--forget it! The lesson I learned is that if it happens again, I will take anything I need (phone book with the cell phone number of an attorney member of this forum) with me as well as money and anything else I need (cell phone) and leave when he tells me I am free to go, immediately calling an attorney while secretly recording everything on the smart phone.

Hey!!!!! I resemble that remark......

Actually I'd say they tend to be more polite and reasonable. I was there recently.

Pete, we are currently planning for October. The weather in Panama City, Fl. is great then. We are starting to put it all together now and We will formally announce it a bit later, once we can firm up some agenda's of the Subject Matter experts and who is going to be on the schedule. Consider donating a dental camera for a door prize! They only cost about $50 on Ebay for a cheapie that works well as a bore scope. It would have been nice to have had Ed come and present on lubrication, as even you must admit, he has the resume and qualifications to be able to educate, but that just wont happen. Besides, the last thing I (or any of the original attendee's and presenters) want is for the Summit to turn into a weenie waggin' pissin match. Someone else may have a venue for that. I may have someone from Exxon do a seminar or possibly Phillips. Both have expressed an interest. Both have highly qualified people to educate.

My first try at a GoPro video. I went did a few circuits at the airport up the road (Bhisho - FABE) and the clip is mostly of departing my local field, Wings Park (www.wingspark.co.za) and of returning. http://youtu.be/cTAaBk8Nym4

American's take the freedom afforded us under the Constitution very seriously and the freedom of flight is one of its many benefits, unlike anywhere else on the planet. With a few exceptions, such as terminal airspace and prohibited areas, we are free to fly unfettered around every inch of the country, all 3.8 million square miles. When a government agency attempts to interfere with that freedom, we take it very seriously and require justification. But like most countries around the world, government agencies feel the need to overreach and step out of bounds under the guise of national security.

How did you attach your GoPro to your wing?

Uh.....I think we can say this thread is now officially hijacked! (Sorry about that!) Does anyone else have any "Fine Wire" stories?

Good point Chris. You're applying the definition of insane, which practically means doing something over and over and over...and over expecting different results! So I will stray from my normal style and indulge in some literary liberty in an effort to advance and expand upon the above characterization of us Mooney drivers to more accurately reflect the type. The proper term I think should be Mooney owners are "insanely economically efficient." Commonly known as crazy cheap bastards or CCB's! "...approach...910BU...CCB...with you level at 9000..."

I was trying to rack my brain to decode what WBA was! OK, now I got it. Thanks.

Now we know how the folks of Iraq and Afganistan feel. I bet all of those government, quasi military, actors spent time there and got their police training there. All the control and intimidation techniques that you described were developed in and for those theatres. We repress others at the risk of being repressed ourselves.

It does, but I also watched how much flex that nose wheel was doing. Wonder if that is the same on asphalt.

I think you will find that is for a "Port of Entry" not any airport. And that is to determine if the person is legally entering the USA, not for a drug search. The drug charges if any would be a state charge.

History repeats itself through the ages. I have always been fascinated with WWII history since a young kid, watched lots of WWII movies and read books and so on. Saw Shindler's List, made me wonder how could they do this to there own countrymen, how much more the Jews would have helped the German war effort had they not been singled out for extermination. I watched a documentary one time about an experiment on how good people can be persuaded to carry out atrocities and it makes sense. The very thing can happen in this country, no doubt in my mind. Heck the Japanese were rounded up and placed in internment camps during WWII. Search for "The Milgram Experiment" it is very disturbing to say the least.

On those facts, assuming you were not landing back in the US for the first time from an international flight, you have a strong case for suing the government for wrongfully arresting you and searching your aircraft without a warrant. As soon as he says you are not free to go, you are under arrest, handcuffs or no. If it was done without probable cause, your only remedy is to sue the government for money damages. Check with an attorney in the state where it happened. You need a civil rights attorney. I am one, by the way.

Just curious... Does the condition of the AWC actually matter? Last time I check, mine after 50 years isn't in the best shape either.

Bill, Nice Web Site! Wish you were a bit closer! Best regards, -a-

I prefer the term, "economically efficient"!

I'm not a CB, it's those Mooney guys over there !

Someone say cheap?

I have the greatest respect for Trey and Lela and all the work they must have put in to put on the event. Having said that, for me at least, while I love to go to Kerrville, the Hangar venue was less than desirable. It may have been me, but I met far less new friends than in the past where the event was held at a hotel where most people stayed and where it was much easier to meet and talk to individuals. The Hangar was either too cold or too hot, the sound system made it difficult to clearly hear the speakers, there was no mic for questioners from the floor, so when a question was asked it couldn't be heard or understood. The woman's lunch was held far from the venue and since there was no transportation, there was endless travel back and forth between the airport and the luncheon location. In fact there was endless back and forth between the airport and the hotel for everything. It was a great weekend for the rental car companies, but not for us. While the Saturday lunch on the field was excellent, everyone was having trouble finding a place to eat it. The dinner for me was the worst of any of the conventions I have ever attended. I apologize for not staying for the speaker, but we had heard the talk in Oshkosh last summer. The factory tour and "Boots on the Ground" were the highlights of the event for me. It showed that Mooney is coming back STRONG! Mitch and Jolie did an amazing job of getting the flavor of the Mooney Company of the past with their movie, which had a huge attendance. I hope in the future that they go back to a hotel venue, extend the Convention an extra day like in the past, have more Mooney specific presentations, have round tables on various Mooney models as in the past, and have vendor presentations such as Garmin, Aspen, and others as in past years when we have several hundred Mooneys attend. For the adventure I'm glad I attended. The lengthy round trip enabled me to really learn my new panel well. I now feel totally comfortable and excited about teaching every aspect of our new technology to those who either have it or are thinking about getting it. In spite of all the above comments, would I attend in the future? Yes, I'm a Mooniac.

S-TEC 30 in the eagle is essentially identical in function to your S-TEC 50, same functionality, other than if I recall, a 50 will intercept a course and a 30 will not, as in you fly a heading and then manually press the VOR button. Doesn't really matter if you get the GPSS installed. I had that autopilot in my arrow and it was bullet proof. Now, I have the KFC-150 with altitude preselect and it never ceases to amaze me that if I want to, I can limit my hand flying to about 60 seconds per flight. It's all button pushing. Plus the flight director is an amazing feature.

There is a balance.... Modern, updated, low engine time planes start to ring the desirable bell. Add paint and interior it is complete and commands a price closer to $100k. High engine time nice Js were $80k. Doggy Js were $70k. The economy is improving, fuel price has stayed off the peak, people are returning to their normal ways. Spring is prime time for buying things after a cold winter. What will a PPI find on the lowest cost J on the market? What will the first annual find a year after you own it? Bargaining at the low range will cost you more. Nice Cs can be purchased for the doggy J price. Do you like to work with mechanics on updating things(many of us do)? Use caution when overspending on a dog, when a nicer condition but lesser plane is available. Quality first, then price.... Good luck in the hunt, -a-

I hope he didn't buy them completely out, Ed is donating some Camguard as a door prize for the next Mooney Summit. Thanks Ed! Maybe we can get Pete to donate a dental camera (they make great Borescopes) to match the generosity of his BFF.

I bought over the years different radios and accessories from PCA mainly due to 0% sales tax in OR, and had a GTX 320A installation done. No complains, however this was nothing complex and doesn't compare to your project. I would check out Executive Aircraft Maintenance (EAM) in Scottsdale, AZ they do beautiful high end work and are not that far from you.