Gooney on a mapping mission leads to calls to the police...

[Warbirdnerd]

Aerial mapping was the mission of a low-flying, World War II-era plane whose back-and-forth flight led curious onlookers to call police Monday.

A police dispatcher in Lorain, who said he didn’t know the plane’s mission, said he and fellow dispatchers had received calls about the plane.

The DC-3 is owned by Airborne Imaging Inc., which does aerial data collection, according to Dave Wheeler, who is a pilot for the Texas-based company. Wheeler said Airborne was mapping coastal areas for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

The mapping, done every five years, helps determine the environmental condition of waterways by documenting changes such as erosion and the effect of silt on harbor channels.

“It gives you a five-year snapshot,” Wheeler said. “This is a census of the health of the coast.”

The company has been working in Great Lakes states since June, and the plane is flying out of Port Clinton.

Wheeler said the plane, built for the U.S. Navy in 1942, was the first to use global positioning, which was developed by the Department of Defense and Texas Instruments in the 1950s.

“When that airplane flew with its receiver, there was one satellite and one receiver, which was mounted on that airplane,” he said. “That airplane proved that, in fact, an airplane in flight could communicate with an orbiting satellite.”

Found it here:
http://chronicle.northcoastnow.com/2012 ... ooking-up/

[The Inspector]

And these callers are the same people who can't figure out why Congress is so screwed up----

[Lynn Allen]

They used to be based at Midway, KGWY but have moved to Denton I think. I miss hearing them all the time...

[lmritger]

Inspector, the people in Congress come from the same "talent pool" as the ones frantically dialing 911... that should explain a lot.

Just sayin'.

[The Inspector]

Inspector, the people in Congress come from the same "talent pool" as the ones frantically dialing 911... that should explain a lot.

Just sayin'.

The best people big money can buy

[Randy Haskin]

This is a result of a half-generation's worth of cultural paranoia and federally-encouraged, "If You See Something, Say Something!".

Unfortunately, most people don't know what 'something' is, and their lack of awareness of aviation leads many Americans to be suspicious. This is the same mindset that gets New Yorkers panicked when the VC-25 is on a photo mission near the Statue of Liberty.

[myteaquinn]

But if it just saves one life.....................................................................................................................................

[DC3R4DC47]

to be fair to NYers and NJ people, the sight of a 747 down low,seemingly pursued by 2 F16s ,on a lovely sunny morning brought back memories that continue to haunt.

[mike furline]

to be fair to NYers and NJ people, the sight of a 747 down low,seemingly pursued by 2 F16s ,on a lovely sunny morning brought back memories that continue to haunt.

Aircraft on final for DCA (within view of the Pentagon) go up and down the Potomac all day long without a problem.

[SaxMan]

Aircraft on final for DCA (within view of the Pentagon) go up and down the Potomac all day long without a problem.

Not exactly apples to oranges. There's no airport just a stone's throw away from lower Manhattan. If you have never visited New York in the post 9/11 world, you really can't fathom how deeply that event affected the collective psyche of New Yorkers.

[ZRX61]

The first time AF flew a B2 over LA the PD got 200+ calls about a UFO..

Great looking paint scheme on this Gooney Bird! It was one of the best looking DC-3/C-47's that I saw fly into Oshkosh during the 75th Anniversary gathering at EAA AirVenture in August 2010.

[DC3R4DC47]

Aircraft on final for DCA (within view of the Pentagon) go up and down the Potomac all day long without a problem.

Not exactly apples to oranges. There's no airport just a stone's throw away from lower Manhattan. If you have never visited New York in the post 9/11 world, you really can't fathom how deeply that event affected the collective psyche of New Yorkers.

Exactly

[jtramo]

Yeah NYers are like those silly PTSD Nam guys that freak out about helicopter noise.


Amazing how insensitive people are outside a 50 mile ring of NYC. I know a family that lost five people and there are many more like them. They might get a little scared seeing a 747 flying up the river.