It is part of the job. I always told my guys just don't be in a position where the neighbor can say he went right over the top.

Dumb bastard.

As soon as our planes would depart in the morning, the phone would start ringing when I worked for a spray outfit in WA. People are really something. Same ol' scenario....move in next to a field and get mad because it's being sprayed or farmed. I hope they make an example of this guy....one stray pellet and that pilot could've been gone..... what a bonehead!!!

It would be worse if they were taught how to lead aircraft.

I say make it "fair chase" and put guns back on the planes. Let the pilots shoot back! lol

contactflying wrote:It would be worse if they were taught how to lead aircraft.

back in the early 80's my Dad and I was spraying a field, when a kid about 8yr's old shoot my Dad's 188 Cessna with a pellet gun, little bastard was good with it.

Back about 1983 my brother was in Spain in the Air Force, there was a local farmer who was a continual bitch artist about the low flying planes near the live fire range in Zaragoza. One day a Phantom landed with a 7mm bullet hole in the side, so the local cops went to "talk" to him. His answer was "it was flying about as fast as a Messersmit, so I led him about as much as a Messersmit". I have no idea what the end result of that one was.

I knew a guy who took a .22 round in the prop while he was flying over a very rural area. He went and landed after noticing a sudden vibration and found a bullet hole in one of the wooden blades. Makes me think. That was an extremely lucky shot for the shooter.,wouldn't be surprising that during a lifetime of flying most pilots will probably be unwitting targets of a pot shot or two.