Interesting story on GA News.

https://generalaviationnews.com/2025/11/17/im-taking-fire-lessons-learned-from-being-shot-at-over-the-mountains/

Article wrote:“Did you see those white wisps spiraling up from the valleys and mountains?” he continued. “That was smoke, not fog. Those are moonshine stills and those boys thought you were a fed (US federal agent of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms), looking to locate moonshiners so ground crews could shut ‘em down.”


I would imagine there have been similar situations in the hills of Southern Oregon and Northern California.

Was definitely a thing around here 15 years ago, but not so much any more. Shooty farmers.

Years ago, the US Fish & Wildlife Service stopped flying fish surveys on the Trinity River in northern California. That area was a major pot growing area at the time, and folks were still going to jail for growing it. The 185 came back to the airport more than once with bullet holes, I was told.

I once attended some training at the Mine Safety Training Academy in Beckley, West Virginia. Being a hillbilly from Alaska at the time, I spent one glorious spring Saturday exploring the hills behind the Academy. That evening, I went to the dining hall at the Academy for dinner. One of the women who worked there must have noticed my new sunburn, and inquired what I'd done on my day off. I told her I'd been hiking in the hills behind the facility. She turned white as a sheet, and said "Oh, do NOT go hiking in them hills, ever!" I asked why not, and she replied "Shiners are up there, and they don't like company." I laughed and she called to a couple of the other women who worked there, who came over and told me in no uncertain terms that I'd likely get shot if I went up into those hills again. I told them I probably looked too smart to be a Fed. To which one of them replied, "but you ARE a Fed". I took my hikes elsewhere thereafter.

So, we have some friends that live on a close knit family "area" that is pretty secluded. They have lived in our mountains for generations as have I. We were flying around and decided to make a circle or two. Mrs Burns mentioned that they probably have no idea what our plane looks like. We both agreed that we should not linger...

Pete

Late 80's in southern Oregon 2 off duty cops in a rented plane were shot down over a well-known pot growing area. Dad saw the plane being unloaded at the airport the next day and it had a string of bullet holes in the belly from firewall to tail cone, going directly under the pilot's seat. Looked like they buzzed someone and got a full magazine at full auto fired into the plane as they went over. Official cause of the crash was controlled flight into terrain for unknown reasons, presumably to keep the pilot and passengers' life insurance companies from trying to not pay out.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/ ... 872%29.jpg

AC-130, problem solved!

Zzz wrote:Interesting story on GA News.

https://generalaviationnews.com/2025/11/17/im-taking-fire-lessons-learned-from-being-shot-at-over-the-mountains/

Article wrote:“Did you see those white wisps spiraling up from the valleys and mountains?” he continued. “That was smoke, not fog. Those are moonshine stills and those boys thought you were a fed (US federal agent of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms), looking to locate moonshiners so ground crews could shut ‘em down.”


The cynic in me thinks someone stepped on a rake years ago and did that wing damage and the shooty moonshiner story is a new student hazing ritual. Or, it would be if it was my flight school

I know of at least one Ag plane that got a bullet hole in it this summer. Cops wouldn't do a thing...

I had a contract for 5 years flying marijuana eradication in Arkansas with my helicopter. It was a DEA contract managed by the Arkansas State Police. We had several events where we were shot at by ground fire resulting in holes in our aircraft. Luckily none were critical for flight operations and being an ATP and A&P, IA I was able to repair them. We also had a fixed wing patrol contract for 10 plus years, 17,000 miles per month, which also resulted in three bullet holes in the two Cessna aircraft. Some people are touchy about flying over their property I guess.

During this year's winter maintenance. Our mechanics found a bullet hole in my firefighting plane. Pretty surprising find.

I enjoy flying around and shooting coyotes from my plane. Often I see hunters out, who believe it or not have guns in there hands. I avoid them like the plague. If you fly low and slow watch out you are a target. Most, I think are simply taking a pot shot at you thinking no harm will come. Maybe they should look at the harm they caused the antelope. Pot shots are pot shots until they are not.