mountainmatt wrote:I disagree with the slap on the wrist... this dumbass is going to be locked up for a long time. And this story doesn't have a tragic ending (like McClandless), so I doubt the book and movie will make it very far. (Or so I hope!)

What's so tragic about McCandless?

denalipilot wrote:
What's so tragic about McCandless?

I knew that was coming, either by you or Gump.

McCandless is only famous because he died, this dumbass hasn't died yet. Now, I'm sure if one of us gun carrying BCP'ers would have blasted this kid away, then it would have been viewed as a tragedy and would have made millions.

I'm still waiting for the "Balloon Boy" movie to come out.

IMO, the best thing that could happen is this kid gets prison for 15+years, writes a book and makes only enough to pay back everyone that he stole against, and then is never heard of again. The last thing we want is another little prick doing a copy-cat. Make him the poster child for this *&it, he wants the fame right?? Deterrence is great.

Celebracey....HELL! This guy is a crook! This guy should be made an example..not treated like a side show freek.
He should be prosecuted to the full extent by the law in every jurisdiction where he commited crimes! Don't care about his sorry upbringing..a damn flimsy excuse. Kick his butt but good, throw away the key and let him rot in the worst prison that's out there!
My only regret is someone with a shotgun didn't catch him in the act and save us all a lot of taxpayer money and time and those that got ripped off from his felonious acts get somewhat of a payback.
HC

If the owners of the stolen aircraft by this kid had insurance, wouldn't the aircraft owners be paid off by now?? I don't know If no insurance pay off because of not having insurance, then I might sympathize with the aircraft owners that lost out.

My point is........F the punk!! And a movie!! And a book deal!! And any other money to be made off this ordeal! Ok, maybe I shouldn't be too heartless. If any profit is to made off this ordeal, then every penny needs to go to ALL of his victims!!!

I find if strange how some people are getting behind this guy.
They support him, then turn around and go against GA. This is in spite a legal pilot being licensed, insured, and registered. The poor licensed pilot has the bad luck of having an engine failure and lands on a highway or field he gets the book thrown at him and the public jumps all over him. With this asshole he crashed how many planes and they think it is romantic or something.
There is nothing romantic about this.
There is nothing to admire.
How would you like to be chugging weather up some narrow valley and run into this creep. Do you think he practices good airmanship? Would he give you room? I doubt it.
The only reason I would be behind him is to kick him in the ass to hurry him along on his way to jail.

I find it interesting to consider that this guy walked away from three ditchings. (Or whatever the dry-land equivalent term would be. They weren't exactly forced landings). He didn't just survive them, but apparently did not even require significant medical attention. He made himself a test-pilot for crash-worthiness, with far better results than I would have imagined. In a way, it reinforces what everyone says about flying a forced landing until everything stops moving, not worrying about trying to protect the airframe, and to never lose hope or give it up for lost.

On the other hand, I think I'd focus on stealing planes with BRS, myself

No argument from me that the kid doesn't deserve justice. But, the public loves folks who are top of whatever endeavor you care to name. I wouldn't walk across the street to see a top sports star, I think this little turd deserves to be punished severely, but the public seems to like both. As far as eluders of the law go, the kid is pretty good. In the spirit of Bonny and Clyde.

Given who the public has elected as our government officials, I guess I'm not surprised at all.

tom

To make matters worse, while the dumb ass sits in prison his mother will probably be getting rich off his book and movie deals. To bad there's not a way to make sure no one profits off his criminal adventures.

If he broke into my home, there would be many holes in his story.
what a puke looser

Interesting comments about this punk on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Colton-Harris-Moore-Is-a-Criminal-Not-a-Hero/110805615598176?v=wall

Ok, I think I'm done wasting my typing/thoughts about this scum bag!! I sure hope his roomie "Rufus" has his way with him!! I'm sure (or hope) that he'll be somebody's little bitch in the pen!!

I love it when the numb nuts on the news say he taught himself to fly using video games.... Any chimpanzee can take off and fly straight but try to land and it;s a whole nother ball game...hasn't got the no how or probably the intelligence to learn or know how to land, which explains the crashed stolen aircraft... even the 911 terrorists didn't know how to land but they sure could aim the aircraft....

The reign of pukedom ends

http://www.vancouversun.com/mobile/ipho ... id=3264118

Boys, Boys, Boys. Lets put down the beer and the guns. They caught the little brat and he will be paying for what he did.

I had a lot that I used to store my equipment on. I would get robbed or windows broken out almost monthly for a couple of years. One night I was so pissed off that I took the Mossberg 12 gauge and was going to spend every night down there till I shot and buried the little SOB's fifteen feet down with my backhoe. On the way down to my lot it occurred to me that I really didn't want to shoot someones kid for just being an asshole. I still got robbed and vandalized but decided it was just another expense of being in business. A lot easier to deal with when you realize you can't change the world by blowing some kid away.

Maybe a lot of you here are such Angels that you don't need a plane to fly. I'm not. My friends and I might have spent a few nights driving around in cars that we had no idea who owned. At fifteen I could hotwire almost any car made. I didn't come from a bad family, I lived in the nice part of town and my parents were both Teachers and very religious, but I was a hellion.

I am in no way condoning what this kid did or what I did for that matter. I can just tell you that life is a long time and people do change. Me, my kids, grand kids, the kids I taught in church and in boy scouts are probably really glad I never ran into one of you guys and your guns. This kid is only 19 years old. If you guys have teenagers you know they don't always make the best decisions but they will grow out of it.

This kid has a lot of time left in his life and I am sure the next few years are going to be a real eye opener and a time to reevaluate his life. Jesus said "let him without sin cast the first stone" Well that sure isn't me! Like I said, I am not condoning his actions but I do hope all the best for the kid and hope he pulls his head out of his butt.

Jerry

For someone that was so willing to be plastered on FB and show his mug, what's with the bowed head in the video clip. Maybe it's settling in that he is screwed. And what's with all the fire power and kevlar? Pony show I'm sure, but more realistic had he been paraded in the Northwest in the area where he committed the crimes.

Jerry,
I've been one of those calling for his head too, but have also done some pretty dumbass things in my life, many of which I'm lucky to have survived.

I guess I AM pretty annoyed by the folks making him out tp be a hero, though... I'd be pretty pissed if he wrecked my airplane.

-Bill

There have been quite a few times when I should have been taken out behind the hangar and beaten, but the older pilots at the airport chose not to. So after reading jaerl's post I would have to agree on some aspects... First, don't kill a 19 year old unless he's really done something that harmed or killed people... and second, make sure he pays correctly for what he has done.

What he did somehow managed to not raise the specter of terrorism, or wiping out elected officials, etc. It easily could have, but luckily it didn't. So we can be upset and make an example out of him to some degree, but we can't punish him as though he wrecked all of our ability to fly. Worst case scenario is that this results in more people putting chain locks on their control yokes, or "The Club" or something like that.

Unfortunately, what happens during the time he serves in jail will likely be punishment enough and then some. The lawsuits where the victims go after his movie rights money and book deal money are perfectly valid... anything he profits from should become restitution for the victims.

Bill

RDUStinson wrote:Jerry,
I've been one of those calling for his head too, but have also done some pretty dumbass things in my life, many of which I'm lucky to have survived.

I guess I AM pretty annoyed by the folks making him out tp be a hero, though... I'd be pretty pissed if he wrecked my airplane.

-Bill

Dammit Jerry! Now I have to put my beer down and I just got it opened.
Have to agree with Bill here. Or if he broke into my house and helped himself to whatever. Whatever happens, he'll be out of commission for a while. I just hope, for all of us, he gets his act together. It's going to be a lot tougher with a record over his head now but he brought it on himself.

Looks like all of you that wanted this poor abused youth to be rehabilitated are getting your wishes. Even though this young punk has stolen millions of dollars worth of other people's property, trashing boats and planes across the country and now in a foreign country, the saga continues. I was originally thrilled that he was caught by the Bahama's police, something that the US was unable to do.

Now I see that he pled guilty to a misdemeanor, illegal landing, and got fined $300 dollars OR 90 days in jail. This horrible sentence after illegaly entering the country with a stolen plane he crashed, breaking into buildings, stealing another $300,000 boat, having the police shoot holes in very expensive outboard engines to stop his flight from law enforcement, AND waving and shooting an illegal handgun in front of the police!!! Boy does the crime really warrant such horrible treatment??

For those that say "but for the grace of - - - go I", I find it depressing if any could justify his 2yr crime spree to "just bad decisions". This guy is a poster child for many of the ills of our present society. Now his trailer trash mother will be using her celebrety lawyer to make deals to enrich herself and the little prick. I can only hope that the criminal process will take every stinking cent this family earns to pay off the dept he has created for himself at other's expense.

The final straw is that the US Government is going to pay the $300 to get him released!!! Incredible. I am having a cocktail and start plotting out my camping trip this weekend-NO TV WHERE I AM GOING!

FloatFlyer wrote:The final straw is that the US Government is going to pay the $300 to get him released!!! Incredible.

Even more incredible, he'll be having a beer in the White House with the Criminal in Chief pretty soon.

Fisherman wrote:

FloatFlyer wrote:The final straw is that the US Government is going to pay the $300 to get him released!!! Incredible.

Even more incredible, he'll be having a beer in the White House with the Criminal in Chief pretty soon.

And even more.......don't forget the expense of transporting that punk back to the U.S. I say, if he can SWIM back to the U.S., he can be a free man.