Think ‘Holding Out’ is Bad? Try Doing it Without a Pilot Certificate
A pilot involved in a 2021 helicopter crash has been sentenced for flying without a license, pleading guilty to unrelated cases that occurred years prior. Matthew Jones was charged with wire fraud and flying sans airman certificate, and accepted a plea deal for one year of incarceration and 36 months of supervised release. Jones had texted false information to victims he found online, presenting himself as a qualified, licensed, airman and flight instructor.
Municipality Stretches its Might Over Township Airspace
A town in Ohio jailed a commercial pilot recently, following up on a Springfield Township arrest warrant for a 2019 overflight of a YSU home football game. Christopher Wilkinson was booked into the local Mahoning County Jail on charges of "inducing panic and disorderly conduct" incurred when he flew a Cessna near the press box and Stambaugh stadium lights in full view of the audience. His ultimate stay in jail was likely worsened by his failure to appear in court for a trial on his charges last November.
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