Faces Two Months In Jail

A Florida-based helicopter pilot faces up to two months in prison after pleading guilty to a slew of charges connected to an incident last November.

As ANN reported, Ronald John Davis, Jr. was accused of flying erratically while giving rides at the Suffolk (VA) Peanut Fest. A family who flew with the pilot told authorities they smelled alcohol onboard during their flight... and the head of the local airport authority said Davis' helicopter flew approximately 20-30 feet over parked cars, performing maneuvers he called dangerously acrobatic.

Davis, the operator of Good Time Helicopters in Naples, FL, was later arrested by police for flying under the influence. The pilot allegedly failed a field sobriety test, and later blew a 0.116 BAC -- nearly three times the legal limit for pilots. He blew a .07 a few hours after the flights... still above the FAA's .04 maximum.

The pilot, who told the court he had over 13,000 hours flying experience, had prior history of alcohol abuse, and no record of past FAA enforcement actions.

This week, Davis pleaded guilty to child abuse and neglect in connection with his flights, reports WBBH-2, as part of a plea agreement with prosecutors. He was also charged with reckless operation of an aircraft... but charges of operating the helicopter under the influence were dropped, as was a second child abuse charge.

Davis will be sentenced November 13. While the term of his jail sentence, of any, remains up in the air... Davis will be ground-bound for five years, forbidden by the FAA from serving as PIC.

FMI: www.faa.gov