Unlicensed Pilot Was Flying An Unregistered Plane

It was a stunt that harkened back to the old barnstorming days when pilots would fly low over a community to entice people to come out to a nearby field for airplane rides. But there were a lot fewer regulations back then.

A modern-day barnstormer ran afoul of the law and had his M-Squared Breese2 LSA on floats confiscated by the Monroe County (FL) Sheriff's Office after he buzzed a group of boaters anchored on a sandbar near Islamorada, FL at an altitude of about 25 feet on September 14, then landed and offered the boaters rides for "three 20 dollar bills."

Turns out not only did the "pilot" not have a commercial certificate allowing him to offer flights for compensation, he didn't even have a private or Light Sport certificate.

He compounded his offences by flying an unregistered airplane.

WJTV in Miami reports that he might have gotten away with it, but he was observed by a vacationing FAA inspector, who made a report to the FAA Aviation Security Office in Miami.

The Monroe County Sheriff's Office confiscated the airplane, and charged 46-year-old John Walsh with possessing an unregistered aircraft and operating it in a careless manner. Other charges are pending.

Walsh, who said his primary income is from "resort investments," said he was offering the rides "for fun."

(Monroe County Sheriff's Office photo)

FMI: www.faa.gov, www.keysso.net