Much Reported Flight Through "Restricted" Airspace Seems to Have Only Busted LGA's

The GA world got another black eye this week as a Mooney M20C, piloted by Richard Langone, 47, of Atlantic Beach, Long Island, was caught circling the Statue of Liberty and violating a airspace in the New York City area. General media outlets glommed the story up, made us all look like fools, and the pilot's statement of having been "confused," sure didn't help the matter.

Langone's errant adventure left Republic Airport sometime around noon on the 28th with three friends aboard the single engine Mooney. The flight proceeded North to Sky Acres Airport in Poughkeepsie before "following the Hudson River" down the west side of Manhattan and running afoul as he got confused, and transgressed by flying over the Whitestone Bridge and down the East River toward Laguardia... which is when all hell broke loose.

Warned that he was violating LGA airspace (while over the East River), Langone told controllers that he was going to head back to Republic but, instead, upon passing the Brooklyn Bridge, he decided to fly a lap around the Statue of Liberty (not the smartest thing to do after busting someone's airspace) and then proceeded toward the Verrazano where he was intercepted by NYPD aerial assets before arriving at Republic where a number of Law Enforcement types were waiting and pointing machine guns in his general direction.

While the number and severity of his violations are still being investigated, the resulting backlash has already resulted in several political personalities weighting in, in favor of additional restrictions for GA. "Perhaps in today's environment, the issue of flying near major landmarks should be revisited," said NYPD Deputy Police Commissioner Michael O'Looney.

Thanks for that, Mr. Langone...

Langone, an investment banker, has reportedly been flying for a year and a half, and according to FAA and DHS officials, certainly faces some penalties for his errant flight, though the GA community may wind up paying the lion's share of the penalties for his so-called "confusion."

Let's be careful out there, folks...

FMI: www.faa.gov, www.dhs.gov