Posted on 09/22/2001 3:08:14 PM PDT by Reagan Man
Sources tell TIME that U.S. officials suspect that bin Laden conspirators may have been planning to disperse biological or chemical agents from cropdusting planes
Saturday, Sep. 22, 2001
New York -- U.S. law enforcement officials have found a manual on the operation of cropdusting equipment while searching suspected terrorist hideouts, government sources tell TIME magazine in an issue out on Monday, Sept. 24th.
The discovery has added to concerns among government counterterrorism experts that the bin Laden conspirators may have been planning — or may still be planning —to disperse biological or chemical agents from a cropdusting plane normally used for agricultural purposes.
Among the belongings of suspected terrorist Zacarias Moussaoui, sources tell TIME, were manuals showing how to operate cropdusting equipment that could be used to spray fast-killing toxins into the air.
The discovery resulted in the grounding of all cropdusters nationwide on Sunday Sept. 16th. The dusters have been allowed back up, but are not allowed to take off or land from what traffic controllers refer to as Class B airspace, or the skies around major cities.
One senior official cautions that because corroborative evidence is lacking the FBI does not place "high credibility" in the notion that the hijackers were in fact exploring the idea of stealing or renting cropdusters. However, the FBI is advising members of a crop-dusters' group to report any suspicious buys of dangerous chemicals in the wake of last week's terrorist attacks.
Last week, the National Agricultural Aviation Association, a crop dusters trade group, posted a message from the FBI to its membership: "Members should be vigilant to any suspicious activity relative to the use, training in or acquisition of dangerous chemicals or airborne application of same including threats, unusual purchases, suspicious behavior by employees or customers, and unusual contacts with the public. Members should report any suspicious circumstances or information to local FBI offices."
This is all right out of my own head. If someone can poke holes in my theory, I'd like to hear that I am wrong.
You can't be serious.
When something is really horrible, an order of magnitude beyond what has been done before, "senior officials" will always choose the path of blissful ignorance.
All FReepers should read "THE PLAGUE" by Albert Camus to understand how our leaders will react to a bio attack.
I think what you are seeing is concern from some (like me!) that we are on a slippery slope of resenting or hating Muslims as a people when far less than 1% of Muslims in this country would ever even condone such activities let alone engage in them.
It is ironic especially since the GOP has traditionally been big supporters of Israeli defense yet Jewish voters vote overwhelmingly for liberal Democrats while Arab Americans are by and large GOP voters.
I know you know the difference between the good guys and the bad guys and most here do. But we have to be careful that we don't let the fact that all the people involved in the attack Israel and attack America network are Middle Easterners because like was the case with Germany there will come a time when we have defeated the true evil network and find that most of the civilians in their sphere of influence loathe these extremists and their militant tactics to undermine moderate and legitimate Arab nations and destroy as many Western institutions and lives as they can.
Maybe because "ragheads" is too politically incorrect to use. I think we all need to hide our towels for the time being.
I think that Osama Bin Laden has an entire range of "weapons" he will release as we punish the terrorists in his end of the world.
While everybody is focusing on American Airlines, the real threat may be Bob's Flying Service.
I don't know what you do about it. If they can hijack an airliner, Bob won't be much problem at all.
How do you have access to the exact number of people involved in this? If you knew before Sept 11 how many were going to kill thousands of Americans, you should not have kept this to yourself. No one yet has been able to tell me how to recognize a terrorist from a nice guy and before Sept 11, by all reports the hijackers were pretty nice guys.
Courses,Curriculum and Cost of Training
The Sam Riggs Agicultural Pilot Training Center, LTD is a working airport. Because the field of aerial application is closely related to the farming industry, we teach you a variety of skills necessary to prepare you to be an invaluable asset to any ag operator. The majority of your training will be on-the-job or what we call "in-the-field" training. That is, actual, hands on mechanical and flight training. You will learn about entomology (the branch of zoology that deals with insects), chemical safety, labels, laws that pertain to pesticides, mixing, storage of chemical, aircraft care and maintenance, calibrating your spray aircraft, flagging a field, aircraft maneuvers, field entry and departure, and much more. Textbooks published by the United States Department of Agriculture are provided.
Private Pilot Course: The private pilot course is offered to beginning pilots whose ultimate goal is completion of their commercial license and their ag pilot sign off. The course consists of the minimum FAA requirement of 40 hours of flight time and instruction. All flying except the required nose gear training will be done in tail dragger aircraft in order to give the student experience applicable to aerial application.
Cost: $3,500.00 USD.
Commercial Pilot Course: The commercial pilot course is offered to all pilots holding a current private pilot's license and consists of the minimum FAA requirement of 250 hours. Completion by a student of their commercial pilot training at our facility will allow the student to enter the Fixed Wing Short Course without the prerequisite 1000 hours total time as the majority of the student's commercial training will be done in tail dragger aircraft thus making him proficient to enter the Short Course directly upon graduation of the commercial pilot exam.
Cost: $13,500.00 USD.
Fixed Wing Ag Short Course: This agricultural pilot training course has a prerequisite of 1000 hours total time. Twenty hours of instructional and flight time will be given in the following aircraft: 5 hours Piper Cub, Aeronca Champ, 5 hours Cessna 140, 10 hours Cessna 188 Ag Wagon Cropduster and/or Piper Pawnee Hutcherson Conversion Cropduster.
Cost: $5,500.00 USD.
Fixed Wing Ag Long Course: This course is required if the pilot has less than 1000 logged hours total time. Thirty hours of instructional and flight time will be given in the following aircraft: 5 hours Piper Cub, Aeronca Champ, 5 hours Cessna 140, 20 hours Cessna 188 Ag Wagon Cropduster and/or Piper Pawnee Hutcherson Conversion Cropduster.
Cost: $6,800.00 USD.
Short Heavy Ag Course: This course is available to all graduates of the Fixed Wing Ag Long Course. It is an add on course that gives the student an additional 5 hours of flight time in the radial engine bi-plane, the Grummon Ag Cat.
Cost: $2,250.00 USD.
Super Ag Long Course: This is our most popular course and consists of 50 guaranteed hours. The Fixed Wing Long Course is included in the Super Ag course with the addition of 10 more hours in the Ag Wagon or Piper Pawnee Hutcherson Conversion Cropdusters and 5 hours in the radial engine bi-plane, the Grummon Ag Cat.
Cost: $9,500.00 USD.
(USD=US Dollars)
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