Tires Slashed in Alaska

Tom-D said:
Do you have any idea how long the waiting list is at Merrill? and there is no room for hangars in down town Anchorage.

https://www.google.com/maps/place/A...dba5aa78468e3!8m2!3d61.2180556!4d-149.9002778
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Oh I see, the only place on the planet where airplane tires could possibly get slashed is Merrill, Ak? Good to know. Still, on the off chance something like this could happen elsewhere in the world, I will still give my opinion that a hangar is worth the money to those living everywhere else in the world. Is a hangar really worth it? Yes.
 
MAKG1 said:
Probably, but not necessarily.

Some people like to cause mayhem just for the heck of it.
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Seriously? This is pretty organized, methodical mayhem just for the heck of it. Most likely this was a group of people and not just one random bitter kid. That might be as many as 261 tires to slash, maybe more. That's quite a job for one lone weirdo.
 
Dav8or said:
Seriously? This is pretty organized, methodical mayhem just for the heck of it. Most likely this was a group of people and not just one random bitter kid. That might be as many as 261 tires to slash, maybe more. That's quite a job for one lone weirdo.
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Where is your inside information? There is no reported evidence that it was methodical, and one person can easily slash 200 tires in an hour or two. It only takes a second each.
 
MAKG1 said:
Where is your inside information? There is no reported evidence that it was methodical, and one person can easily slash 200 tires in an hour or two. It only takes a second each.
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Apparently I lead a sheltered life. What type of instrument or technique does one use to slash through a tire in one second? (serious question)
 
GRG55 said:
Apparently I lead a sheltered life. What type of instrument or technique does one use to slash through a tire in one second? (serious question)
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Axe. Nice sharp little hatchet. Wack! Done.
 
Police found a folding hunting knife at the gravel strip parking area. No word whether that's been identified as the tool used or not.

Many of us with Bushwheels use covers to protect from UV exposure. Some guys use fabric slip-ons and some build plywood boxes with steps that double as fueling platforms. Both were moved or removed so tires could be cut. In some cases the covers were replaced. That's not typical vandal behavior.

I've been told that Avemco has waived the deductible for victims of the vandalism.
 
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Stewartb said:
Police found a folding hunting knife at the gravel strip parking area. No word whether that's been identified as the tool used or not.

difficult to connect that to the crime, even with finger prints, way too many folks carry and loose their knives.

Many of us with Bushwheels use covers to protect from UV exposure. Some guys use fabric slip-ons and some build plywood boxes with steps that double as fueling platforms. Both were moved or removed so tires could be cut. In some cases the covers were replaced. That's not typical vandal behavior.

Nope, that's some selling tires

I've been told that Avemco has waived the deductible for victims of the vandalism.
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Way to go Avemco.

turns out, I'm a poet and didn't know it. :)
 
Hopefully they catch them and put them behind bars for a long time. If the names are made public, then it would not be in their best interest to remain in Alaska long.
 
My theory is some bush pilots already found him//her/them...Some bush justice occurred... Now the authorities will never find who did it...
 
From the news report-

Asked why the FBI has joined the investigation, Oistad said "they offered and we accepted.
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He should have said, "Because it is a federal felony to screw with airplanes, even the itty bitty ones." The FBI should have been there day one.

“It seems like this was an organized crime. It doesn’t seem like it was a one-off, random event. These aren’t the same type of people who would slash tires on a car," said Chris Palmer, a Homer pilot.
"They knew exactly what type of damage they were doing and they did it on a very large scale," he said.
Palmer said he doesn’t know why small planes at Merrill Field were vandalized but many pilots share a theory.
“Everyone thinks it’s a group of people who did it and they don’t think it was random. They think aviation was specifically targeted and they think that it might have to do with the fact that a lot of these pilots fly back into the Bush and there might be an environmental pushback to these guys flying in the backcountry,” Palmer said.
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It seems as though the local pilots that actual live there agree with my theory posted earlier and maybe I'm not just a reactionary and full of it??
 
Somedudeintn said:
Hopefully they catch them and put them behind bars for a long time. If the names are made public, then it would not be in their best interest to remain in Alaska long.
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A felony record is something to brag about in the bush. I used to fly into one village that 75% of the population had a least one felony on record. They talk about their jail time as if it was just a summer vacation.
 
Zeldman said:
A felony record is something to brag about in the bush. I used to fly into one village that 75% of the population had a least one felony on record. They talk about their jail time as if it was just a summer vacation.
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Yea but I'd guess that bragging about slashing someone's tires could result in the tire owners finding out and invoking bush justice. Just a guess.
 
Bar talk. This is in Anchorage. No mythical "bush justice" here. You guys watch too much television.
 
iflyvfr said:
Wow, look at all those airplanes! What a senseless act...:(
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Waiting for a flight at the terminal a couple of years ago. I was able to see planes landing and taking off almost constantly there. Seems like I heard the traffic count at Merrill is the busiest in the US for GA. Had a fellow USAF controller that was TDY'd there during the controllers strike in '81, had a blast he said.
 
Thanks. Definitely appears to be the guilty party.
 
Keep us informed. I wonder what will happen if they catch the perpetrator. I don't think the local will take kindly to him/her/them.
 
Maybe he will talk when liquor'ed up? You know, 'two can keep a secret, when one is dead'.
 
Zeldman said:
Right across the street from Merrill Field is one of the parts of Anchorage I avoid like a mad skunk.
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You avoid the Lucky Wishbone? That area didn't seem that bad a couple of years ago.
 
Dav8or said:
From the news report-



He should have said, "Because it is a federal felony to screw with airplanes, even the itty bitty ones." The FBI should have been there day one.


It seems as though the local pilots that actual live there agree with my theory posted earlier and maybe I'm not just a reactionary and full of it??
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I'd be inclined to go with the environmental monkey wrench types. Earth First! has been advocating vandalising aircraft for years. They've even published how to manuals for it. They are pretty indiscrimniate about it as well. I do remember a case where they smashed up a couple of planes in Northern Arizona. The aircraft were dedicated air ambulance planes used by the Navajo.
 
Stewartb said:
Bar talk. This is in Anchorage. No mythical "bush justice" here. You guys watch too much television.
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But tell bubba that you slashed the tires of the plane that was going to drop off his chips, pop and PS3, all hell would come loose.
 
azure said:
"A pair of small airplane tires can run between $3500 and $4000, he noted."

Huh?? :confused: Don't think I've ever paid more than $300-$400.
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Ever bought a set of 3?s from bush wheel?
 
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