https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/18904800/mystery-plane-crosses-six-nato-countries-triggers-army-jets/
(I know, it's not exactly "American" news...)
(I know, it's not exactly "American" news...)
Straight outta 007 movie
- Thread starter Hengelo
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Pilawt
Final Approach
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Pilawt
So it was a "60 year-old two-seater" and a "small Beechcraft plane". And they illustrate the article with a photo of a Piper Warrior.
Got it.
In other news ...
Got it.
In other news ...
Tantalum
Final Approach
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San_Diego_Pilot
You guys should check out TheDrive, The WarZone, it gives better reporting on matters like this. TheSun, DailyMail, etc., are some of the worst offenders out there
https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zo...-european-air-defenses-then-its-crew-vanished
Looks like it was this plane.. looks an awful lot like an Aztec to me
From the article
"
..
The kind of plane used to carry out this dramatic excursion has been debated. While the majority of European news coverage is reporting it to be a two-seated, twin-engine Beechcraft plane, Lithuanian media has cited what they are claiming to be the plane’s official registration number. The LRT.It article claims that it was registered as LY-LOO, which is a registration number held by the 1962 PA-23-250 Aztec aircraft manufactured by Piper Aircraft but is apparently no longer valid. In the image posted at the top of this story and by Bulgarian TV via Euractiv.com, the plane in question looks exactly like an Aztec.
..
LRT.It also spoke to Bronius Zaronskis, pilot and director of Nida Air Park in Lithuania, who claims that he had recently sold the aircraft to an undisclosed organization. He notes that prior to the sale, three foreign men came to inspect the aircraft, one of which was communicating with Zaronskis in Russian. He said he did not manage to record their names.
“They were not Lithuanians. I cannot say which country they were from, maybe Ukrainians, maybe Romanians, or Bulgarians. One man and I communicated with each other in Russian…I don’t know the names of these men. I wasn’t interested,” Zaronskis told LRT.lt.
“I sold it and said goodbye to that plane. I was trying to sell it for many years. I had nowhere to put it, so I am glad that they bought it...I don’t remember which organization bought it. It was written in a foreign language,” Zaronskis added.
..
"
https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zo...-european-air-defenses-then-its-crew-vanished
Looks like it was this plane.. looks an awful lot like an Aztec to me
From the article
"
..
The kind of plane used to carry out this dramatic excursion has been debated. While the majority of European news coverage is reporting it to be a two-seated, twin-engine Beechcraft plane, Lithuanian media has cited what they are claiming to be the plane’s official registration number. The LRT.It article claims that it was registered as LY-LOO, which is a registration number held by the 1962 PA-23-250 Aztec aircraft manufactured by Piper Aircraft but is apparently no longer valid. In the image posted at the top of this story and by Bulgarian TV via Euractiv.com, the plane in question looks exactly like an Aztec.
..
LRT.It also spoke to Bronius Zaronskis, pilot and director of Nida Air Park in Lithuania, who claims that he had recently sold the aircraft to an undisclosed organization. He notes that prior to the sale, three foreign men came to inspect the aircraft, one of which was communicating with Zaronskis in Russian. He said he did not manage to record their names.
“They were not Lithuanians. I cannot say which country they were from, maybe Ukrainians, maybe Romanians, or Bulgarians. One man and I communicated with each other in Russian…I don’t know the names of these men. I wasn’t interested,” Zaronskis told LRT.lt.
“I sold it and said goodbye to that plane. I was trying to sell it for many years. I had nowhere to put it, so I am glad that they bought it...I don’t remember which organization bought it. It was written in a foreign language,” Zaronskis added.
..
"
steingar
Taxi to Parking
Weird. Sacrifice an Aztec for a European joyride. Maybe they were hauling some kind of contraband like drugs or fake vaccine cards. Still easier (and cheaper) with a big car.
Sounds like something or someone needed to be extracted fast. I guess Don Johnson wasn’t available.
Yeah, even worse reporting than usual. It gets described as a two-seater, a twin engine, a beechcraft. It gets pictures of various things from single engine planes to F16s accompanying the article from stock files. It's definitely an Aztec. That picture above is of the aircraft in question apparently. Some of the other news sources show the same plane taken from other angles at its final resting place.
Sounds like a slow news day.
Some people flew a GA plane without a bunch of government permission slips, landed for fuel and carried on. Hard to really get worked up over this nothing burger, hope they had a good flight.
Some people flew a GA plane without a bunch of government permission slips, landed for fuel and carried on. Hard to really get worked up over this nothing burger, hope they had a good flight.
Russians checking the NATO air defense reaction to airspace violation. A very old technique that they have used in nearly all parts of the world near their borders.
Unusual in that they bought an old Piper, and sacrificed it by abandoning it in a foreign airport, but not a very expensive one. The interceptors probably burned more dollars in fuel than they paid for the plane.
Interception by helicopter gun ships would have had a very different outcome, as they would have ben right there when the Piper landed, and the "Crew" would have had a hard time disappearing at an abandoned airport.
Unusual in that they bought an old Piper, and sacrificed it by abandoning it in a foreign airport, but not a very expensive one. The interceptors probably burned more dollars in fuel than they paid for the plane.
Interception by helicopter gun ships would have had a very different outcome, as they would have ben right there when the Piper landed, and the "Crew" would have had a hard time disappearing at an abandoned airport.