"American Border Patrol" 206 gets the full F-16 treatment

mikea

mikea

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A recent international airspace incident involved a critic of the government’s illegal-immigration policies and two F-16 fighter jets.

Glenn Spencer, head of the American Border Patrol, apparently triggered a security trip wire on Jan. 15 as he was flying from El Paso, Texas, in a Cessna 206.

...

“I was monitoring the progress of the government in securing our border, and I was intercepted by an F-16!” Spencer stated ...

His letter continued, “I thought I was going to die! He (F-16 pilot) made two passes within 100 feet of me!”

...
The fighter intercept surprised Spencer, who for 18 months has been flying his amateur surveillance missions along the U.S.-Mexico border without incident.

http://www.svherald.com/articles/2008/02/10/news/doc47ae93934465a963809470.txt
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He's been doing it for 18 months and he never heard to monitor 121.5?

I guess this really proves how poorly patrolled the border is, huh?
 
Its okay! There's no threat from the south, Mike.
 
mikea said:
He's been doing it for 18 months and he never heard to monitor 121.5?

I guess this really proves how poorly patrolled the border is, huh?
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I read the article your link took me to. Nowhere did it say Spencer was not monitoring the 121.50 guard frequency.

And that leads me to believe you have an agenda...so why not come out and divulge that?

As far as the poor patrolling of the border (I beleive you were being sarcastic but let's be truthful) the statistics provided by none other than ICE support the fact that the border IS poorly patrolled.

That is not the root problem. The problem is a criminal element crossing this porous border en masse while the Feds fiddle.
 
Richard said:
I read the article your link took me to. Nowhere did it say Spencer was not monitoring the 121.50 guard frequency.
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I just re-read it and, while it didn't state so explicitly, it did say that he was surprised by the intercept and that he initially thought that the F-16 just didn't see him. That's not the response you'd expect if he were monitorin Guard.

Additionally, there are some things that make me think that he's not the best person to be flying around the ADIZ, since he displays some anti-authoritarian attitudes, and seems to take a lackadaisical attitude to flying in the area.
On this particular flight, Christie was in the right-hand seat, and Spencer was in the captain’s chair on the left. Spencer said at the time of the F-16 encounter, he was letting Christie fly the plane and was teaching him dead-reckoning, which is a low-tech method of navigation that estimates one’s position by calculating direction and distance traveled.

Christie is a novice, Spencer said, “and we weren’t paying a lot of attention.”

Spencer said it is possible the craft strayed into Mexico, but he has often brushed the border in the past. He did it consciously on Oct. 19 when he flew from Bisbee to Douglas, made a 180-degree turn, flying above Agua Prieta, then cruised along the border on the Mexican side on an uneventful journey back to Bisbee.
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(emphasis mine)
 
Grant, WRT monitoring guard. My take is Spencer set himself up to be surprised. He freely admits he had crossed the border on previous flights and nothing happened (he wasn't intercedpted). So, I think his perception (based on his past experience) was nothing was going to happen so he was surprised when it did. My opinion given Spencer's behaviors, whether he was monitoring guard is rather moot.

My concern to Mike was the assumption that Spencer was not. We roast the media for too much speculation or just plain getting it wrong yet here we are doing the same. And my contention is Mike has an agenda which is not so much about Spencer's behaviors as it is about the larger issue of securing our borders.

And yes, especially given Spencer's familiarity with the area and his total time, his behaviors leave something to be desired.
 
Richard said:
He freely admits he had crossed the border on previous flights and nothing happened (he wasn't intercedpted). ..
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Evidently he has 3 pictures on his site of previous encounters.

It's very likely instead of him complaining that the interception was some kind of harassment, it's more likely that the only reason he wasn't forced down to be taken out of the plane in cuffs was because they DID recognize who he was and gave him a pass.

Who had the story about being arrested on landing back home just because they made a quick turnaround stop at a U.S. airport *close* to the border?
 
mikea said:
Evidently he has 3 pictures on his site of previous encounters.

It's very likely instead of him complaining that the interception was some kind of harassment, it's more likely that the only reason he wasn't forced down to be taken out of the plane in cuffs was because they DID recognize who he was and gave him a pass.

Who had the story about being arrested on landing back home just because they made a quick turnaround stop at a U.S. airport *close* to the border?
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Yeah, I got the feeling that he was banking on their familiarity with him to keep him out of hotwater no matter his behaviors. Basically, my reading is he assumed he had a Get Out Of Jail Free card.

The flight of which you speak was some kids on their way to Baja. They turned back to their departure aprt just north of San Diego. Too bad they were just over the border when they turned back. They returned to the departure aprt because in the pilot's mind it was the most suitable field.
 
Richard said:
Yeah, I got the feeling that he was banking on their familiarity with him to keep him out of hotwater no matter his behaviors.
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Isn't that the sort of technique that a terrorist might use, except instead of expecting a get out of jail free card, they expect the guard to be lowered? :dunno:
 
They sure stopped one US registered pilot from breaking the international border laws. Two fighters, four cop cars, three Border patrol agents, a few customs, and the sheriff.

Sure would like to see all that power set to work on catching criminals coming over by the millions.

Spencer sounds like a first class azz. He should be prosecuted for violating the border excursion law. Followed by prosecution of all the rest of those that violate the border every day.
 
Good morning everyone.

I have a few comments. Before Glenn Spencer takes off on a flight, there are several governmental agencies he contacts. He flies regular routes along the border and has been doing so since 2002. He is fully aware of all regulations regarding his flights and works closely with Borders and Customs Agencies as well as the FAA to maintain within those regulations.

Mike Christie was not flying the plane. Glenn Spencer was talking to Mike Christie about varius issues that have to do with flying planes. Spencer is an excellent pilot with many years of experience.

If you have any questions, please, ask him directly.

glenn@americanpatrol.com

You may also visit the websites to learn more about his flights along the border.

http://www.americanpatrol.com/REFERENCE/BorderHawkM-Photo.html
www.americanborderpatrol.com
www.americanpatrol.com
http://www.americanpatrol.com/08-FEATURES/080212-USAF-BUGS-ABP/080212_Feature.html

It's much easier than trying to make assumptions based on what the journalists have written.

Thank you all for your time and have a wonderful day.
 
BorderDweller said:
Good morning everyone.

I have a few comments. Before Glenn Spencer takes off on a flight, there are several governmental agencies he contacts. He flies regular routes along the border and has been doing so since 2002. He is fully aware of all regulations regarding his flights and works closely with Borders and Customs Agencies as well as the FAA to maintain within those regulations.

Mike Christie was not flying the plane. Glenn Spencer was talking to Mike Christie about varius issues that have to do with flying planes. Spencer is an excellent pilot with many years of experience.

If you have any questions, please, ask him directly.

glenn@americanpatrol.com

You may also visit the websites to learn more about his flights along the border.

http://www.americanpatrol.com/REFERENCE/BorderHawkM-Photo.html
www.americanborderpatrol.com
www.americanpatrol.com
http://www.americanpatrol.com/08-FEATURES/080212-USAF-BUGS-ABP/080212_Feature.html

It's much easier than trying to make assumptions based on what the journalists have written.

Thank you all for your time and have a wonderful day.
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Thanks for the info! We're quite used to journalists getting large portions of stories incorrect!
 
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