Not the movies: Prison break with copter

mikea said:
Look for 50 mile no fly zones around all prisons....
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Wow that'd suck for KGRD. The womens prison (which houses Susan Smith, our most famous psychotic idiot) is located adjacent to the airport. I've wondered about it, and have been told that during WWII it was an Army Air Base (which makes sense with the 3 runways, only one of which is still in use..) and the prison was part of that base. Now whether that last part is true, who knows. Maybe it's just easy for transfer purposes to have it next door.

http://maps.google.com/maps?ie=UTF8&hl=en&om=1&z=15&ll=34.250335,-82.15632&spn=0.017134,0.040169&t=k

Far left is the Parkland Golf Club, Center is KGRD, and on the top right is Leath Correctional Institution (Women's - Level 3).

Gotta love the transition from high living to high security.
 
I used to live at Ft Leavenworth. We had the military prison, federal pen, and men's and women's state pens all nearby. Seems like once a week somebody was getting out.

I was in high school one day when someone got loose. Normally, they'd try to steal a car and head back to mom's or girlfriend's house. I got home from school that day, we'd all heard about the escape. Our house was on a hill overlooking some railroad tracks and the river. My mom was telling me about the nice guys in the helicopter who were waving at her. They were flying along the tracks next to the river, about eye level with our front yard. She waved back, they waved back, etc.

I said " Ma, were guys sitting on the floor with their feet hanging out?"
"yes"
"Did the guys sitting on the floor have rifles?"
"yes"
"Were they waving to say hello? or to get back in the house?"
"umm, now that you mention it, it DID look like they were trying to tell me something!"
"Uhh, yeah, you think?"
 
The very same scenario took place in Colorado in the late `80s. Two women hi-jacked a helo to break out their boyfriend/husband. All were eventually caught. The women got ten year sentences.
 
KennyFlys said:
The very same scenario took place in Colorado in the late `80s. Two women hi-jacked a helo to break out their boyfriend/husband. All were eventually caught. The women got ten year sentences.
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Question is, how long were the husband/boyfriends in for? It'd be poetic justice if they were serving some small time like 2 years and the women get 10 years in return for trying to break them out.
 
wbarnhill said:
Question is, how long were the husband/boyfriends in for? It'd be poetic justice if they were serving some small time like 2 years and the women get 10 years in return for trying to break them out.
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I don't remember those details. I can barely find record of it on the web.
 
This exact same thing happened in New Mexico, during a big prison riot in the 80s. Lotsa death on both sides of the cages (guards and inmates). I am not positive, but I think the pilots were caught.
 
Most of the newer joints in NY have cables spanning the big yards. You could still get a copter in, but it's a tighter fit.

We're about a mile from a hospital with a heliport. When the hospital has one coming in, they call us and we notify all towers via radio that a copter will be coming over low.

As far as breaking someone out, we just figure let the copter get him, wait till they're about 100' AGL and try to take it out with the AR15.

Truth be told, once these idiots come to jail, their buddies simply take over their drug trade, hook up with their women, and couldn't care less about breaking them out.
 
On my second solo XC, I flew over the Angie prison. I thought it was fun and ironic! Me flying, being free as a bird! Them, being caged up like an animal! I wanted to rock my wings and laugh, but I'm not a mean person and karma sucks. I also didn't want to get shot down. :)
 
hmmm this is more common than I imagined. Some local pilots tell of a helo pilot from around here who claimed to have been hijacked, forced to land in a prison yard, NM I think, years ago. I will prompt some aged memories for details this week.
 
Let'sgoflying! said:
hmmm this is more common than I imagined. Some local pilots tell of a helo pilot from around here who claimed to have been hijacked, forced to land in a prison yard, NM I think, years ago. I will prompt some aged memories for details this week.
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This is the one. Charles "Cheater" Bella is somewhat of a local legend in these parts.

HELICOPTER PILOT SKYJACKED AND THEN PROSECUTED IN NEW MEXICO
Charles Bella a charter helicopter pilot may be the front runner for the malicious prosecution case of the century. Bella, based in El Paso, Texas took a call at his company for what appeared to be a routine charter call to show some real estate in New Mexico. On July 11, 1988, Bella ferried his "Gazelle" copter to the Santa Fe, New Mexico airport where he met his client. At this point one of the most bizarre cases of skyjacking of record begins to unfold, followed by one of the most bizarre cases of malicious prosecution of the skyjacking victim ever recorded.

Bella landed the Gazelle at the Santa Fe airport. Beverly Shoemaker identifying herself as secretary of real estate group boarded the helicopter. After getting airborne, Shoemaker pulled a gun and skyjacked the copter. She informed Bella they would be flying to the state penitentiary to assist in a prisoner escape. Bella at gunpoint landed the copter in the prison yard where three inmates boarded. The overloaded copter barely lifted above the prison fence in takeoff. Bella, still at gunpoint flew south to the city of Albuquerque, New Mexico. At this point Bella was handcuffed to the helicopter by one of the inmates. At the direction of his captors, Bella flew to Los Lunas, New Mexico about twenty miles south of Albuquerque. There they landed at the Mid-Valley Air Park. Everyone aboard scrambled off the copter except Bella who remained handcuffed to the copter.

At this point the copter was converged upon by special agents. One of the escapees boarded the copter and placed a gun to the head of Bella and ordered him to take off. Bella lifted the copter into the air and was shot at by the special agents with one round hitting the Gazelle. A forty five minute chase ensued with special agents in copter. The chase was joined by New Mexico State police in their copter. Bella stated a mid-air collision was narrowly averted. Bella landed the Gazelle at Albuquerque International airport. Both the escapee and Bella were taken into custody and transported to the customs office in Albuquerque.

The evidence showed Bella was handcuffed and was the victim of a skyjacking at gunpoint. Unbelievably, Bella was charged by the DA's office with three counts of assisting escape from the penitentiary and conspiracy to assist escape, all felonies under the laws of the State of New Mexico.

On July 22, 1988, after a preliminary hearing, Bella was bound over to stand trial on the charges. On August 24, 1989 a nine day jury trial acquitted Bella of all the charges. Bella filed a civil rights lawsuit on August 24, 1992 against the State of New Mexico and all the parties involved including the lawyer prosecutors who charged him and prosecuted him.
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