JWilsonphoto
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The internet sure has become a way to turn fiction into fact. Politically there are idiots on both sides that throw out some outrageous story, with no shred of fact in it, and pretty soon it becomes reality. I'm sure many of you have seen the e-mail alerting the reader that things have gotten so out of hand in the US that "In God We Trust" has been removed from our coins. There's a silver dollar image on the email and the phrase is not there. Complete BS, fabricated to get Christians and or conservatives all in an uproar. Then everyone who passes it on looks like an idiot because it isn't true at all.
I personally have begun to research anything that I hear before I get worked up about it, or repeat it. You all remember the discussion a few pages back re: the photographer at Addison airport in North Dallas. The story indicated that he was where he was supposed to be with full approval and he was accosted by Addison officers, guns drawn and ultimately handcuffed. Well, as the late great Paul Harvey would say, stay tuned for "The rest of the story...".
The photographer was there to take photographs of the B-24 for an article in The Dallas Observer, a local free weekly newspaper that sits on racks in grocery stores, etc. Reliable sources at the airport tell me that he had spoken with the 24 crew and was approved to shoot photographs from a specific ramp during an early morning training operation. The photographer not only strayed from that area, but crossed an active taxiway and the active runway in search of his shots. Addison airport is an extremely busy GA airport with hundreds of arrivals and departures daily from Cessna 150's to 737's and everything in between. The airport is situated in the center of a dense population, both business and residential. The Addison police don't have any room for error as far as their airport security responsibilities go, because one or two people with mal intent could do a great deal of damage in a short time. If the account relayed to me is anywhere near accurate, and I have no reason to doubt it, the photographer is lucky he didn't get a free cavity search and an orange jumpsuit for a day or two.
TKI is considerably more laid back than Addison, traffic wise, but I can assure you that anyone crossing an active taxiway, much less a runway, without prior approval from the city and ATC, along with constant communication with ATC, would have his nose in the dirt in very short order. I've always found the Addison officers to be very nice, but they take their responsibility seriously in a post 9/11 environment.
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