People Shooting at Airliners?

[MineralMan]

That's new. What's that about?

First, it was Haiti. Now it's Dallas.

I don't remember any planes being hit by rifle bullets here in the USA. Now, I'm hearing about it.

Alarming I think. I wonder who in Dallas shot at a Southwest flight.

[GreenWave]

1. Reminds me of how the USA retaliated against a birthday celebration.

They shot off guns and our guys bombed. Planes were miles high at the time. Bullets do not go that far up.

[MineralMan]

3. I remember that. Not that similar, though.

This Dallas thing was a plane taxiing for takeoff. Easy target, but who was the shooter and why was the aircraft the target? They closed that runway for awhile, but have reopened it. That's all the information I have at this point.

Approach and takeoff patterns around major airports are not protected much at all. If you've ever stopped at the In 'N Out burger just off LAX, you'll understand what I'm saying. It's a popular place to watch takeoffs and landings there. Planes fly over constantly at low altitude. There are plenty of other locations with the same characteristics.

We have just counted on people not firing rifles at planes here in the USA. We count on a lot of things, don't we? I have to wonder.

[Walleye]

4. They got a lot of guns, so they gotta shoot something

[MineralMan]

6. So it seems, eh?

[Walleye]

8. Yeah, what's wrong with clay pigeons, tin cans, they need to destroy something

This I think is a problem we’re having. These young men or boys get a thrill out of doing something that is forbidden. It doesn’t matter if it’s racism, rape, whatever, if it’s forbidden, they want to do it. I think they’re just bored.

[WarGamer]

12. I've plane watched from that In n Out Burger location...

[MineralMan]

13. It's famous. Anytime I get into LAX

around meal time, I drive my rental car over there, have a double double and watch planes. Then it's onto the 405 and head North.

[usonian]

2. People use lasers, possibly blinding pilots, and the FAA is mighty pissed off.

And what can anyone do about it?

How Does The FBI Catch People Who Shine Lasers At Airplanes?
Spoiler: not easily
https://www.popsci.com/can-we-crack-down-aircraft-laser-perpetrators/

[MineralMan]

5. Yes. That has been going on for quite a while.

Guns, not so much. Planes take off and land low over heavily populated places all the time, around the clock.

It's a good thing that not many people own firearms in the USA, huh?

[usonian]

7. If and when it comes to defending my home, it will be a really high power laser.

Guns are too dangerous, and tip off others.

Even tinfoil won't stop one.



Members of the Church of The Flying Spaghetti Monster (FSM) be on notice.

[Igel]

14. A shortcut to "stuff" to my east takes me close to Houston's IAH.

Planes land over that "backroad", maybe 3-400 hundred feet up, maybe a hundred or two more.

Great place for a terrorist with an MPAD to do serious damage--not only would it make a big crash but it would take out a runway.

A lead slug should be able to get that high and hurt ... Cut through a cowling into a turbine, maybe get intercepted by a carbine but maybe hit a gas tank on a wing or slice through fusilage and hit a paying customer.

The US is not a country built for insurgency or truly violent dissidents. It has a large level of societal trust built into it in every way.

[MineralMan]

15. That someone hasn't done that MANPAD thing always surprises me.

Not many of them around, I guess.

[Initech]

9. This is what happens when you give everyone guns and no rules to enforce them.

[MineralMan]

10. So it would seem.

[The Madcap]

11. They're shooting the planes...They're bombing the cars...They're attacking the vehicles of the people who live there.

[dickthegrouch]

16. Shotspotter technology and a rapid response force

Would catch that terrorist real quick. But someone needs to plan it. ReThugs are notoriously inept at planning anything worthwhile.