Police Escort For Tennessee Takeoff
It’s not every day a pilot gets a police escort for takeoff but a Cessna 172 owned by the East Tennessee Pilots Club had motorcycles and cars with lights blazing…
It’s not every day a pilot gets a police escort for takeoff but a Cessna 172 owned by the East Tennessee Pilots Club had motorcycles and cars with lights blazing for its short hop to Island Home Airport near Knoxville on Wednesday morning. The pilot reportedly made a precautionary landing on I-640 because he was low on fuel. He got it down and off to the shoulder without incident and a friend brought a jerry can. By then they’d attracted quite a crowd, including about 10 law enforcement officers.
The authorities blocked 2,000 feet of freeway and the freshly fueled aircraft lined up in the fast lane and accelerated under an overpass before lifting off uneventfully. It was on the ground for less than an hour.
Russ NilesEditor
Russ Niles is Editor-in-Chief of AVweb. He has been a pilot for 30 years and joined AVweb 22 years ago. He and his wife Marni live in southern British Columbia where they also operate a small winery.
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