Hallo Jim,
Wednesday February 11 1998 14:26, Rob Hageman schrieb an Jim Sanders:
 JS>> -+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+
 JS>> -- I believe that most of the American troops in these foreign
 JS>> areas would much rather be home in the good old U.S.A.   We have
 JS>> fought their battles and protected them for the fifty three years
 JS>> since the end of WW II.  Maybe the American debt would not be so
 JS>> great if we had the money spend pulling other's tails out of a
 JS>> crack.  I do not remember any Italians protesting the thousands
 JS>> of aircraft and millions of American men there in 1943, 44, & 45.
 JS>> We were not on a picnic. Jim ===
Well I don't know if you would appriciate beeing dropped 100m out of the sky 
only because some hotshot pilot chopped a supporting wire. You might want to 
remember that Italy is NOT at war with anyone at this time, and the SFOR is 
only responsible for the former Juguslavia, which is NOT located in the Alps. 
especially not in preffered tourist regions.
I know the Region, I've been skiing there before, I'm NOT amused. Especially 
not as low flying in the area is prohibited by Italian officials. Even though 
the pilot did not know it, it just *might* be a good idea to inform oneself 
of the airspace one is flying in. If I flew over the white house my ass 'd be 
kicked no matter if I claimed the prohibited airspace was not known to me, 
because it wasn't marked on the map I made for the area.
Now as you might know, the Luftwaffe trains its Pilots somewhere in the US, 
beeing trained to help protect the Nato and not to have to relay on heroic 
Americans. Just recently I 've seen a report on CNN in which the locals in 
the area protested against low flying Tornados- in the middle of nowhere as I 
would put it.
Now if low flying in Nations at peace does have to be done, then I would 
think that it should be done in areas where the danger to civilians is at a 
minimum, or where only few people are effected.
Right we are not at a picknick, but we are not at war either. If you can't 
accept that accidents should be held at a minimum, than I wonder what is 
worse, being slaughtered by enemies or being killed by "frindly fire" 
-personally, I prefer the enemies, 'cause I can shoot back!
Oh, by the way: Did you know that the russians claimed to be a protection 
force in the GDR? It's not that i'm not glad to have been saved from that 
kind of protection, by the americans. I really apreciated them here in 
Berlin, but they didn't often kill people accidently. Quite the oppsite. The 
berlin brigade generals were quite strict with misbehavors as I have heard 
it. Maybe living only 2 km away from a nuclear power does affect morale 
somehow.
But as the only war I have participated in was the cold war, and the only 
attacks I have ever made on a real foe was throwing dead cats and other trash 
over the Berlin wall -hoping to hit a not existent mine- as a kid, my point 
of view might be a bit soft. On the other hand, its quite easy talking about 
"Picnics" while one is some 10 000 km away from it, and quite save from being 
affected by them.
So long,
        Ulf!
EMAIL: kilo@iname.com
CHECK: http://www2.rz.hu-berlin.de/~h0444tzt/fly
... I know engineers, they LOVE to change things!
--- DIG IN!
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