Illegal You Say? Sounds like fun to me!

What we need around here is a slightly looney idea for a sunny winter day. Take our minds off mega-airlines and banks, for instance!

So a couple of Minnesota fellows complied with our wish. Hans Meyer, of Burnsville, and his buddy Mike Doherty, of LeSueur, Minn., wanted to go flying yesterday and were captivated by crystal clear views of the Minneapolis skyline. It was around Noon on Monday, January 10. Why not land on Lake Calhoun, park our airplanes on the ice and grab a bite to eat on Lake Street?

Why not, indeed?

When they returned from lunch, along came a couple of spoil sports from the Federal Aviation Administration led by a Minneapolis Parks police officer. Each pilot was issued a citation for not having a permit to land on Lake Calhoun. No federal flight rules were violated, but they bumped headlong into a city ordinance.

The moment of apprehension.

Park Police Capt. Robert Goodsell said that in many areas of the state, landing a plane on a lake is legal and common. "But for us, it causes alarm. The pilots didn't know we had ordinance against that", he said. "They were very apologetic." From the Minneapolis StarTribune, January 11, 2010. Photos by Jennifer Simonson, StarTribune.