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This was bizarre. Tonight about 10 pm, my student had just completed her night training requirements and we were taxiing in to the apron. Suddenly she said, "There's someone out there!"
"What? Where?!" She stopped the Cessna 150 and pointed to the darkness to our left. "He was standing right next to the taxiway and now he is running away."
She started to taxi again. I could not see anything in the darkness. But she kept looking and said, "Now he is running toward us!" She braked to a stop. As I peered out the left side, a young man ran up to the airplane and put his hands on the side of the plane and leered into the cockpit. "GO!" I said, and the student gunned the engine and we surged away from the intruder. (Now I wonder how we avoided hitting him with the horizontal stabilizer, as he had hands on the plane when we shot forward.)
We scurried over to the hangar and left all of our things in the airplane and went inside and locked the door. I called the airport manager, and he and his son arrived a few minutes later and started sweeping the area in their cars looking for anyone. The boss told me to stay put until the cops arrived. After making sure no one was lurking nearby, he told us to come to the FBO office and wait to talk to the city police.
We did the post-lesson paperwork and sat around for maybe 40 minutes, and finally the manager suggested we go home. He had called the police non-emergency number, and it did not seem they would come anytime soon.
I only had a brief look at the guy in the darkness. Made me think of zombie movies. He must have climbed the fence or found a gate he could squeeze through. We both had to think how this could have ended with him walking into the prop.
"What? Where?!" She stopped the Cessna 150 and pointed to the darkness to our left. "He was standing right next to the taxiway and now he is running away."
She started to taxi again. I could not see anything in the darkness. But she kept looking and said, "Now he is running toward us!" She braked to a stop. As I peered out the left side, a young man ran up to the airplane and put his hands on the side of the plane and leered into the cockpit. "GO!" I said, and the student gunned the engine and we surged away from the intruder. (Now I wonder how we avoided hitting him with the horizontal stabilizer, as he had hands on the plane when we shot forward.)
We scurried over to the hangar and left all of our things in the airplane and went inside and locked the door. I called the airport manager, and he and his son arrived a few minutes later and started sweeping the area in their cars looking for anyone. The boss told me to stay put until the cops arrived. After making sure no one was lurking nearby, he told us to come to the FBO office and wait to talk to the city police.
We did the post-lesson paperwork and sat around for maybe 40 minutes, and finally the manager suggested we go home. He had called the police non-emergency number, and it did not seem they would come anytime soon.
I only had a brief look at the guy in the darkness. Made me think of zombie movies. He must have climbed the fence or found a gate he could squeeze through. We both had to think how this could have ended with him walking into the prop.
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