Originally Posted by
Sport_Pilot
They suspended some pilot's license tined a couple of operators and pulled the operators license, mostly for poor maintenance, as I recall. One or two were OK but one had one of its aircraft have an engine failure and made an emergency landing at the Air Force base and were examined again, I think I heard they did everything proper but that was hearsay.
What you saw is certainly educational.
The FAA didn't shut down the airport they flew from did they? Only suspended a pilot. And only got the operator of the banner towing for something entirely different. Something they should have caught before from the sound of it. Something they were supposed to be enforcing all along but apparently hadn't.
It appears it took a clamoring crowd of people a lot of complaining to get the FAA off their lawn chairs to get that done.
They really aren't what you'd call a crack enforcement agency. In fact, they're not even a very active bunch. Are we really in imminent danger of losing our fields? and "licenses"? and going to jail or facing huge fines? Is the sky really falling?