Latest News : FAA

Please Mr President can I Fly my Piper Cub out of Texas to Mexico?

Maurice Kirk — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 03:32:00 GMT

President Barack Obama

The White House

Washington DC

United States of America

17^th March 2009

Dear Sir,

General Patton's WW2 D-Day Piper Cub Reg. G-KIRK

In February last year, about a hundred miles off Haiti, Caribbean, my US army 1943 Piper Cub experienced engine failure and ditched in the sea. For the next three hours I huddled, freezing in a leaky life raft, waist high in water, desperately trying to keep my satellite distress beacon up out of the water!

Just as the sun was going down, expecting to be breakfast for the sharks, I heard the magic drone of a black and red US Coast Guard Jay Hawk helicopter, out of Great Inagua US Air Base, piloted by Julie Kuck with her merry rescue team.

Safely on dry land I quickly bought another aging J3 Piper Cub in Daytona, Florida, in order to carry on my life's dream, a ‘flight around the world'. I had competed in the 2001 London to Sydney Air Race sponsored by a benevolent Arizonian who, having read my web site, laughed so much paid my $50,000 ticket! A world record from Norfolk Island to Brisbane, Australia for a US J3 Cub and then engine failure with a spectacular crash, in Japan, are just a couple of stories in my travels.

Then things in Texas all went, may I suggest, somewhat ‘pear shaped'.

Whilst ‘test flying' my 1946 little yellow Cub out of a field near Houston, Texas, before setting off for the Falkland Islands, South America, I decided to thank Commander in Chief of US Coast Guard for saving my life. The plans were to land near Crawford and walk/taxi into the P49 Restriction Air Traffic Zone and deliver a note, similar to this, at the gate of the Texas residence. President Bush was away at the time.

I was, I believe, quite misunderstood and was arrested and deported back to UK with a suggestion from the US Embassy suggesting I will not be allowed to re enter the United States of America again. The Federal Aviation Authority [enclosed], however, telephoned me personally to assure me my flight, subject to paperwork, landing in farmer Hawkins's field, near Crawford, was no aviation offence.

I humbly request that I may be allowed to retrieve my little Cub in Houston and fly her direct across the Mexican border, one way, in order I may fulfil my dream of flying the Andes and to our British outpost.

Yours faithfully,

Maurice J Kirk BVSc, dob 12.3.45, Marlpits, St Donats Aerodrome, Llantwit Major, Wales CF61 1ZB

PS Enclosed US Pilot's report

To whom it may concern:

Brian Throop of the FAA in Washington D.C stated to me on 6/20/08 via telephone that as far as he knew there were no known airspace infractions or FAA violations made by Mr. Maurice Kirk. I have also spoke with Mr. Throop on several occasions in regards to Mr. Kirk. Tel: (202) 538-9013.

Also on 5/01/08 in taking Mr. Kirk back to his aircraft in Crawford, Texas. Mr. Arnold Theymeyer of the FAA in Ft. Worth Texas had a phone conversation with Mr. Kirk stating that he had committed no offenses, and was given authorization to fly his aircraft. My wife, Kandy Howell was also present and spoke with Mr. Arnold Theymeyer.

Alvin M. Howell

Private Pilot/Airframe and Power Plant Technician/Inspection Authorization with 36 years experience in the aviation industry. Have had a US private pilot's license since 1974. I also work for Standard Aero located at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston as a QA inspector on corporate Business Jets.

My wife and I have a business that provides Safety Compliance Training to Aviation Maintenance Certified Repair Stations.

AMT Training Solutions

http://www.amt-1.com/

Thanks for your time

Sincerely

Alvin M. Howell

22715 Piper Rd

Needville, Tx. 77461

(979) 553-3040 home

(281) 974-6593 cell

Piper Cub Lock Haven, USA Reunion

Maurice Kirk — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 04:27:00 GMT

I had this missive this morning to cheer me up....

Maurice:

I returned to San Diego from Lock Haven on June 26th. I had been looking forward to seeing you (and your hat) there, but I guess that our *** wouldn't let you in. Too bad.

What is your current status with our people? Will you ever be able to

get back into the States? The number of airplanes there didn't seem as large this year. Don't know if that was caused by fuel prices or the low ceilings that we had for the first couple of days.

Did you ever recover your camera and GPS? I would have thought that whoever took you off would have been responsible for securing your property. Whatever happened to your Cub? After I send this, I will go to your web site and see if the answers are there.

Len J Buckel

Dear Len, aviator, bon viveur and overweight,

I tried to get to the annual Lock Haven Piper Cub gathering but the US Authorities just put me back on the aircraft at Detroit for London.

CAA have suspended my licences having been told by the US I was 'engaged in criminal activity’! FAA confirm I committed no offence landing in a huge field, 5 miles from President Bush's Texas ranch in a torrential thunder storm.

Cub is sold to Alvin and re-registered so they cannot use that against me. [Suggested I impersonated a US citizen in order to buy the cub in Daytona Beach!]. Agreement to buy back if I get a US visa ......will visit you, if I do, before flying to Falklands and Alaska for my floats across Canada.

Please ask mates to read www.kirkflyingvet.com for updates and may be invite me to give talks across US with ones already booked. I will send the Piper Cub petition to President Bush, Department of Homeland Security and Her Majesty The Queen, if need be, to get to California!

Must go, French lesson and selling a shed of aircraft spares today,

Best regards,

Maurice

Ps. My Camera and Alvin’s GPS [never used] was stolen in Bellville, Texas along with the EPERB satellite beacon that saved my life in the Caribbean. It was while I was being interrogated in the police station for the 3^rd time by the Secret Service before being led off in leg irons to your ‘sausage machine’ for deportees.

CAA Erroneous Data

Maurice Kirk — Fri, 30 May 2008 06:52:00 GMT

I will be publishing on this blog the 'blow by blow' account of my fight to regain my flying licence and posting the 'heavy' documents such as correspondence, newspaper accounts and the evidence within the downloads section of the site (see the link on the main menu above).

It is my submission, today, that the CAA Licencing Department have been given significantly contradictory and erroneous information from the USA.

The FAA have confirmed, more than once, that I had committed no US aviation offence by landing in a field at Crawford, Texas and other US Authorities have knowingly engaged in nefarious conduct so as to have me re-arrested, a week later, purely on a pretext to have me deported. This is clearly indicated in the papers so far released to the CAA some of which, but not all, have been disclosed to me.

What is significantly disturbing in all this was being refused the right to a 'caution', the right to 'make a statement' and to have an independent medical examination throughout my three weeks in custody. My 10 days in solitary confinement without any access to telephone, to inform my family where I was, create or receive mail, use my $4000, have visitors, contact the British Embassy, have legal representation or independent medical examination at my expense, is fact. The deliberate policy of 'minimum audit trail' from the moment guns were pointed at my head leaves me in further difficulties with the CAA who may decide to act only on what they are given.

This fear is real, owing to the 'huge assumptions' revealed in the numerous, yet to be published, CAA memos by the Licencing Department, so far released to me when I know the Royal Courts of Justice will conduct their 'responsibilities', in my lodged Judicial Review Application, in a manner to which both I and many, many others have been so accustomed.

The US Department of Homeland Security, created post 9/11, blocked almost all media coverage in the US, refused to submit any documentary evidence to support their allegations for my removal from the US, now needed for the CAA and the Royal Courts of Justice, on the repetitive argument that -

"NO DHS detained British holiday-maker on a 'Waiver Visa' into USA is allowed access to legal redress as agreed by Her Majesty's UK Government."

Read the 12 page PDF under the download section of this site for more information - newspaper cuttings, CAA Memo, CAA letter to MJ Kirk, and US charge sheet, later withdrawn.