Yeah, he's a real saint....
...... back in April, Sen. James Inhofe of Oklahoma , a long-time pilot and advocate for aviation, had two unusual aviation experiences recently.
The first was that he landed on a runway that was closed and under repair, "sky-hopping" over construction workers who were on the runway at the time. This move led the airport manager to say, in a phone call recorded by the FAA, "I've got over 50 years flying, three tours of Vietnam, and I can assure you I have never seen such a reckless disregard for human life in my life." Inhofe apparently begged to differ, steaming out of the plane on arrival and telling the airport staff, "What the hell is this? I was supposed to have unlimited airspace."
The second was that the FAA decided that the appropriate sanction for Inhofe was "remedial training," mainly a discussion and check flight with an FAA inspector, rather than any of the "certificate actions" (suspension etc) that pilots dread and that typically follow "pilot deviations" of this sort. I don't wish enforcement actions on anyone, but the question is whether the "remediation" approach had anything to do with his status as a big shot.
AMAZING, the only guy with enough pull to help us is essentially a...pilot with no respect for the rules of the game. Things are getting sadder every day.....:(