Problem: your son is late for his tennis lesson, and the roads are so congested that you can't possibly make it on time in a car.
Normal Dad Solution: Call and tell them you'll be late or just reschedule the lesson.
Really Dedicated Dad Solution: Fly and land your airplane in a golf course next to the tennis club!
Guess which one Robert Kadera, 65, of Lake Villa, Illinois choose:
Police received worried calls about a plane circling twice, then touching down at the Crane's Landing golf course at the Marriott Lincolnshire Resort. Officials thought they might have a crash, with victims to attend to.
Instead, they found Robert Kadera, 65, and his 14-year-old son trudging through the snow, Prince racket and a bag of tennis balls in hand. They had parked on the 7th fairway, just 20 feet south of the retaining wall for Illinois Highway 22.
"We're all pretty dumbfounded," Lincolnshire Police Chief Randy Melvin said Monday. "I don't have any idea what the guy was thinking. ..... He was going to park his plane across the street like nobody would notice."
Lisa Black and Emily S. Achenbaum of Chicago Tribune report: Link (Photo: David Trotman-Wilkins / Tribune)
I'm with BikerRay; I don't see what's so concerning about this. The guy used what he had at hand to get where he needed to be. He probably should've at least got permission to land at the golf course, but I'd say no harm, no foul.
"no danger to the public or property"? I have to think there was actually a lot of danger involved. Anyone landing on a golf course is likely to be flying very low over residential or business districts, with precious little time to make corrections if something goes wrong.