On the afternoon of March 21, 2012, a small plane circled over an office park in north-central New Orleans. The pilots and crew members must have been curious about an incoming plane. Sometime around 4:30 p.m., the air plane descended even lower than usual and disappeared from view for several minutes. Then came the alarm bells: Forced landing? It couldn’t be! Authorities said it was probably a Doppler radar hijacking. But who would pilfer off-aircraft radar and fly it back to their home town? Some mystery airman? Others probably local cops looking for a Serial-A-Thon victim? No one, but this still left us with one final question: How did they get that vantage point? What were they waiting on when they swooped in and took off again? And what will be done about it now that they’ve learned how easy it is to hijack commercial airline flights?
What is Waptrick Flight?
Waptrick Flight, the first hijack by Americans, is a little-known fact. The first American to steal a commercial jet, Waptrick Flight was part of a large group of Northwest Airline pilots who, in 1979, hijacked a Northwest Airlines jet and flew it into the ground near Port Arthur, Texas. One of the pilots, Ed “Gus” Waptrick, was a professional pilot who’d spent two decades in the military, having served in Vietnam and World War II. While in the military, Gus Waptrick had become a committed disarm and disarmingist, as well as a frequent guest on talk radio. After his return to civilian life, Waptrick kept his airline job, but turned to other interests, including stock brokerage and the management of a small construction company. In the fall of 2004, American Airlines offered Waptrick a contract to fly its jets. In exchange for being a part of this first wave of American pilots, which would have included the pilot of the first jet to be hijacked, Waptrick would have had permission to fly several North American types, including the Bombardier Challenger, CSeries, and Contura.
Why Is Waptrick Air Grounded?
A major reason Waptrick Air was ground-based is probably just as good a reason as any: The pilots desperately wanted the home territory. They wanted to be near their family, friends, and hometowns. It didn’t help that the airfield was located inside the heavily populated heart of the Deep South. What really stuck in the mind of many Waptrick pilots was the prospect of being arrested on charges of terrorism. This, coupled with their desire to be near their hometown and their fellow countrymen, led to the adoption of a much more level-headed tone as they were arrested on September 22, 2006, on charges of violating“the airspace regulations” of the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration.
How to Avoid a hijacking by Waptrick Flight
In order to avoid a hijacking, pilots need a clear, plain-English mission statement. This is true even when you’re just sitting in the aisle seat of the next-to-last-to-fly-of-the-day. It’s easy to forget once the flight is under way how many other passengers are in the airplane. Before taking off, make sure the pilots have defined the mission and what they’re trying to accomplish. This doesn’t mean they’re trying to shoot a movie, or that they’re trying to score points against their government. The pilots of Waptrick Flight were just trying to get home.
What Happens Now?
When a commercial airplane goes down in the sky, everyone who sees it is immediately faced with one very common question: How? It’s a good question, because the answer is pretty much the same as it is for any other airplane: It’s gonna be okay. To the pilots of Waptrick Flight, it was an opportunity to be part of history. To the passengers, it was an opportunity to be in the history books. To the aviation community and the country as a whole, Waptrick Flight was a totally new kind of airplane. To say the least, the community of St. Martin’s Parish was definitely not prepared for the flight and the experience of being at the controls of the airplane.
distinguishing Waptricide from Other Hijackings
Beyond the obvious fact that Waptrick Flight was an American hijack, there are other hurdles to clear when comparing Waptricide to other hijackings. One of them is the fact that the airline pilot who hijacked the airplane was a native of South Louisiana. Another difference is that Waptricide was a jet and not an airplane. Now, again, these differences aren’t critical, but they do add some context to the similarities between Waptrick Flight and other hijackings.
Rule of thumb: Don’t go near a commercial airplane until it has landed
The problem with this generalization is that it eliminates one particular instance of hijack: In 1976, a hijacker pilot stole an airplane and flew it into the ground in southern France. In that case, the hijacker was actually trying to land on French soil. If you’re at all concerned that a commercial airplane has gone off-course, it’s a good idea to immediately call your local aviation authority and have them take a look at the flight path.
Conclusion
During the Waptrick Flight incident, the pilots of the jet must have been very confused and in a state of shock. Even now, the passengers and crewmembers of the jet must struggle to understand the initial sequence of events. The good news is that the fact that the hijacking happened at all and not on another airplane does not mean that airplane hijackings are easy or that it is as simple as one man’s fault. These are complicated events, and like anything in life, there is always a chance of miscommunication and inconsistency among the various parties involved. A successful hijacking requires a team effort, and the pilots of Waptrick Flight were certainly not equipped for such a task. Now, with 11 more commercial passenger jets to be hijacked in the next year or so, the fight against aviation terrorism will only be as difficult as it has been during the Waptrick Flight incident.
