With the news that 20th Century Fox has purchased the rights for a film based on the exploits of the bare-foot bandit, are we sending the message to every would-be thief in America that our GA airports are easy marks?
News reports are growing and their seems to be a quiet expectation and longing for word on the continued exploits of the young fugitive, accused of stealing planes, cars and boats. Beginning along the West Coast, he has most recently brought his passion for crime to the Midwest with apparent break-ins at airports in South Dakota and Nebraska.
Colton Harris-Moore, dubbed the "barefoot bandit" because he was without shoes when he allegedly broke into houses in Oregon and Washington, may be inadvertently the cause of the media’s message that thievery is easy at general aviation airports.
If the allegations against Harris-Moore, 19, are true, the young man may be becoming more desperate, if not dangerous, according to some reports.
Everyone loves a good story but we don’t want to create a birthing ground for would-be copycats who crave the attention of a nation-wide audience and a little milk to the point of causing, accidently or not, the loss of life.
No one has been hurt, yet, but that might change as he becomes more emboldened and the authorities get more desperate to put an end to this saga, or what is more scary, a pilot at the next airport he cases, decides to become a national hero or worse, becomes the first victim.
So, at what cost does the sensationalizing or dramatization of the bare-foot bandit bring? General aviation has enough to be concerned about without the added emphasis that security at our airports is lax. Let’s hope the bare-foot bandit isn’t a catalyst for unreasonable TSA attention.