In our troubled era, and even more since September 11th events, aviation is frequently linked to terrorism. Together with nuclear terror, light aviation has the potential to become a super Hollywood scenario.

I can imagine the scene from here… a long pan stopping on a nuclear power-plant, then a strong zoom, with a “Psycho”-like music, to make a tight frame on a plane rushing towards the reactor building ! Then a view from the plane, diving on the power-plant, while music get faster and louder… the suspense grows as far as the plane get closer.

Will a super-hero save the world ? Will an Air-Force ace shoot the small plane down ? Will a sniper seated one mile away kill the pilot ? As the plane get very close, the camera shows the how the kamikaze pilot smile as his plan gets closer to success.

At the very moment where the plane hits the reactor building… nothing happens. The light aircraft simply collapses against the super resistant reactor building. Pilot killed, power-plant undamaged, end of the story.

Not exactly the kind of super Hollywood ending… welcome to real life. Who could think that a light aircraft would damage buildings designed to resist earthquakes, tornadoes, and other large energy phenomenas ? Don’t you remember the Cessna 172 that crashed in a skyscraper in Tampa, in 2002 ?

The fuselage did not even actually entered the building, the wings fell to the ground, and there was not fire.

So imagine the same thing against an earthquake-resistant building. I won’t bet on the plane.

If that had to happen “for true”, the chances that the plane reaches the nuclear site are anyway rather low. The airspace surrounding sensitive stes is closely monitored, and interception aircraft (or helicopters if the target is so slow…) will be sent. Give how stressed military people are these days, any intruder would probably be shot down…

So please, dear Hollywood scenarists, find something else. Aviation don’t need such advertisements. Thank you.

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