The Federal Aviation Administration announced today that the airplane that towed three banners over Augusta National Golf Club mocking Tiger Woods during The Masters Thursday has been grounded from similar use today.
FAA spokeswoman Kathleen Bergen said in a statement that the plane was found to have minor mechanical issues and that the aircraft was being returned to Ohio for repairs.
So what was the problem?
Bergen said the “banner tower” attached to the plane did not meet the FAA’s flight standards.
Of course, many will assume that officials from Augusta National Golf Club or Tiger Woods camp helped to initiate the investigation of the aircraft, a charge that Bergen denied to the AUGUSTA CHRONICLE: “It was strickly internal.”
Bergen also gave no indication that the plane would be not allowed to fly more banners over Augusta National during the tournament in the future.
Is it unreasonable to think that if the content of the banners was unrelated to Tiger’s extramarital affairs, an unscheduled inspection wouldn’t have happened?
UPDATE: The actual pilot of the plane, who would only speak on the condition of remaining anonymous, tells SbB today that the reason for the plane being grounded was a, “worn out tag on one of the plane’s seat belts.”
Thank goodness the FAA is busy keeping the patrons safe out there!
1:24 pm on April 9th, 2010
Does the FAA really expect us to believe that Augusta or Tiger was not behind this unscheduled inspection.
Give me a break!
Everyone is going out of their way to rebuild his image.
Makes me sick.
1:48 pm on April 9th, 2010
I thought the good ole US of A was a bastion of free speech ?
1:49 pm on April 9th, 2010
I don’t see a problem with it. If your kid did something embarrassing and another group of kids hired an airplane with a mean spirited banner, you would do everything in your power to get it stopped.
2:06 pm on April 9th, 2010
I think it’s a male plane.
2:11 pm on April 9th, 2010
LMAO A 30 something married man is not a kid. It is not like he was walking around with toilet paper stuck to shoe.
2:16 pm on April 9th, 2010
Presumably the banners will be back on Saturday. What happens after that will be very telling.
2:29 pm on April 9th, 2010
Money is power.. I want more money! Cuz I want to order everyone else and have them do my bidding. Just like Tiger. Only I got better taste in women.
2:34 pm on April 9th, 2010
So….the waiver was up to snuff, the pilot was certified, etc., etc., but the tag was faded….yeah…..right. You can fool some of the people some of the time but not the people in the biz…..
2:47 pm on April 9th, 2010
Tiger is a joke..why is everyone bending over backwards for him? He deserves to face some ridicule. Contrary to popular belief it’s still wrong to have extramarital affairs and only an idiot would buy him being a sex addict.
2:48 pm on April 9th, 2010
Really if you got super money you can be Stalin and the Feds fall over backwards for you… Also I would have my OWN island in the tropics, screw sharing an island with others…
And my mistresses wouldn’t make people gag, either.
4:02 pm on April 9th, 2010
Tiger is their cash cow. Without him no one watches golf. Of course they want to keep him happy because it keeps him playing.
5:01 pm on April 9th, 2010
The FAA’s mission is to PROMOTE aviation. Not to find ways to stop it.
There are many safety violations at a lot of other banner towing operations, much worse than what they found here.
5:03 pm on April 9th, 2010
@Ranger you forgot to add “What about the children?”
7:37 pm on April 9th, 2010
Augusta National has class and works in the public interest. They got the trash cleared from the skies!
8:15 pm on April 9th, 2010
The trash is on the greens.
8:42 pm on April 9th, 2010
Why do people think Tiger or any other celebrity owes them something…Tiger isn’t a role model for anyone but Tiger. If you have your kids looking up to him you are an idiot. He is a man, a sinner, a golfer. Tiger didn’t promise you (personally) anything. What happened in his PRIVATE life is between his wife, kids and his God.
8:52 pm on April 9th, 2010
plane owner tows star&bar flag from back of p/u on local roads in lake township.
10:14 pm on April 9th, 2010
If I traveled half the way across the county to watch the best of the best play GOLF I wouldn’t want to put up with any damm plane flying over head. regardless fo what it said. I think we have all made our share of mistake some bigger then others. but personal mistake are just that personal.
I want to see the best golfers in the world pull off the shots that I could never do.
11:32 pm on April 9th, 2010
Who cares what you want?
It’s open airspace and we still have free speech in this country.
12:04 am on April 10th, 2010
Ya’ll keep talkin bout freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom to do an say what ever u want. It’s more important what we do with our freedom. With freedom comes the responsibility to not be injurius to our fellow mankind, we are after all brothers and sisters in this world. Being responsible with our freedom is what makes us better than animals, and
even they behave better than that. “God Bless us everyone.”
9:18 am on April 10th, 2010
Well well well just look at what a lot of money can buy, THE FCC!!! Man Tiger has some pull and good contacts or the PGA does. I still think n it was his wife who sent the planes. Maybe she can dope led pipes out the window as he putts!!
9:20 am on April 10th, 2010
I mean FAA fat fingers type badly!
10:40 am on April 10th, 2010
Look people, while i agree in free speech this idiot was flying in airspace that is extremely crowded right now. He was flying back and forth around the golf club right in the fricking way of aircraft landing at Bush Field (the main airport at Augusta). He was around 1500 feet in the arrival path of many aircraft. Did he have a death wish? I’m a controller there and while we had no idea who this traffic was we had to tell aircraft about this idiot flying back and forth and to watch out for him. So for safety’s sake alone I’m glad they were able to force him the hell out of here! He was definitely a flying nuisance!
11:43 am on April 10th, 2010
I’d bet $20 Buck is a liar. If the pilot was repeatedly violating any safety regs, that would have been more than reason enough to ground him.
This whole incident is bribe-induced censorship. Nothing more.
5:46 pm on April 10th, 2010
Good for the FAA
Statements weren’t funny and I wouldn’t want planes flying around my tournament by idiots trying to mock a player
7:18 pm on April 10th, 2010
The FAA’s mission statement says that they are to promote aviation, not put aviation operations out of business just because they do not share their or their customer’s sense of humor.
This is absolute abuse of Federal power.
Just wait until they come after your business or livelihood just because they feel like it, not because of any law.
12:04 pm on April 12th, 2010
Both parties are guilty. The bootyism comment is slanderous out of line. Regardless of what Mr. Woods did, it is HIS LIFE. If the Master’s wants him back, they can have him. He’s already ruined his public image. Why bother with the tacky banners?