[aghost]

Any word on whether Robbo's flight from the conveniently-extended-by-football vacation has made it back in town

 

[dforthandbview]

When Doug Ford supposedly called up his police buddies regarding the plane they had told him that it was related to “a bust they were making at the airport.” It would be pretty amazing if they were referring to Rob's arrival. edit: I'm a moron. I realize now that the plane's appearance happened long before Ford's trip to Austin. My hope for Ford getting busted at the airport is still strong, though

 

[animatronic]

When Doug Ford supposedly called up his police buddies regarding the plane they had told him that it was related to “a bust they were making at the airport.”

If they actually were doing surveillance near the airport, they probably wouldn't have been allowed to fly a fixed-wing aircraft at low altitude in restricted airspace. You'd think that Doug Ford, expert in counter-surveillance and all things avionic, would have known that.

 

[W. K. Lis]

Now that the Fords are back from Austin, Texas, what will be the next city they will visit. On their dime, of course, since it seems only multimillionaires can go and pay their way.

My guess, they'll visit the "Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow, a Utopian city of the future", "a community of tomorrow that will never be completed, but will always be introducing, and testing, and demonstrating new materials and new systems." "A showcase to the world of the ingenuity and imagination of American free enterprise." "A model community, home to twenty thousand residents, which would be a test bed for city planning and organization."

That's Epcot. See this link.

 

[dforthandbview]

Doug Ford backtracking on CP24 just now, said he now thinks the spy plane belongs to the Toronto Star. Also, Lisi was never Rob Ford's driver. "I guess he was an acquaintance." Doug supports the police and the courts.

What a character this guy is.

 

[tariqata]

Doug Ford backtracking on CP24 just now, said he now thinks the spy plane belongs to the Toronto Star. Also, Lisi was never Rob Ford's driver. "I guess he was an acquaintance." Doug supports the police and the courts.

What a character this guy is.

I imagine that the next step will be accusing the media of somehow tricking Rob Ford into saying that Lisi is his friend during last Tuesday's gas station "press conference".

 

[euler]

If they actually were doing surveillance near the airport, they probably wouldn't have been allowed to fly a fixed-wing aircraft at low altitude in restricted airspace. You'd think that Doug Ford, expert in counter-surveillance and all things avionic, would have known that.

I had to make an account just to chime in here... While Class C and D airspace (control zones around aerodromes) have obvious restrictions (require ATC clearance and a Mode C transponder) there is nothing inherent about them that prevents an aircraft from flying low in it or around it, as long as you have clearance (which if you are the police, you will get! and even if you are not, will probably get). The Canadian Aviation Regulations do provide rules about how low you can fly over 'built up' areas, they are not terribly strict - 1000ft above the highest obstacle that is within 2000ft horizontal distance to the aeroplane. And, exceptions can be made with appropriate clearance. 1000ft isn't really that high, it's 300 metres or so. You would definitely feel like the plane was "flying low" if you saw an aircraft buzzing Toronto at 1000ft AGL (well, 1000ft plus the height of the nearest obstacle).

So, based on my knowledge and experience as a private pilot who has conducted flights over and around Toronto, I don't believe there to be any regulatory issues with any of the descriptions of the behaviours of this particular aircraft.

 

[guitarchitect]

I had to make an account just to chime in here... While Class C and D airspace (control zones around aerodromes) have obvious restrictions (require ATC clearance and a Mode C transponder) there is nothing inherent about them that prevents an aircraft from flying low in it or around it, as long as you have clearance (which if you are the police, you will get! and even if you are not, will probably get). The Canadian Aviation Regulations do provide rules about how low you can fly over 'built up' areas, they are not terribly strict - 1000ft above the highest obstacle that is within 2000ft horizontal distance to the aeroplane. And, exceptions can be made with appropriate clearance. 1000ft isn't really that high, it's 300 metres or so. You would definitely feel like the plane was "flying low" if you saw an aircraft buzzing Toronto at 1000ft AGL (well, 1000ft plus the height of the nearest obstacle).

So, based on my knowledge and experience as a private pilot who has conducted flights over and around Toronto, I don't believe there to be any regulatory issues with any of the descriptions of the behaviours of this particular aircraft.

Finally, somebody who actually knows what they're talking about and not just "speculation". Thanks for this!

 

[tiffer24]

Is Doug Ford Toronto's very own Heisenberg?

 

[animatronic]

I had to make an account just to chime in here... While Class C and D airspace (control zones around aerodromes) have obvious restrictions (require ATC clearance and a Mode C transponder) there is nothing inherent about them that prevents an aircraft from flying low in it or around it, as long as you have clearance (which if you are the police, you will get! and even if you are not, will probably get). The Canadian Aviation Regulations do provide rules about how low you can fly over 'built up' areas, they are not terribly strict - 1000ft above the highest obstacle that is within 2000ft horizontal distance to the aeroplane. And, exceptions can be made with appropriate clearance. 1000ft isn't really that high, it's 300 metres or so. You would definitely feel like the plane was "flying low" if you saw an aircraft buzzing Toronto at 1000ft AGL (well, 1000ft plus the height of the nearest obstacle).

So, based on my knowledge and experience as a private pilot who has conducted flights over and around Toronto, I don't believe there to be any regulatory issues with any of the descriptions of the behaviours of this particular aircraft.

Hey - this is a Rob Ford forum - there's no place for facts here!

Thanks for the clarifications - surprised it isn't harder to fly close to airports.

 

[euler]

Finally, somebody who actually knows what they're talking about and not just "speculation". Thanks for this!

No problem, I like you guys.

I should also note that the restrictions on low-altitude flight are completely relaxed for police operations. If I can be frank, police aircraft can do "what the fuck they want" as long as they get clearance if they're in airspace that requires it. The only restriction in that case is that you are not "creating a hazard to persons or property" which is, as you can imagine, very subjective.

The appropriate sections are CAR 602.14 and 602.15.

Hey - this is a Rob Ford forum - there's no place for facts here!

Thanks for the clarifications - surprised it isn't harder to fly close to airports.

Well, note that I did qualify everything with "if you get clearance". If you're just some dude in a Cessna and you ask them to please let you fly low in the area, they are NOT going to grant that. They will gently (or not so gently, depending on how much traffic there is) tell you exactly where to go.

 

[NormEron]

This is a great theory and it fits with a lot of the unreleased information that I've talked about. I've thought all along that Anthony Smith was the original video owner but when charges were downgraded and shown as unrelated to the video, I too thought it was fishy. This is developing into something really big and I'm comforted by the fact that even if enough Torontonians are stupid enough to put Ford back in office for a second term, there is no way charges won't be laid for another 4 or 5 years. He'll never finish that term. Given the activity lately, I'm willing to bet that he won't even make it to election day.

This is my first post to this forum, though I've been reading it since May.

Based on Doug's statement in which he referred to the "Extortionists" it seemed pretty clear to me back in May that Rob had been approached about the video long before the story broke on Gawker. The circumstances of Doug's statement is also really strange: What reason would a lawyer have to advise you not to speak about being accused of smoking crack? Why would Doug start a statement by declaring that he does not speak for his brother (he's never done that before).

When you view all of the available info through a wide lens, a picture begins to emerge. The reduced charge in the Smith shooting says plea bargain to me. Giroux (a homicide detective) busting Lisi for possession of a relatively small amount of marijuana with intent to distribute screams shakedown looking for evidence in a murder case. The stories about the thugs beating Basso up trying to acquire the video also raise questions.

If there's someone out there willing to beat Basso up for information about the whereabouts of the video, what lengths would they go to silence the video's actual owners?

I don't know how the timing of the hiring of David Price fits, nor do I know how (or if) Mammoliti's claims of being followed and having his and Rob's phones tapped fit either, but I've heard that police officers never believe in coincidence. Hopefully this breaks open soon... I'm not one for delayed gratification.

 

[MetroMan]

It's been suggested to me that we may see charges sooner rather than later because the TPS is rushing to wrap up this case before the crown is forced to reveal the content of the Project Traveller warrants -- which would compromise an ongoing investigation. As speculated, the recent leaks and confirmation that the police are indeed investigating Rob Ford suggest that they got what they want and are less concerned about Ford covering up his tracks with the knowledge that the cops are on his tail. Rob Ford and several high profile Torontonians are going to have a shitty Christmas this year.

 

[christiesplits]

It's been suggested to me that we may see charges sooner rather than later because the TPS is rushing to wrap up this case before the crown is forced to reveal the content of the Project Traveller warrants -- which would compromise an ongoing investigation. As speculated, the recent leaks and confirmation that the police are indeed investigating Rob Ford suggest that they got what they want and are less concerned about Ford covering up his tracks with the knowledge that the cops are on his tail. Rob Ford and several high profile Torontonians are going to have a shitty Christmas this year.

You have to wonder if the likes of John Tory, Karen Stintz and Denzil Minnan-Wong know that something big is brewing and are reassessing their options for 2014. RoFo behind bars would throw the race into a tizzy, and potentially hurt Olivia Chow's plan to be the "let's all unite behind" candidate.

 

[guitarchitect]

It's been suggested to me that we may see charges sooner rather than later because the TPS is rushing to wrap up this case before the crown is forced to reveal the content of the Project Traveller warrants -- which would compromise an ongoing investigation. As speculated, the recent leaks and confirmation that the police are indeed investigating Rob Ford suggest that they got what they want and are less concerned about Ford covering up his tracks with the knowledge that the cops are on his tail. Rob Ford and several high profile Torontonians are going to have a shitty Christmas this year.

Was there a timeline for when things would be revealed by, re: Project Traveller?