82-year-old man arrested for flying unlicensed ultralight plane

Monday 13th October, 05:25 PM JST

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sharky1 at 09:33 PM JST - 13th October

They had to arrest him because he was a flight risk...
bamboohat at 09:49 PM JST - 13th October

Those J-cops are really efficient. Dude takes off on Aug-18, and the police are now "raiding" the town office, nearly two months later. What in lords name took them so long?
NuckinFutz at 10:03 PM JST - 13th October

Ultralight=hang glider with a lawnmower sized engine (I know because I used to fly one). This is ridiculous! Did he not bribe the right person? I see the cops are once again tackling the tough cases!

I'm thrilled to see a man of 82 taking to the skies in an ultralight! I have nothing but admiration for this guy and I wish him the best!
bandogeek at 01:27 AM JST - 14th October

I think that arresting this man is completely bogus, let the man enjoy himself. I wish at 82 years old I could fly a plane, or even leave my house.
OgieDoggie at 03:33 AM JST - 14th October

82 and he can still fly...go for it grandpa!

I hope I can still walk if I make it to 82 let along be able to fly.
Freespeech at 05:27 AM JST - 14th October

Congratulations grandpa ! And a word of appreciation for all those who posted these witty and not-so-far-from-the-truth messages ahead of mine. Sharky1 must feel sorry for being the only one with such conformist cry-baby's ideas.
Sidwarwick at 07:34 AM JST - 14th October

"Flight risk" - nice one Sharky1.
bcbrownboy at 08:13 AM JST - 14th October

Excellent dude. Great adventure.
n3312 at 09:28 AM JST - 14th October

For a minute there I thought they had to pull him over.

That's cool though, being 82 and able to fly an ultralight.
serindipity at 09:32 AM JST - 14th October

82? Unlicensed? Unsupervised? Unqualified? - Glad he wasn't flying over my house!
memyselfI at 09:42 AM JST - 14th October

Ohhh, let the old man fly a plane. It's his dream !!!!! Let the old man fly like an eagle. WoW!!! I guess I will stop making my UFO. I'm almost finished. I really do not want to get fined and get jail time.
mindovermatter at 09:54 AM JST - 14th October

Why would you bother to even get an Ultralight...?

This is the one of the biggest reasons people buy ultralights in the U.S. and other western countries, is because as long as the aircraft meets certain criteria, weight, endurance...etc... it's classified as "Ultralight" and is not required to be licensed or registered...
Smythe at 10:09 AM JST - 14th October

What a bummer of a situation. The poor chap probably bought the Ultralight in a kit & put it togeather himself, plus prior flying experience.

He only has so many years left in life & now they are going to take that away from him.
BBLeo at 02:32 PM JST - 14th October

Grandpa had mothing else to do. So he enjoyed his day left on earth. I would't arrest him, but give him a warning and asking him to find himself another hobby. Cops in japan do like immediate arrests. Settle down grandpa, people are on your side and you are now history. Perhaps he should find himself a woman to play Domino or pocket Billiards.
Zolt at 05:56 PM JST - 14th October

Wow, I used to fly ultralights too and this is really stupid! Had some japanese friends who wanted to do it too and they had to give up or go abroad to do it due to the sheer weight of japanese regulation (and prohibitive cost of licenses I'm told). Bravo gramps for not letting the establishment get in the way!

Serendipity c'mon, an ultralight even crashing at full speed (usually less than a hundred kph) couldnt cause much damage anywhere - think about it as a moped with wings! It's easier and probably safer to fly one than to drive a car - in my home country you can get ultralight license at age 16, and the guy was amply qualified.