Atlantic senior reporter James Fallows has been an active private pilot for some years. Now, flying your own small plane is an expensive proposition and would be even more expensive if not for the generous tax breaks given to people who use their planes in business.
What this means is that the stereotypical private pilot is a successful independent businessman, professional, or entrepreneur, most likely white, male, and middle-aged or older. In other words, a Republican. Fallows breaks the mold in this respect, but he clearly shares some interests with the flying crowd.
On his Atlantic web page, he tells the story of a pilot in South Carolina who was ordered to land, arrested, and jailed for over 24 hours. His crime? He apparently strayed too close to a nuclear power plant situated right next to the small airport he was maneuvering to land at. The official government charts do not have the slightest indication that this is airspace to be avoided. Apparently the homeland security cops considered shooting him down before ordering him to land.
So it's interesting to speculate what the typical Republican aviator, who is all about the "freedom of the skies," would think about this overreach by the surveillance state. Sure, they're just trying to "keep us safe," but it does get a little annoying if you're threatened and jailed for exercising your freedom.
A little more cognitive dissonance for the Republican base?