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American Morning

Young Stunt Pilot Lands in Hot Water

Aired July 25, 2002 - 09:57   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: Not all stories turn out as we expect them to. Take a look at what Jeanne Moos ran into when she took a flyer with a young stunt pilot whose stunt was mistaken for a possible terror attack.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Our proposition was clear.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Clear prop.

MOOS: This was supposed to be a story about the youngest aerobatic pilot around.

JAMAIL LARKINS, AEROBATIC PILOT: I actually soloed an airplane two years before I was able to drive a car.

MOOS: No wonder we teased 18-year-old Jamail Larkins about becoming the Tiger Woods of aerobatics.

LARKINS: I play golf a little bit, but I am not that good of a golfer.

MOOS (on camera): So, Tiger doesn't have to worry about you?

LARKINS: He has nothing to worry about.

MOOS (voice-over): Tiger may know how to putt, but bet he can't use a sight gauge.

LARKINS: The whole purpose of the sight gauge is to align you correctly with the horizon.

MOOS: Not always easy when you are flying upside down.

We met Jamail at the Essex County airport in New Jersey. We put one cameraman in a chase plane, another in Jamail's single-engine bi- plane. He went up and did a couple of rolls, let out a little smoke for dramatic effect.

Some of the smoke filtered into the cockpit, causing the unsuspecting cameraman to wonder if there was engine trouble. Reassured, they headed back to the airport and into the clutches of the law.

LARKINS: Yes, sir?

MOOS: Jamail wasn't sure what he had done.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Get rid of the camera, please.

MOOS: But, whatever it was...

LARKINS: I'm sorry.

MOOS: He was apologetic as Fairfield police hustled him into the airport office. Remember the stream of smoke Jamail released? Well, it turns out he released it near a reservoir.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Somebody thought it was chemicals being sprayed into there. Unfortunately, the FBI is already involved in this. I'm surprised the 16's aren't here.

MOOS: As in, F-16 warplanes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is a very sensitive area.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are 12 miles from ground zero. People around here are freaked out.

MOOS: Apparently, Jamail did nothing illegal.

(on camera): Is he under arrest?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.

MOOS: Is the FBI coming?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.

MOOS: F-16s?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I have no idea.

MOOS (voice-over): As if the police weren't enough, he had to tell his mom back home in Georgia.

LARKINS: I turned on the smoke system for a second.

MOOS: A long second.

LARKINS: No, they didn't arrest me.

MOOS: You can't blame folks for wanting to smoke out terrorists, but in this case, where there is smoke, there's a flyer.

Jeanne Moos, CNN, Fairfield, New Jersey.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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