By James Soper ? Letters to the editor
I am writing this opinion as a result of Barbara Christman”s article on State Route 175 in the Feb. 21 newspaper.
I have probably traveled over 175 more than anyone in Lake County due to my age; at least I know it well.
To have a policeman arrest you for going over a yellow line due to the observation from a plane is a complete hoax.
I have been a pilot with my own plane for over 40 years. To take off Lampson Field in a westerly direction, you have to climb your plane up to at least 3,500 feet to get over the lowest mountains in that direction. My speed was at least 135 miles per hour and I was close to being over 1,000 feet above the road. At that speed and height it makes it very, very difficult to observe a car going over a very windy road at the speed of 40 miles per hour, which takes one half hour to accomplish.
Say your speed is only 75 miles per hour. How can you slow the plane down enough to watch a car going 40 miles per hour for a half hour even with an observer to watch whether it went over a yellow line? I say this is a speed trap.
The next time I am asked to donate money to a policeman”s ball, I will refer them to their operation on Highway 175.
James Soper
Kelseyville
