Model Rocket Comes Close to Commercial Jet : WFMZ-TV 69News

A Texas man is in hot water because of his model rocket hobby. John Etgen of Houston got a visit from the FBI after officials say he fired his model rocket so high in the air that it approached the air space of ...

[Rocket man]

What now where not aloud to fly rockets, what is next we can't fly kites, How rediculas is america, It's pathectic, he is in hot water, how the hell did he know a jet was in the air please get a life america.

[American citizen]

If you are a pilot, flying a plane full of passengers and see a rocket coming up from the ground, you'd panic too. The model rocketeer should know better since he has been doing this for a while. No beginners build those kind of rockets. There are plenty of places to legally and safely launch them without causing alarm.

[Stack]

Yea let the Guy be. He hurt no one and it wasent like it was his plan to shoot a rocket anywhere near a plane. We should be focousing on the real problems not some person shooting a model rocket.

[Rau]

I think this is rediculus as well, I live across the street from an airport in Allentown PA, and I have shot model rockets off before. The airport has not come to us yet, but this poor guy shouldnt have to deal with this. So his rocket by accident went close to a plane, but this little toy would do no damage to a plane at coasting speed.

[Rocket flyer]

This is an incorrect version of this news article. The person mentioned was NOT the one who launched the model rocket. He is an officer of the Houston area club, and was interviewed as an expert on how they flew rocket safely and with FAA and ATF permission.
If this was a model rocket, it was flown by someone who does not know the regulation. Or, it was a small model rocket that is exempt from the regulations.

[Rocket flyer]

The story with the correct information can be found here.
http://www.khou.com/topstories/stories/khou08...

The original article from WFMZ-TV Online that was copied by topix.com has been removed from their website due to the error.