Entitled Parents

EP breaks into my plane and assaults after I refuse to give his son lessons

Some background before I start: I was 26 at the time sharing a home with some pilot friends from college in a airfield community. For those that don't know what an airfield community is, it's basically a neighborhood built around an airfield and pilots can taxi their planes up their houses, some of the fancier houses even have their own hanger, mine wasn't so my roommates and I split the rent on a hanger for our planes at the actual airfield.

It was early spring and the weather had finally turned nice so I decided that I was gonna take my plane out and fly a bit (I don't like flying in the winter because it's too cold and the low temps strain the engine). I open the hanger doors and just finished taking the cover off my plane when I'm approached by a guy and his kid, looked about 12 years old. from this point on, we'll call the dad EP and the child EC.

EP says high to me says that EC is really into planes and that he wanted to ask me about my plane since was so unique looking (I have an LA-4 so it stands out when lined up with everyone else's Cessnas and Pipers). Everything up to this point has been cordial so I'm happy to oblige. I talk about the plane, show him how the flaps and such work. I'm talking with the kid about 20 minutes. Again, they've been very cordial up to this point but I'm ready to end the conversation so I tell them that it's been nice but I gonna head out now.

They take a few steps towards the hanger door and then EC whispers something into EP's ear. EP then comes back asks me if I could give EC a flying lesson in my plane. I'm not too surprised by this, there are some people in the neighborhood who advertise this exact thing on Craigslist, but I'm not one of them so I decline.

EP: "Please, I'll pay you."

Me: "It's not about money, it's just not something I do."

EP then leans in close to me so EC can't hear: "look, his birthday is coming up and if you do this, that means I can get away with not buying EC a birthday present."

Me: "look, I empathize but flying to meet a friend and besides, it's pretty windy today, the plane will be bouncing around and he's not going to have fun." (these were both lies, I just don't like confrontation)

EP sighs and says ok. He turns and walks back to his son and I think this is the end of the conversation so I go to the little office in the back of the hanger to drop off my coat and get a soda from the mini-fridge for my flight. As I leave the office i see that not only has EP not left, but he has opened the cockpit, sat EC in the pilot seat and is taking pictures of him, EC is even wearing my nice Bose headset.

Me: "WHAT ARE YOU DOING"

EP: "What's the problem? I'm just taking a quick photo. You won't give him flying lessons, the least you can do this."

Me: "No, that is not okay. Get out of my plane now."

I will never forget what he says next, even to this day it makes my blood boil.

EP looks over to me and says in a sneering voice: "It's a free country, bud"

I then notice that EC is pressing all the buttons and flipping all the switches. I reach in and grab his arm before he does any series damage. That's when EP goes ballistic. He fucking shoves me and I bang my head against the wing as I fall to the ground.

EP: "DON'T YOU TOUCH MY SON"

ME: "THEN GET HIM THE FUCK OUT OF MY PLANE. IF HE BREAKS ANYTHING YOU'RE FUCKED"

EP: "oh boo hoo, like I care about your $900 dingy ass plane."

That really hit a nerve because 1) a USED LA-4 go for around $400K and 2) I'm really OCD about keeping things clean and I had just cleaned the plane the other day. At this point I'm fucking livid, I get and get my bearings and I see that EP is deadass right back to taking photos of EK like he didn't just shove me to the ground.

This situation is just so frustrating that wave of cold anger comes over and I just go over to EP and put my hand firmly on his shoulder.

Me: "Get your child out of my plane and get out of my hanger and get off this airfield." I said this in that cool, calculated voice people get when their seething with anger.

EP realizes that he's pushed this as far as it will go and tell EK to that it's time to go and they leave, but as he was leaving sneakily pulls out his keys and runs it along the side of my plane before fast walking out of the hanger. I didn't notice he keyed my plane until turned the corner of the hanger and part of me really wanted to chase him down and beat the shit out him, but my judgment got the better of me and I just put the cover over my plane, I was no mood to go flying after all of this bullshit. Thankfully I never saw either of them again.