U.S. Sees No Link to Plane Seized by Zimbabwe

[bemildred]

Very funny stuff.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The State Department said on Monday it
had no indication that a plane which Zimbabwe seized and described as
carrying 64 suspected mercenaries and a military cargo was connected
to the U.S. government.

"We have no indication this aircraft is connected to the U.S.
government," State Department spokesman Richard Boucher told
reporters, adding that he could not confirm statements by Zimbabwean
officials that it was a U.S.-registered plane.

...

An initial check of U.S. Federal Aviation Administration records showed N4610 to be a Boeing 727 registered to
Ottawa, Kansas-based Dodson Aviation Inc., but a Dodson official said it sold the plane about a week ago to an
African company called Logo Ltd.

President Robert Mugabe has been in a war of words with the United States and former colonial power Britain,
which have accused him of a political crackdown following his victory in 2002 presidential elections that the
opposition and Western observers said were flawed.

Reuters

[Judi Lynn]

1. Oh, PLEASE!

Pull our collective other one!

[bemildred]

4. Well I just like the absence of a denial.

It not that it is a ridiculous idea that it might have
been one of ours, it's just that they are not aware of
any such operation in Zimbabwe right now, but they have
to check to be sure.

[Just Me]

9. They do that frequently, using every word BUT "deny",...

,..."outrageous", "ridiculous", "absurd", "political", etc. etc. etc..

[I AM SPARTACUS]

13. LOL...

[IndianaGreen]

18. Here is the BBC story. It raises many questions!

A US-registered cargo plane with 64 suspected mercenaries on board has been impounded in Harare, Zimbabwe says.

<snip>

According to US Federal Aviation Administration records, N4610 is a 727 registered to Dodson Aviation Inc. based in Ottawa, Kansas.

However the firm told news agencies it had sold the aircraft about a week ago to an African company called Logo Ltd.

Footage of the plane shown on Zimbabwean TV showed military personnel displaying to the camera some of the equipment on board.

It included sledgehammers, bolt cutters, walkie-talkies, loudhailers, sleeping bags and heavy duty boots.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/3543651.stm

[dpbrown]

2. Can't read the signs with your eyes closed

"No indication"...what a non-denial.

[pinto]

3. "no indication", let's see, is that a yes or a no..........n/t

[ParanoidPat]

5. OH COOL! Finders keepers!

:evilgrin: I pity the poor schmucks on that plane. NOT! :)

[tom_paine]

6. Always tough to choose between two corrupt liars

I would have to give the nod to Mugabe here by a nose over King George.

Both are scum, but King George lies more.

[bobbieinok]

7. what was that Mission Impossible line???

was it 'if you are caught, we will deny any connection'??

[Kelvin Mace]

19. "If any member...

of your IM Force is caught or killed, the Secretary will disavow any knowledge of your actions.

Good Luck, Mr. Phelps."

[I AM SPARTACUS]

22. "the secretary will disavow any knowledge of your actions "

...now THAT sounds like the Smirko Gang's idea of accountability...

[Dover]

8. Who's on first?

Is that your plane?.....no it's not MY plane...is that YOUR plane?...Noooo, not mine....never seen it before, but it was sold a week ago anyway, so if it WAS my plane it's not anymore... Well, were those your mercenaries?...No not MY mercenaries...

[izzie]

10. I read that ex-service men are joining these 'army' like crazy.

Lots of corp. are hiring them

[Dover]

11. Some are being hired for "security" but these guys were no doubt militia

similar to those nice rebels that took over Haiti. These are the kind of guys trained by the School for the Americas. And we are footing the bill.

These jobs ought to separate the real patriots from the hired guns.
War for profit.

[AP]

12. It's so funny that we at DU were in the middle of 100-post threads about

Zimbabwe, Haiti and Venezuela when this story dropped.

[TacticalPeek]

14. Quick, hide the democracies!

:)

[pacifictiger]

15. so who's dodson aviation?

legit or cia front? I knew a kid that used to work for us in the early 70's who later went on to become a "legit" pilot - years later I found out he was really flying cia financed missions to central america. The select few stories he told made my hair stand up!

[AP]

16. Biggest clue is probably in the price they bought the airplane for from...

...gov't.

It's apparently worth between 6 and 7 million per a lawsuit regarding it.

If they bought it from the gov't for less thatn 5 million, it's probably a CIA front.
If they bought it for market value, they probably aren't.

[htuttle]

17. Google only found one interesting thing about them

...other than their corporate website ( http://www.dodson.com/ ).

This story reprinted in from "ELT Enews Daily":

http://www.elaonline.com/News/MembersOnly/IndNewsWkly/110303.htm
"2 Million Cap Doesn't Apply"
Lender Liability News (10/31/03) Vol. 16, No. 12,

U.S. District Judge Kathryn H. Vratil has ruled that Dodson Aviation is liable for the full amount of its loan from GE Capital. GE Capital sued Dodson Aviation and its owners for breach of contract after Dodson failed to make three consecutive monthly payments on its loan for a $2 million Hawker aircraft. The lender asked to recover $2.75 million from the owners of Dodson Aviation, which filed for bankruptcy shortly after the suit was filed, and argued that the owners of the company were personally liable for the amount of the loan's outstanding balance. Dodson Aviation's owners argued that they were liable for only $2 million, or the credit cap in the initial loan agreement. The judge ruled against Dodson Aviation's owners, saying they must pay the full $2.75 million owed to GE Capital as laid out in the guaranty and security agreement the company had with the lender.

It says they filed for bankruptcy sometime before 10/2003.

[pacifictiger]

20. so are they liquidating assets?

If they're in bankruptcy, there should be records.

[AP]

21. If they're still in business today, they could have just reorganized.

[I AM SPARTACUS]

23. Hoover's lists them, but you have to pay for the reports...

http://www.hoovers.com/free/search/simple/xmillion/index.xhtml?which=company&query_string=dodson+aviation&page=1&HoovHome=premium.hoovers.com%2Fsubscribe%2F&x=40&y=8

D&B Matches (US Companies)

available to Pro & Pro Plus subscribers only Results 1-3 of 3
Similar Company Names Location Location Type D&B Reports

Dodson Aviation Incorporated Ottawa, KS Headquarters
Dodson Aviation Incorporated Olathe, KS Branch
Dodson Aviation, Inc Tulsa, OK Single

[AP]

24. From Kansas State registry:

DODSON AVIATION, INCORPORATED



P.O. BOX 19
RANTOUL, KS 66079





Close Corp
Tax Year End <06>
Date of Incorporation <06/04/1969>
Last Correct Annual Report <06/2003>
Next Annual Report Due Date <10/15/2004>
Extension <00/00/0000>
Forfeiture <01/15/2005>
Expiration <06/04/2069>
State/Country Formation





Resident Agent



MRS SERVICE CORP.

C/O MCDOWELL RICE SMITH GAAR
7101 COLLEGE BLVD STE 200
OVERLAND PARK, KS 66210-0000






Business Entity Type



DOM: FOR PROFIT CORPORATION





Business Entity Status



CORPORATION IS ACTIVE AND IN GOOD STANDING

[AP]

25. And from Oklahoma:

1900641298 
DODSON AVIATION, INC. 
Domestic For Profit Business Corporation 
Legal 


(RA) Registered Agent:
LAWRENCE H DODSON
2427 S 137TH E AVE
TULSA, OK 74134


(RA) Effective Date:
3/9/2000