Schanze fined in ship 'buzzing'

Dell "Superdell" Schanze, formerly of Totally Awesome Computer fame and current Libertarian gubernatorial candidate, has taken his show to the sky once again and earned the ire of the Federal Aviation Administration in the process.

Schanze was issued a $700 civil penalty for an incident last September involving a motorized parachute he was piloting and the "Island Serenade," a dinner cruise ship operated by the Magna company Salt Island Adventures.

Schanze did not respond to an e-mail request for comment Thursday. Salt Island Adventures also did not return a phone call seeking comment.

FAA spokesman Mike Fergus said Schanze was issued the fine for a number of infractions, but the most significant of them was "buzzing" the ship.

Fergus said the letter cited that Schanze "made at least three passes over and around the boat, coming within 50 feet or less." There were more than 40 passengers aboard at the time.

Fergus could not confirm whether the fine, issued on Feb. 28, had been paid. He noted that no license or certificate is required to operate "motorized parachutes" like the one Schanze was operating.

Schanze was fined $300 in 2006 by Draper City's justice court for creating a public nuisance by flying his paraglider over morning rush hour traffic along I-15. He was not fined by the FAA, however, although he said at the time he had talked to them "for hours."

This year, Schanze is hoping to put himself back in the public spotlight as a political candidate. He filed last week as a Republican candidate for the Salt Lake County mayoral race, only to withdraw on the final day of filing so he could run for governor — as a Libertarian.

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E-mail: araymond@desnews.com