By Fredrick Kunkle and Del Quentin Wilber
Washington Post Staff Writers
Thursday, May 12, 2005

SMOKETOWN, Pa., May 11 -- Hayden "Jim" Sheaffer deftly piloted a glider the other day, coasting on thermals and easily keeping the small craft aloft for an hour. Recently, he purchased detailed aviation maps for the North Carolina region to ensure that he properly navigated his way Wednesday to a much-anticipated air show.

John E. Henderson, a friend who rode along in the glider, said the Sheaffer he knows is a skilled flier who is always prepared. For Henderson and others in this farming community, news that the veteran pilot and another local man, Troy Martin, had blundered deep into restricted airspace over Washington was shocking and inexplicable.

"I don't have any qualms about his piloting skills," said Henderson, 71, a veteran pilot. "The problem he got into was a navigational problem."

Lenny Harding, a neighbor and friend of Martin's, called the incident over the skies of Washington "a mistake, an honest mistake, a big honest mistake."

"This is national news, and the guy . . . lives across the street from us," said Harding, 44, of nearby Akron, Pa. "This is kind of a shock to us."

Sheaffer, 69, and Martin, 36, were released after authorities determined that they posed no threat. Martin, a student pilot with less than 30 hours of flight experience, was at the controls of the Cessna 150, which was eventually intercepted by military jet fighters and escorted to an airport in Frederick.

Law enforcement officials said that the two men did not initially heed a command to divert their plane and that they suffered a radio malfunction or, more likely, were not in contact because they did not realize it was required.

Neighbors describe Martin, who is married, as a quiet man who often can be seen playing with his two young boys, cutting his grass and helping shovel snow outside his white aluminum-sided house. He sells central vacuum cleaning systems, a job that requires him to travel often.

Harry Boyer said the Martins grew up in the area and moved into the neighborhood about three years ago. Martin enjoys flying but also likes to talk about restoring old cars -- particularly Ford Thunderbirds -- with his father, Boyer said.

"To me, Troy, he sure would never mean anything bad," Boyer said. "That had to be the most innocent mistake anybody could make."

Sheaffer's friends and relatives said he lives to fly and rarely makes mistakes. He has been behind the controls of airplanes since his late twenties, said his sister, Jan Gall, 71.

"I am utterly shocked," Gall said. "I think this was, honestly, just an honest mistake."

Gall said Sheaffer grew up in Rothsville, Pa., and dropped out of high school to join the Army. He was eventually discharged. A truck driver by trade, his most recent job was transporting pies to New York City, Gall said.

During summers, he travels to North Dakota, where he helps ranchers and farmers track their livestock from the air, she said.

A handyman around the house, Sheaffer has been refurbishing and rebuilding his own airplane for the past decade, Gall said.

No one answered the door at Sheaffer's home in Warwick Township, Pa. A man who answered the telephone at Sheaffer's house referred all questions to the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association. A spokeswoman for the group declined to comment.

Next-door neighbor Sue Youmans, 59, who runs a house-cleaning business, said Sheaffer's wife, Joyce, was in shock.

"They could have been shot down," Youmans said. "He's not a young man. I hope he doesn't end up having a heart attack over this."

Wilber reported from Washington.