Someone keeps stealing, flying, fixing and returning this man's 1958 Cessna

Uncontrolled Airports, ATC, and Flight Plans

• Several commenters explain that many U.S. municipal airports are untowered: no ATC clearances, just voluntary radio calls on a common frequency.
• Pilots are not always required to talk to anyone, nor to file flight plans for VFR flights, and some aircraft may not even have radios.
• The Cessna’s home airport sits near, but not squarely inside, controlled Class C airspace; a pilot can legally avoid talking to ATC by staying low and outside certain boundaries.
• Others contrast this with Canada, where flight plans are more often required, leading to confusion about “how can they not know who’s flying.”

How the Theft Is Possible & Detection Ideas

• Because GA security is minimal, many planes sit outside with no locks beyond tiedowns; commenters say it’s a “miracle” this doesn’t happen more often.
• Suggested countermeasures: locked hangars, chaining the aircraft, ADS‑B/flight-tracking alerts on the tail number, LoJack-style trackers, and hidden cameras in the cockpit.
• Some note the article itself says the owner uses FlightAware, but may not know about automated alerts.

Who Might Be Flying It & Why

• Theories include: drug running or other criminal use, a broke but competent pilot, someone with mental health issues, a time-building pilot, or even mistaken identity with a similar-looking aircraft.
• Others point out the thief replacing batteries/headsets is “not fixing” but enabling further theft, and the casual maintenance by a stranger is seen as alarming.

Security, Safety, and Regulation Debate

• One side is disturbed that such flights can occur while passengers endure intense airline security; they see this as evidence of “security theater.”
• Pilots push back: GA runs largely on an honor system, with very different risk and mass compared to airliners; small Cessnas are not comparable to jets in destructive potential.
• Multiple commenters emphasize that if a rogue Cessna wandered into major controlled airspace or near big airports, alarms and serious responses would follow.

Flying Skill, Sims, and Maintenance Costs

• There’s extended back-and-forth on how hard it is to fly and especially land a small plane, and how much (or how little) flight simulators prepare you.
• Instructors stress that safe landing and emergency handling require real-world training.
• Others note that even short “joyrides” are expensive in fuel and engine wear, unlike casual car joyriding.