Next time, he'll drive

Next time, a Lake Villa pilot will use his car rather than airplane to get his son to a tennis match on time.

In an interview Tuesday morning, Robert Kadera told WGN radio host Spike O'Dell that he should probably have gotten permission from the Marriott Lincolnshire Resort to land on the golf course there.

Kadera, who did not return a call from the Daily Herald, also said he thinks he may be arrested for an incident Saturday afternoon when he landed his Piper PA-16 Clipper on the course.

"I guess it was on fairway No. 7 is what they tell me," he said.

Lincolnshire police were getting 911 calls as Kadera made several landing attempts.

"I probably spent too much time looking at the landing area before I set it down," he said.

Police arrived to find Kadera and his 14-year-old standing by the plane, which was about 20 feet south of a retaining wall on Route 22.

"The boy was standing there with a bag of tennis balls and his shoes," Lincolnshire Police Chief Randy Melvin said this morning.

"He was late for his tennis tune-up," Kadera told O'Dell. "Traffic on Saturday is really bad."

Kadera said the plane was at home in Lake Villa and was equipped with skis because Deep Lake was frozen.

"The golf course had plenty of room to land right across the street from the tennis courts so we thought it would work for us," he told O'Dell.

Kadera said not getting permission to land on the course was a mistake. He said he "might get arrested" and said charges of trespassing or disorderly conduct were possible.

Melvin said the department is completing a report and expected to forward it today or tomorrow to the Lake County state's attorneys office for review.

"The state's attorney may just tell us instead of state charges go ahead with local ordinances," Melvin said.

The Federal Aviation Administration also is investigating. Pilot training and registration will be part of that, authorities said Monday.

When asked, Kadera said he didn't think the landing endangered the public.

"I don't think so. There was nobody playing golf with a foot of snow on (the course)," he said.

He added that his son never did get to the tennis match.

"I think next time, I'll drive," he said.