Norman worked for Boeing Aircraft at the factory in Washington state where they manufacture 747s. During off-duty hours, Norman and his buddies like to take weekend canoe trips.

One day Norman notices one of the life rafts due to be installed in an aircraft. Because he knows factory procedure, he’s able to smuggle the life raft out of a secured area and hide the raft in the employee parking lot until the end of his shift.

Weeks later, Norman organizes a trip on the river for some of his friends. They plan to raft downstream for a while, then camp in the woods and continue their trip the next morning.

Norman unloadeds the raft and camping supplies at the insertion point along the river. Then two vehicles drive down to the exit point along the river, leaving a pickup truck behind so there’s transportation at the end of the trip. Sounds like a well thought out plan. And it is — well, almost.

It’s Friday afternoon. The weekend river party inflates the raft and begins loading food and camping supplies.

It’s an hour into the trip when somebody hears a strange sound — a rapid flop-flop-flop. Seconds later a helicopter soars out from over the treetops and hovers over the raft.

Needless to say, the campers are stunned at the sight of a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter flying above them. The people in the raft are instructed to "heave to," meaning, "pull over to the shoreline."

I should remind you that Norman still hasn’t told his camping buddies where he got the raft. Norman, himself, doesn’t know that airline rescue rafts are equipped with an ELT (Emergency Location Transmitter). This is a wireless device that automatically transmits a continuous signal on impact or when the raft is inflated. Search & Rescue teams are equipped to "home in" on the signal to find its location.

Norman is not arrested, but the raft is confiscated and returned to Boeing. I’m told that Norman no longer works for the company and that his former rafting buddies don’t return his telephone calls any more.