January 9th, 2012 
ZeroAmpTech Not North by Northwest but South by Southcentral Texas and the home of Peter Sumaruck
Most terrifying scene – One scene makes the movie “North by Northwest” one of the most iconic and popular films of all time – the Crop Duster scene. Put “crop duster scene” into any search engine and “North by Northwest” appears. Why did this scene mean so much movie aficionados. People felt it in a personal way; the plane was chasing them. Viewers were terrified.
That was 1959. This happened last Saturday, Jan. 7, 2012, in rural central Texas. But there are no crops for 100 miles, no crop dusters in this part of Texas, only small town America and a scattering of residential communities – even more frightening.
This is how close the crop duster was to the ground next to Pete's home
Unfortunately no documentary filmmakers were collecting footage, just all the neighbors with their video cameras filming a single engine crop duster – sprayers off – making passes, 20 feet, sometimes less than 10 feet off the ground, in inventor Pete Sumaruck’s neighborhood, targeting his home.
For at lease forty minutes, the plane circled again and again aiming for Sumaruck – most passes very close to the ground just as you see in the photo. On the left is of course, Cary Grant but the plane threatening Pete’s home and entire neighborhood was a monoplane .
Some of central Texas even looks like this.
In a small neighborhood of maybe six homes, everyone saw the small plane. They were strafed and terrorized.
Many of the residents called the police, but they could not respond since the area was just outside town limits. Then McLennan County Sheriff’s Department refused to respond – they are notorious for that.
Flight school for crop dusters
Pete Sumaruck told me, “That pilot had to be an expert to get so low, that close to buildings and not hit anything …and not chash. He could have killed someone if he wanted to. You know he must have broken at least 50 FAA regulations doing that.”
Pete talked to the Highway Patrol describing the circling an low passes, “What color is the plane?” They asked.
“Red and white,” Pete said.
“I’ll talk to my guys out on the road,” said the dispatcher.
A typical crop duster, note the sprayers on the left, not an average small plane.
And then, “They see him right now; they say they can identify him.” They said they would call the FAA.
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