NORAD intercepting Air France 68 now (plane has landed without incident)

me

[Political Junkie Too]

Do we know that this isn't just one of those "exercises" that the Air Force practices on commercial airliners?

-PJ

[maquiladora]

The F-16's are on a CAP, right? Same as the two F-15's over NY now.

[Central Scrutiniser]

Not exactly, it could be a weather or traffic re routing, or the original route. I've done several flights to and from LA to Europe and they each followed different routes, but along the same trajectory. It could be that they are trying to move away from headwinds to make up for the late departure. Its fairly common.

[Jim Noble]

Interesting theory, hadn't thought of that.

It was my first thought.

If we ever shoot down a civilian airliner and it is proven not to have been a threat, the whole defense system will be stood down.

Can you just imagine the wails from Congress?

Once the system is down, AQ can attack at will.

[Revolting cat!]

Sorry, I cain't follow:

NORAD, SOP, SOB, LAX, LFPG, LOL, ENVO, AWACS, NBA, CDG...

Can someone splain?

[Dog]

There was a NORAD general after 9/11 who had the authority to do it I don't know if that is still in effect.

[Viking2002]

I can't find a single news outlet covering this. Either they're all asleep at the switch, or this is just SOP for certain international flights, and they'll ignore it unless one of those fighters lights one off.......

[cmsgop]

This one is going over Reno soon,not Vegas

[Joe Anybody]

I'm suprised that communications aren't encrypted...

[al baby]

I was at lax today landing over ocean take off over land wind out of north east not sure now

[SauronOfMordor]

How did you sign up tomorrow?

Times are stored in GMT time zone. It's tomorrow in Greenwich, England right now. JimRob's software doesn't make the timezone correction in putting together the signup date

[Yaelle]

I just realized that they would want the plane over sea if they had to blow it up for any reason. How horrible.

[maquiladora]

Just spoke to this to someone online and he said "exercise evidentally, pilots do occasionally volunteer for practice intercepts".

[john in orinda]

Here's a great circle route viewer that may show the route more clearly. I just can't get a clip from it.

http://argray.org/dist/index

Can anybody do that?

[BurbankKarl]

they could reroute it due to weather also...

just so it doesnt go to San Diego

Holiday Bowl, WSU vs Texas, 5pm

[baltodog]

I doubt my Sheppard would even want to tail one....
My lab on the other hand LOVES dog smells.

[Pan_Yans Wife]

Thank you. I always wanted to know the answer to that question.

[SAMWolf]

<===Mash This

french Army to Market "Ultimate Surrender" Video Game

Paris - Inspired by the commercial success of the United States Army’s "Boot Camp" video game, the General Staff of the french Army has announced plans to market "Ultimate Surrender," a video game based upon the proud military traditions of the Gauls.

In the game we follow the exploits of Lucky Pierre, an apprentice garlic salesman from Marseilles, as he joins the french Army and begins a rigorous course of combat training.

The First Level of the game is called "Survival School," and the players have to help Lucky Pierre survive 24 hours without red wine or crème brulé.

The Second Level is "Capitulation," and the goal here is to see which player can have Lucky Pierre surrender the fastest without firing a shot or getting his uniform dirty.

Level Three is "Collaboration." Here the players battle to see who can collect the largest numbers of pairs of nylon stockings and packages of chocolates by having Lucky Pierre perform sexual favors for members of the occupying forces.

Level Four is "Be Ungrateful to America for Rescuing Your Sorry french Ass Once Again." In this extremely challenging part of the game contestants vie with one another to see who can make Lucky Pierre behave in the surliest manner when the United States inevitably comes to the rescue of the defeated french.

The Final Level is "Pretending to Have Been in the Resistance." Here contestants compete in a battle of tall tales and whoppers as they try to protect Lucky Pierre from treason charges.

Marketing tests show that "Ultimate Surrender" is a big hit with french teenagers and young adults who are too young to have experienced france’s lightening surrender to the Germans in 1940 or its defeat by the Vietnamese in 1954 at Dien Bien Phu. "Zees is a great tool to inspire ze patriotism in ze youths, n’est ce pas?" said General Jean-Jacques Loseur, Commander-in-Chief of the french Army, during his weekly press conference. "Since ze end of ze Cold War we french have not had many opportunities to surrender or to show great cowardice in the face of much weaker opponents."

When questioned about comments made in the french Chamber of Deputies that "Ultimate Surrender" makes the french Army look like a bunch of gutless mama’s boys, General Loseur pulled out a white handkerchief, put his hands over his head and said, "Oh heck, I give up."

[A Citizen Reporter]

"On Monday, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the Transportation Security Administration said airspace over the Strip will be restricted. The Strip has 74,344 hotel rooms, and 18 of the 20 nation's largest hotels."

From here

[al baby]

i think you are sol