Posted on 10/23/2004 2:43:45 PM PDT by sheikdetailfeather
Fighters Escort Two Small Planes Away From Bush Rally
POSTED: 3:48 pm EDT October 23, 2004 UPDATED: 5:31 pm EDT October 23, 2004
MELBOURNE, Fla. -- Federal authorities said Saturday two small private planes violated restricted air space over a campaign rally by President George W. Bush at a Melbourne baseball stadium.
Fighter jets escorted the plane to Merritt Island Airport near Cocoa Beach, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. The Secret Service has interviewed the pilot. FAA spokesman Greg Martin said further action is possible.
Reporters covering Bush's campaign event said the military jets drowned out Bush's words at Space Coast Stadium.
Earlier at a Lakeland event, a plane was escorted to an airport in nearby Winter Haven after it violated the president's airspace.
The activity in the sky repeatedly distracted the crowd from Bush's speechs.
Copyright 2004 by The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Oh Hargrove.... you got some splainin to do.
Naturally, these pilots will claim ignorance on the airspace violation, and I hope the FAA doesn't cut 'em any slack.
BWAAAAAAAH!!!!
Then all of those some should lose their wings permanently. That'll serve as a wake-up call to stop screwing around.
We don't need any Air Canada flights making an unscheduled stop at Fenway......
Are pilots required to check such things before they take off?
I'm not being argumentitive, I honestly don't know.
The plane I saw on TV was just a piddly little thing, the kind I assumed could just take off or land on any grass strip as long as the pilot had a license. No need to check with anybody as long as the pilot stayed in the mapped space where such joyrides are allowed.
If the pilot was simply participating in Flight Following he would have been advised well in advance of busting the TFR. Instead He's flying fat and happy and out of comm with everyone. He will have his own personal TFR once the FAA yanks his ticket for a few months.
I'd hate to be on the receiving end of the ramp check those pilots received today. The FAA doesn't take it lightly when you don't bother to check the NOTAMs, nor should they.
I'd say a minimum 90 day suspension of their tickets is in order. They'll be lucky to keep their license at all, but at least suspend them for stupidity.
Maybe those were the planes with Jesse Jackson, Corrine Brown and all the disenfranchised disgruntled early voters who got bullied and tricked and were looking for the complaint booth.
LoL!
maintain your hard points, I repeat maintain your hard points, splash that Cub with your wash!
Thanks for reminding me of the game tonight!
That has been a gimme for decades...
Flying becomes a drug to a lot of pilots and sometimes it completely overrides their brain. Maybe he should have made a run for it. Those jets really wouldn't fire on an unarmed single engine plane, would they?
Watching replay on CSPAN. Sure is comforting to listen to this man. He makes me smile amid all the turmoil of headquarter violence et al.
FOUR MORE YEARS!!!!!
The sectionals from down in Florida are a real maze to start with, given the number of military airfields. That's even more reason to check for NOTAMs prior to taking off.
If you are flying VFR and staying within 25 miles of your departure location, you don't have to file with ATC but you still need to call in to check on the weather and be updated on those NOTAMs. NO EXCUSE!
I wonder if the pilots will be billed for the cost of scrambling those fighters? They should be.
Flying around they were adistraction.
Getting shot down and burning on the ground within sight of Bush's speech would have been less of a distraction?
They are - I'm watching - So when does this happen - ?
>>>Those jets really wouldn't fire on an unarmed single engine plane, would they?
If the pilot failed to comply with instructions, yes, I think they would take it out. As well they should.
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