Posted on 08/13/2012 7:24:18 AM PDT by KeyLargo
Fighter jet intercepts small planes during Obama’s visit to Chicago
By BNO News
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS (BNO NEWS) -- An F-16 fighter jet intercepted two small planes Saturday after they entered airspace which has been temporarily closed for a visit by President Barack Obama, officials said on Sunday, less than a week after a similar incident in the New York area.
The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) said the two separate incidents happened in the Chicago area at approximately 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. Central Daylight Time (CDT), just a few hours after Air Force One landed at O'Hare International Airport. Details such as the type of aircraft or the number of people on board were not released by authorities.
An F-16 fighter jet intercepted both aircraft and followed it until it landed without incident, NORAD said in a brief statement. Both pilots were met by law enforcement and questioned why they strayed into the restricted airspace. Other details were not immediately released, but both incidents are believed to have been accidental.
Obama had no public events on Saturday but arrived in Chicago to attend five separate campaign events on Sunday.
Earlier this week, on August 6, two F-15 fighter jets also intercepted two small airplanes when they entered restricted airspace during a visit by Obama to Connecticut and New York. The first incident happened over Long Island where some airspace was closed because Air Force One was stationed at John F. Kennedy International Airport.
(Excerpt) Read more at wireupdate.com ...
Obama collects $4 million in his hometown for re-election bid
BY DAN MIHALOPOULOS Staff Reporter dmihalopoulos@suntimes.com August 12, 2012 9:40PM
I’m guessing that it must be a terrible thing to be so afraid of the American people, as their President, that you have to ban private planes from flying around you, ban people from gathering around you, ban traffic from driving around you. What is he afraid of?
“What is he afraid of?”
Roosting chickens.
I’m not a pilot, but aviation has always been an interest.
Can one of the pilots on the board explain how things like temporarily restricted airspace work?
Is there some sort of broadcast or web site you’re supposed to check before filing a flight plan? How is the info disseminated and how does the pilot of a small plane know when these restrictions pop up?
A prudent military would be sporting a protection system whose aircraft sport a sustained stall speed equivalent to that of a Cessna, etc. You can bet there were other assets around to take care of business.
I am constantly getting NOTAM’s explaining some temporary airspace closing because obammy or his pet idiot are in town slumming for money.
If you are doing a longer flight, you generally call in or log on to get a briefing from an FAA weather briefer. At that time you’ll learn of all known weather and also any NOTAMs. Notice to Airmen.
If going up for a nice quiet local flight, it would be quite easy to not be aware of such restrictions.
If you fly VFR(visual flight rules) you are responsible for knowing where the restricted airspace is located. Temporary restrictions are posted and can be obtained via a FSS(flight service center). If you are flying IFR(instrument flight rule) and you are vectored into restricted airspace, then it isn’t your fault. That SHOULD never happen.
Thanks to both of you...
The difficulty this time in the Chicago metro area for VFR pilots is that the Obama Airspace Restriction was up and down for various times during the days it was in effect. This required pilots to check with ATC while in the air even if when they departed an airport the Obama Airspace was down at that time.
It is all about control by the Obama government.
Obama gives himself control of all communication systems in America
Edited: 10 July, 2012, 00:11
US President Barack Obama quietly signed his name to an Executive Order on Friday, allowing the White House to control all private communications in the country in the name of national security.
President Obama released his latest Executive Order on Friday, July 6, a 2,205-word statement offered as the “Assignment of National Security and Emergency Preparedness Communications Functions.” And although the president chose not to commemorate the signing with much fanfare, the powers he provides to himself and the federal government under the latest order are among the most far-reaching yet of any of his executive decisions.
http://rt.com/usa/news/obama-president-order-communications-770/print/
4 planes in 1 week? Is that normal?
These intercepts of small private planes while Obama is crisscrossing the country on permanent campaign are ridiculous.
“4 planes in 1 week? Is that normal?”
It is the new normal now that Obama is criss-crossing the country daily in his quest for more and more money in campaign donations from his fat-cat supporters.
These airspace control grabs by Obama have cost private businesses millions of dollars.
Government Advocacy
GA leaders seek relief for losses from TFRs
By Dan Namowitz
TFRS
Six association presidents have requested that the Transportation Security Administration work with general aviation on ways to reduce business losses sustained under airspace restrictions during presidential travel.
In a June 2 letter to TSA Administrator John S. Pistole, the association leaders called for a joint effort to minimize the effects of temporary flight restrictions (TFRs) that have been imposed—sometimes to a radius of 30 nautical miles from airports used during the president’s travel. The letter offered examples of aviation businesses suffering extensive revenue losses while their operations were curtailed because of the TFRs.
http://www.aopa.org/advocacy/articles/2011/110603ga_leaders_seek_relief_from_tfr_losses.html
There is nothing secret about this link; you can go here, and albeit with very short notice, see the flight restrictions for yourself.
It’s standard practice to have a Temporary Flight Restriction when the President is somewhere.
Who is paying for all this? AF-1 trip to & from Chicago, multiple F-16's to patrol temporary no-fly zones, etc. All for campaign and fund raising stops, not official business. Are we taxpayers footing the bill or is his campaign paying for it?
Are we taxpayers footing the bill or is his campaign paying for it?
The USSS is the government agency in charge of these TFRs.
Therefore all of this is paid for by taxpayers.
Temporary Flight Restrictions
A Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) is a restriction on an area of airspace due to the movement of government VIPs, special events, natural disasters, or other unusual events. On any given day, there are typically several TFRs in place across the National Airspace System (NAS). Most non-VIP TFRs are small in scope, in non-critical locations, or allow for some aspect of general aviation to operate within them, albeit with some restrictions.
However, some TFRs do have a significant restrictive impact on general and business aviation. The most common of these are VIP TFRs, which are issued in association with the movements of the President and the Vice President (and, potentially, during campaign season, the presidential and vice-presidential candidates). Not quite as common are special event TFRs, such as those established each year in association with the Super Bowl or the UN General Assembly.
The dimensions, timing, and level of restriction for each TFR vary. For VIP TFR’s, these determinations are made by the United States Secret Service (USSS), in coordination with FAA Security. Once finalized, TFR information is typically distributed via Flight Data Center (FDC) Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) in advance of the event.
For additional information about the types of TFR, review the information below:
VIP TFRs
There are two basic types of VIP TFRs:
10/30nm VIP TFRs, reserved for use in association with Presidential movement,
3nm VIP TFRs, used for Vice Presidential movement or movement by other lower-ranking government officials.
These TFRs are governed by FAR 91.141 and are generally not made available to the public until two or three days before the event.
VIP TFRs are normally set up as one or more rings of airspace, surrounding the VIP, which become active for a specific amount of time. The normal arrangement is to have one ring covering the VIP’s arrival and departure location(s) and another covering the area where the VIP will be between arrival and departure. While these rings are stationary, there are occasions where “rolling” TFRs are created to accommodate a moving event (such as one on a train or bus).
10/30nm VIP TFRs
In the case of Presidential movement, the TFR is usually comprised of an outer 30nm ring and one or more 10nm inner rings. However, the dimensions and, even the shape, of the rings are sometimes altered to suit specific needs. For example, some TFRs are structured so that the outer ring consists of the lateral limits of a particular airport’s Class B airspace, with one or more inner rings of perhaps 8nm or 12nm, as needed.
The inner ring(s) constitute the most significant challenge to general and business aviation, since they are almost always inaccessible to general aviation aircraft. This is primarily due to the fact that general aviation aircraft are not subject to TSA passenger and aircraft screening.
The result is that GA aircraft cannot fly through these areas below 18,000 feet and any airports within these areas are unavailable to GA aircraft during the specified times. In addition, these “no fly” areas may result in required reroutes being issued to move aircraft away from them.
There are occasional exceptions that will allow certain GA aircraft to penetrate the inner ring(s). In some cases, the USSS will agree to set up “gateway” airports, at which GA aircraft can be screened before proceeding into the TFR. In other cases, GA aircraft are permitted into the inner ring(s) only after obtaining TSA waivers, sometime used in combination with gateway airports. However, these exceptions are relatively rare and are normally made for TFRs that impact multiple airports for several days.
On other occasions, a TFR might be structured with a “cut-out” to allow operations into an airport that lies just inside the inner ring. This happens quite often for Teterboro Airport (TEB) when TFRs are placed over the New York City area. In these cases operators need to be aware that certain approaches and departures may not be available for the airport in the cut-out.
The outer ring(s), normally 30nm in diameter, are much less problematic for general and business aviation. Between this outer limit and the inner ring(s), GA aircraft are permitted as long as they are on IFR flight plans and in communication with air traffic control. However, aircraft cannot loiter in this airspace and certain other types of activities, such as flight training, practice approaches, and sightseeing flights, are not permitted within this area.
3nm VIP TFRs
In the case of Vice Presidential movement, TFRs normally consist of one or more 3nm rings and no outer ring. These TFRs are less restrictive for GA aircraft, allowing access to aircraft that are on IFR flight plans and in communication with ATC – restrictions very similar to those in the 30nm outer rings discussed above.
However, when an airport is contained within a 3nm-type TFR, airport operations are typically halted for a short period of time while the VIP is at the airport or is departing or arriving. As a result, operators flying into an airport sitting under a 3nm ring can expect minor delays during the TFR’s active times.
http://www.nbaa.org/ops/airspace/alerts/notams/temporary-flight-restrictions.php#vip
I figured they would just put up yellow cone shaped balloons or some kind of “DO NOT FLY HERE” tape.
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