Flares Deployed To Draw Pilot’s Attention, Escorted From Airspace

North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) announced that U.S. military F-16 fighter aircraft intercepted a civilian aircraft on Saturday November 29, after it violated a temporary flight restriction airspace over Palm Beach, Florida. The aircraft entered the restricted airspace at 4:20 pm EST and the F-16s deployed flares to get the pilot’s attention to alert him to the violation, after which he was safely escorted from the airspace.

NORAD said there were multiple violations of the Palm Beach TFR by general aviation aircraft earlier in the week.

TFRs are issued through Notices to Airmen or NOTAMs, timely advisories to pilots regarding conditions or changes to airspace and/or airports. TFRs are exactly what they sound like: temporary restrictions on the use of certain airspaces for a specified period of time. General aviation pilots are reminded that checking NOTAMs prior to every flight is required by the FAA and TFR procedures must be followed.

Pilots finding themselves intercepted by fighter aircraft should immediately tune to frequency 121.5 or 243.0 and turn around to reverse course as well as comply with any instructions given by the intercepting aircraft.

NORAD is a joint U.S. and Canadian organization that manages aerospace and maritime alerts for North America. It utilizes a multifaceted defense network of satellites, radars, and fighter aircraft to identify and respond to potential threats. There is a wealth of resources pertaining to TFRs for GA pilots on the NORAD website.

FMI:  www.norad.mil/