75-Year-Old Thought F-16s Were Just Admiring Her Cute J3 Cub

President Obama's 50th birthday Friday was not a good day for him in the news cycle, but it also wasn't a good day for 75-year-old Myrtle Rose. The active pilot says she hadn't flown her pretty, blue, J3 Cub in weeks, and looked out the window and saw a sunny day beckoning in the Chicago area.

Myrtle says she always checks for NOTAMs, but her computer wasn't working Friday, so she just flew...into restricted airspace around President Obama's birthday party.

NORAD scrambled a pair of F-16s to intercept Myrtle, but she didn't have a radio turned on. She told the Associated Press she saw the fighters, but, "I thought, 'Oh, well, they're just looking at how cute the Cub is.'" The Cub had just won a "Best in Class" award at Oshkosh this year.
 

When she eventually landed on an airstrip on the outskirts of Chicago, police were waiting. NORAD is not amused. Agency spokesman Stacey Knott told the AP, "The biggest thing to keep in mind is that when F-16s come screaming up to you, they are probably trying to tell you something."

Myrtle says she's filed a report with the FAA. She could face actions ranging from a warning to a fine or certificate suspension.

Thankfully, she wasn't carrying more than three ounces of shampoo.

FMI: www.norad.mil