NORAD Fighters Intercept GA Aircraft Over D.C.

OK folks, I hardly need to tell you that we need this kind of press like a hole in the head... while the aviation world wants the rest of the world, especially the ground hogs, to know how much fun it is to fly and how cool pilots are; it is transgressions like these that make us all look DUMB.

Shortly after noon Wednesday, two F-16 fighter aircraft under the direction of North American Aerospace Defense Command intercepted a general aviation aircraft that was out of radio contact in the vicinity of the National Capital Region at approximately 1215 EST. The civilian aircraft re-established communications and was allowed to continue on its way without incident -- this time.

It could have gone a lot worse... but once again, the GA world gets reported on in the general media as if we don't know what we're doing. Watch your airspace! The alternative, of course, is to get up close and personal with an F-16... which is plenty cool at an airshow, but not so cool when you have two of them bracketing you inflight and they're carrying live ammo -- and you're not.

So... be careful, watch where you're going, stay abreast of the regs, airspace and TFRs -- and in the words of several aged aviators... Don't Do Nothin' Dumb... 

FMI: www.norad.mil