When The President Is In Residence, Stay Farther Away

What you don't know may hurt you -- or, at least, scare the (deleted ) out of you. 

The pilots of three aircraft flew into the temporarily-expanded Prohibited airspace over Camp David this weekend, and each was greeted by an F-15 fighter jet for their mistake.

FAA Spokeswoman Laura Brown said the incursions happened at about 0930, then 1300 and 1500. Pilots who stray into such prohibited airspace are interviewed by federal officials to determine if further action is necessary, and the FAA may file a violation against the Airman's certificate if they deem necessary... and they often do. 

Normally, the Prohibited airspace is a static issue around Camp David, but the amount of Prohibited airspace expands when the President is in residence. The pilots may have been unaware of the temporary expansion of the "P-40" restricted area as warning of such is often done on short notice. President Obama and his family spent much of the Memorial Day Weekend in the Maryland mountains.

Multiple news sources indicated each pilot only "nicked" the edge of the restricted airspace. Only one of the airplanes was publicly identified... an unfortunate Beechcraft Bonanza. An official said the violations may have been due to an increase in air traffic this time of the year (though better notification of such critical airspace changes is long overdue -- Ed.).

The Temporary Flight Restrictions, or TFR's have been used by the FAA for years to restrict overflights of certain airspace for reasons of national security. Their use has been expanded dramatically since the events of September 11th, 2001.

FMI: www.tfr.faa.gov