Wed, Aug 18, 2010
The Military Aircraft Broke The Sound Barrier After A
Floatplane Strayed Into A Presidential TFR
A pair of F-15 fighter jets scrambled from Portland to intercept
a floatplane which violated a Presidential TFR in Seattle on
Tuesday got the attention of people living along their route of
flight.
Seattle Presidential TFR
The Oregon Air National Guard aircraft went through the sound
barrier as they raced north, and the sonic booms were heard across
a large portion of the region. People living from Olympia to
Edmonds in Washington State flooded 911 centers with calls to
report two distinct "explosions" which rattled their windows and
shook their homes.
Television station KOMO reports that the floatplane landed
safely at Kenmore on the north shore of Lake Washington. The
floatplane exited the restricted area before the jets arrived, so
there was no intercept. Harbor officials said the two people on
board the floatplane were believed to be from Canada. A second
plane also reportedly violated the TFR and landed at an airport
about eight miles from the President's location just minutes before
it was intercepted by fighter jets.
F-15 File Photo
The station reports that Secret Service will interview the
floatplane pilot, but the matter appears to be "fairly routine."
The Pierce County, WA, Sheriff's Department said the flood of
911 calls about the sonic booms crashed the system across part of
the county.
Meanwhile, the Presidential TFR for the Obama's vacation in
Martha's Vineyard goes into effect Thursday afternoon, and will be
enforced until August 29th.
More News
Also: B-29 Superfortress Reunion, FAA Wants Controllers, Spirit Airlines Pulls Back, Gogo Galileo Van's Aircraft posted a short video recapping the goings-on around their reorganiz>[...]
Light Gun A handheld directional light signaling device which emits a brilliant narrow beam of white, green, or red light as selected by the tower controller. The color and type of>[...]
"The journey to this achievement started nearly a decade ago when a freshly commissioned Gentry, driven by a fascination with new technologies and a desire to contribute significan>[...]
"Our driven and innovative team of military and civilian Airmen delivers combat power daily, ensuring our nation is ready today and tomorrow." Source: General Duke Richardson, AFMC>[...]
Aircraft Conflict Predicted conflict, within EDST of two aircraft, or between aircraft and airspace. A Red alert is used for conflicts when the predicted minimum separation is 5 na>[...]