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[Ed Note: The linked article comes from Wired. They are notorious for their adblocker blocking to keep you from reading the site without viewing the ads. It worked for me, but YMMV. - cmn32480]
You're a private pilot, out on a Sunday jaunt in your single engine prop plane. Lovely day for a flight—calm skies, good weather. Then you hear, feel, and then see the fast approach of two, grey, angular military jets, flying terrifyingly close to you, most definitely armed and dangerous.
What have you done? More pressing, what do you do? Chances are, you've strayed into restricted airspace, like the no fly zones put in place to protect President Trump wherever he goes, or special events, like this weekend's Super Bowl.
For the big game, the no-fly zone banishes planes (and drones, the FAA is keen to stress) straying within 34.5 miles of NRG stadium, in downtown Houston. If pilots feel they must enter the outer edge of the perimeter, they need permission from controllers, and are asked to maintain constant contact. The 10-mile core is strictly no entry.
OK, back to those menacing fighter jets, one of which is now level with you, where you can see each other. Hopefully, as a pilot, you've read and memorized your in-flight intercept procedures (even if you didn't bother to check the FAA website for no-fly zones in your area), because they're your best bet for keeping a lot of airspace between you and a missile.
The full article at Wired discusses the steps taken by pilots on both sides of such a situation.
(Score: 5, Informative) by VLM on Monday February 06 2017, @02:02PM
(even if you didn't bother to check the FAA website for no-fly zones in your area)
The fun really starts when they pop a NOTAM after you take off, which has happened to a bunch of people.
If you want to do a laser light show or launch very large rockets the FAA can't say no but does require 30 days written warning, so unless you're on a 31 day flight you have little excuse, but if the president decides to visit a tourist trap on the spur of the moment, there's really no way to handle it other than popping a NOTAM outta nowhere and endless jet interceptions.
Another hilarious problem is military operational areas where it seems like half the rural land of the country is a military training area but its empty at least 99.9% of the time, so you verify no training schedule, file your flight plan thru the MOA, take off, while flying, before you get there, some goofball activates the MOA, then you hit the MOA and they WTF the hell out of you as though its all your fault, why are you in my active MOA get out.
Out of pity, I guess, often the MOA around me, even if activated, can sometimes be flown thru if you ask for permission and/or a specific altitude, but again this is pretty random.
I suppose it depends on where you live, if you're living in DC or NYC you can expect lots of hassle from dignitaries and special events popping up NOTAMs and if you're in a rural area you can expect lots of harassment about MOAs.
This is one of those topics preventing the whole "why can't you just program a GPS and follow the magic arrow" situation. When I was doing flight lessons I remember a general problem avoidance technique was to follow the published victor airways in order to avoid getting F-ed with by the world in general. Everyone in the flight business, at least back then, kinda expected little Cessnas to be found scooting along the victor airways routes, and those airways were routed at least mostly semi-intelligently. If you're off in the middle of nowhere doing your own thing, that's OK and often is legal, but you have to accept that other planes and ATC and the military are going to somewhat more confused about you. Chicago knows what to do with Cessnas that fly in along V191 but if you just sorta show up they're like WTF man.
I seem to recall the author of the xplane flight sim getting busted for flying thru a no-fly zone that wasn't posted until after he took off. The FAA reaction to these kind of violations contain a strange mixture of randomness and justice, so any governmental reaction from absolutely nothing to significant legal problems, is completely randomly possible any time you fly.
Personally my motivation to restart my private pilots license disappeared when Meigs in Chicago got bulldozed (Mayor Daley what an embarrassment) and the FAA started getting a little crazy about NOTAMs and no fly zones and BS like that. Where's the fun in flying anymore?
(Score: 2) by morpheus on Monday February 06 2017, @07:58PM
Hey, man, I feel for you but please, do not let it stop you. Meigs Field was a f-up, to be sure but there are plenty of nice airports out there, with the new ADS-B transponders the traffic is a bit easier for both you and the 'big boys' and their 'fishfinders' to handle. And, with the new medical rules, you only need one third class medical for life (after that, you can 'self-certify'). So get back in there and fly!