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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: 1) by moondoctor on Monday February 06 2017, @03:07PM
Thanks! Out of curiosity, when is a flight plan required? I've gone up with my grandad a couple times in a light plane, really enjoyed it, and I fly slope soaring model gliders to get my flying fix.
(Score: 3, Informative) by morpheus on Monday February 06 2017, @07:52PM
Basically, there are only two cases: when flying IFR (the weather is crap, for example, or you are flying to Florida:)---their airspace is so screwed up, it is better to be watched), and, when flying VFR (Visual Flight Rules) in US ADIZ. There is one around Washington DC and there is a fifteen mile wide zone around the US coast (I may be off on the dimension here). There you need a so called DVFR plan (Defence VFR) but, strangely enough the FAA has no jurisdiction when you leave the ADIZ into oceanic space so in Alaska we treated it as 'do whatever you want as long as it makes sense' airspace. Never met anyone but polar bears out there ...
(Score: 1) by moondoctor on Wednesday February 08 2017, @10:00AM
Thanks, that's very interesting. Got to admit, that really surprised me. Alaska? Whoa! Seen some well used AK bush planes on their way through at a little grass strip in Montana, among the coolest machines I've ever seen. If they could only talk, so much character...