https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/norad-jet-headbutts-plane-that-violated-trump-s-palm-beach-airspace/ar-AA1SQOLz?ocid=hpmsn&cvid=694a78cd63ed4dff8fbd3c8afc923dbe&ei=79(I live 11 miles south of PBI, heard the jet fly overhead, you'd think by now, people would know, the President has a home here)
Story by Kristina Webb, Palm Beach Daily News
Fighter jets intercepted a wayward plane that violated the restricted airspace over President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach on Dec. 21, federal officials said.
The civilian plane entered restricted airspace about 9:20 a.m., and a North American Aerospace Defense Command F-16 performed "a headbutt manuever," which is done when a jet flies directly in front of a plane to get a pilot's attention, a news release said. Residents in central Palm Beach County could hear the roar of the NORAD jet's engines as it sped toward the plane. A set of temporary flight restrictions went into effect at 11:30 p.m. Dec. 19 ahead of President Donald Trump's arrival in Palm Beach later that night for his annual Christmas and New Year's visit to his Mar-a-Lago. The restrictions issued by the Federal Aviation Administration are in effect until 6:30 p.m. Jan. 4. NORAD encouraged pilots to check all Notices to Airmen and temporary flight restrictions before takeoff.
"NORAD employs a layered defense network of radars, satellites, and fighter aircraft to identify aircraft and determine the appropriate response," officials said in the news release. "The identification and monitoring of aircraft demonstrates how NORAD executes its aerospace warning and aerospace control missions for the United States and Canada."
The temporary flight restrictions when Trump is in Palm Beach include a radius of 10 nautical miles where most flights are banned, followed by a ring with a 30 nautical-mile radius where more movement of aircraft is allowed, according to the FAA.
When pilots violate the restrictions, air traffic controllers try to contact them to warn them to leave the area. If the pilots do not respond, NORAD jets are sent to intercept the aircraft. After flying next to the planes, the jet pilots tip their wings and may release flares to get the offending pilot's attention.
NORAD is responsible for monitoring and defending North American airspace.
Pilots who violate the temporary flight restrictions could face "sanctions ranging from warnings or fines to certificate suspensions or revocations," the FAA said.
