NORAD Pilots Step Up Mar-A-Lago Intercepts

NORAD pilots have had to use aggressive maneuvers to get the attention of pilots who have strayed into restricted airspace over Mar-a-Lago.

Russ Niles

Tuesday, April 08, 2025 at 08:01 PM ET

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Key Takeaways:

A NORAD F-16 pilot employed an unprecedented "headbutt maneuver" to gain the attention of a general aviation (GA) pilot who violated the Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) over President Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort.
The F-16 pilot resorted to this sharp turn and close escort after other attempts to communicate with the GA plane failed, eventually diverting it from the restricted airspace.
This incident is one of over 20 "tracks of interest" near Palm Beach since Trump took office, indicating frequent TFR violations, with NORAD having previously used flares to alert wayward pilots.

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NORAD says one of its F-16 pilots had to pull a “headbutt maneuver” to get the attention of a GA pilot who busted the TFR over President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort last Friday. Apparently after all else failed, the Viper pilot turned sharply and cut in front of the unidentified GA plane. Then it pulled in close and escorted the plane away. It’s not clear whether it was taken to an airport or just taken outside the TFR.

NORAD said it’s had “over 20 tracks of interest” over Palm Beach since Trump took office on Jan. 20. Trump normally heads to Florida on Friday night but had a golf tournament to attend last Friday so he went a day early. The TFRs are, of course, NOTAMed. The headbutt was something new but NORAD jets have also deployed flares in past encounters to get the attention of wayward pilots.