…And Another (Yawn) D.C. Incursion

And there’s a sense of the blas surrounding the coverage of the latest incursion into restricted airspace near Washington last week — even though the aircraft involved has managed two other breeches, apparently flown by different pilots, according to The Washington Post. In fact, even the FAA and security authorities seem to be tiring of explaining just why pilots regularly (almost habitually) bust the restrictions — Airworthy Aviation Inc., which the Post says owns the errant rental aircraft, did not answer the paper’s calls. In the latest case (although several days have passed and there could have been more) the pilot violated a temporary expansion of a permanent airspace restriction around Camp David, in Maryland. Most days, the restriction is 5,000 feet and three miles but, on the request of the Secret Service, the FAA can expand the zone to 10 miles and 18,000 feet. On Saturday night, the pilot in question was at 1,300 feet and 7.5 miles from Camp David when he somehow got the message he was in the wrong place at the wrong time. He landed at Frederick Municipal Airport where he was questioned and released without charge. Neither the FAA nor the Secret Service would release the pilot’s name, and the White House did not respond to questions about whether the president was even at Camp David, or if he was evacuated or even aware of the incident.