An F-16 jet, monitoring air traffic around a thirty-mile perimeter near President Obama, escorted a KGO Radio traffic plane down to a landing strip in Tracy this morning.
The plane, piloted by Gary Hansen, was nowhere near the Obama security, but the procedure was deemed necessary.
KGO traffic anchor, Stan Burford, told me that its happened to him one time before. "They, (Secret Service detail) don't mess around."
Indeed, Burford, confirmed the account to an astonished newsman, Ed Baxter, on the morning news shortly before 8 AM.
A thirty-mile no-fly zone is routine near any POTUS visit, be it the Bay Area or anywhere else nationally, international or yes, local.
Hansen was not detained and was back in the air shortly after the early-morning incident.
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Rich,
ReplyDeletethat's just the way it is...I wonder what that F-16 cost per hour to secure the skies? I'm glad it ended well.
408er
I don't think Gary Hansen is a pilot, just a great traffic reporter. The plane was piloted by someone from the company Metro Traffic contracts with.
ReplyDeleteHow much does it cost to fly an F16 or any other combat jet? A lot! If you really want to shudder look at the cost of a coast guard helicopter per hour. You'll flip your lid anytime you see one flying over land. I want to see that bad boy out at sea..
ReplyDelete10:27-I KNOW,I KNOW!
ReplyDeleteThe amount of fuel a F-16 uses in one HOUR of flight time equals a years' worth of fuel of a family vehicle.
To give you an idea of how the military has put this country in the poorhouse-our military uses 2/3 of ALL the energy the Government uses to run this country per year.
And those stats are IF you beleive government sources. I myself find it hard to beleive a Abrahms tank at 70 tons can still get 5 miles per gallon. Half the mpg of a Hummer? Sure.
ReplyDeleteI heard the KGO traffic people Wednesday afternoon disclosing that Obama had helicoptered from the Peninsula to Chrissy Field (sp?), so that his motorcade could approach Masonic Auditorium from the North. However, they didn't know exactly what route the motorcade would take. Obama's detail declined to provide that information, for obvious reasons. So, KGO traffic was asking people to call in if they were in a traffic jam; thinking they could use the calls to triangulate on the motorcade route. I'm guessing Secret Service was not appreciative, which may be why the KGO traffic plane ended up in Tracy today. JW
ReplyDeleteNo, No, No... a callout to help identify a location of the presidential motorcade by "phone force" is totally normal. KCBS, KGO... they all do it. Its not why he was taken down. I've bee reporting traffic for a decade and we always ask for callers to ID the route so we can help out listeners avoid the area.
ReplyDeleteAnyone who would make this following statement:
ReplyDeleteTo give you an idea of how the military has put this country in the poorhouse-our military uses 2/3 of ALL the energy the Government uses to run this country per year.
Can you say ignorance? Social programs are killing America. Military just kills people.
He was forced to land becaue he deviated from the flight plan that had been filed and cleared prior to the flight. It's something all traffic watch planes had to adhere to during the President's visit. Whoops.
ReplyDeleteFalse. I was the pilot of Hansen's aircraft and we were not "forced down". There was a high cover in place for everyone and we never saw jet interdiction or intercept of any kind though were informed that it was in place by the secret service. We landed of our own volition at TCY because that was the closest place where we could probably get a crew car for breakfast outside of the ring if the complete TFR were to stay closed until the president left. After landing, I phoned TRACON and talked to the secret service agent in charge who afterward re-opened point-to-point navigation within the 30 mile ring on flight plan under ATC control. The day before, I flew 2 shifts during the TFR with deviations on VFR flight plans with the permission of ATC with absolutely NO problems. The same mission on the next day with a different secret service agent supervising brought forth an over reaction which shut down ALL flying to all destinations for everyone within the 30 mile ring until after I had a conversation with him on the phone and the TFR was again returned to what was flown the day before, namely being able to transit within the ring outside of the 10/12 mile no-fly zones and within the 30 mile controled flight zone. Again, we were free to fly anywhere we wanted to fly outside the ring but elected to land because to continue to fly without being able to complete our mission was not justifiable. The roads that we were following as navigational aids for pilotage were far less of a deviation from our flight plan than the previous day's flights when I flew 8 seperate flight plans on 2 shifts under this same TFR with absolutely NO problems. All of this goes to the agent in charge's interpretation of the rules. What it all boils down to is that we all have a job to do and we are all trying to do our best. Sometimes things happen that have to be worked out, but speaking the informed truth with a regard for the ramifications of misinformation is of more importance than the story itself.
ReplyDelete