this pilot was actually doing his job ...
please pay attention to the last sentence
PHILADELPHIA (Reuters) - Federal authorities on Thursday detained the pilot of a small plane who mistakenly flew over President Bush's motorcade as he left a speaking venue in Philadelphia, officials said.
The man piloting the single-engine Cessna 172 violated a 30-mile no-fly zone around the president, while he was patrolling an oil pipeline at altitudes too low to be sighted on radar, according to aviation and law enforcement officials.
An F-16 fighter and two military helicopters intercepted the tiny aircraft and escorted it to a suburban New Jersey airport about 15 miles southeast of Philadelphia, the Federal Aviation Administration said.
"He was unaware that there was a temporary flight restriction in effect. There was no threat. There was no malice," explained James Borasi, special agent in charge of the Secret Service's Philadelphia field office.
He identified the pilot only as an employee of Underwood Aerial Patrol of Bloomingburg, Ohio, which he said provides air patrols for pipeline and powerline companies. The firm could not be reached immediately for comment.
The FAA said it imposed temporary flight restrictions around Philadelphia from 9:35 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. EDT, while Bush visited a government check processing plant to promote this week's mailing of child tax-credit payments to American families.
Shortly after 11:40 a.m. EDT, the FAA said a state police helicopter spotted the Cessna as it approached the president's motorcade route and trailed the plane until military aircraft arrived.
The motorcade was taking Bush to Philadelphia International Airport for a flight to the Detroit area.
The pilot was forced to land at Camden County Airport in Berlin, New Jersey, where about 30 police officers, with guns drawn, waited for the plane to taxi to a stop and then ordered the man to lie down on the tarmac.
"They handcuffed him and whisked him out of here," said Karl Kleinberg, the airport's owner.
The man was released without charge after being detained for hours at a New Jersey police station.
The FAA said it was investigating whether aviation rules had been violated.
What a sad year for aviation. Meigs gets destroyed on grounds of national security, a 172 poses a threat and oh... happy 100th anniversary of powered flight.
