PPRuNe Forums - View Single Post - Blair "Almost" Ordered RAF to Shoot Down a Civilian Airliner
Old 2nd Sep 2010, 09:43
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Double Zero
 
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In a hopefully more staid discussion, I wouldn't be surprised if this happens more often than let on.

I was at a firm with aircraft flying around Windsor when 9/11 happened, and naturally ATC were a bit nervous... at one stage, just after we were allowed to fly again, a 'rogue' non-squawking target was spotted heading into Windsor airspace, obviously a big no-no .

One of our aircraft was vectored to identify it, so much for F-3's - it had to be our worst, heaviest most clapped out C 172 whose only weapon was a 400mm lens !

It proved to be an innocent berk in a PA28, whose transponder was probably the same make we used, often got calls from ATC about it.

Remember that in the early days of the Falklands a civilian Boieng 707 was very nearly taken out by Sea Dart, and there are quite a few passengers of a Korean 747 ( which may or may not have been up to something ) who would like their fare and their lives back...
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