French military pilots denied emergency landing at USAF base

[RatherBeFlying]

Philadelphia Inquirer Article (registration required) (http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/11811596.htm) The warplanes - nine carrier-based attack aircraft and a radar plane - had to find dry land in a hurry late Thursday. A sudden storm south of the Delmarva peninsula kept them from returning to the carrier de Gaulle while taking part in joint exercises with the U.S. Navy.The pilots first asked permission to land at the nearest military air base.

U.S. officials denied that, according to Noel Clay, a spokesman for the State Department. But they did give the French permission to land on American soil, and the planes were then diverted to Atlantic City International in Pomona, Clay said.

"We had to scramble to get the necessary diplomatic clearances to allow them to land, but they were obtained," Clay said.
CounterPunch Article (http://www.counterpunch.org/lindorff06072005.html)

[SASless]

RBF....


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http://www.counterpunch.org/aboutus.html



Seems there is a less "Liberal" view of the event than that you linked at Counterpunch. The two airfields are about 30 nautical miles apart.



Posted on Sat, Jun. 04, 2005



It's not Paris, but any (air)port in a storm.
French fighter jets forced to land at A.C.
By Jacqueline L. Urgo
Inquirer Staff Writer

ATLANTIC CITY - Their wine may be better, but Jersey's gas is cheaper.

And it was fuel that was foremost on the minds of 10 French pilots who were cooling their heels - and their jets - on a runway near here yesterday.

The warplanes - nine carrier-based attack aircraft and a radar plane - had to find dry land in a hurry late Thursday. A sudden storm south of the Delmarva peninsula kept them from returning to the carrier de Gaulle while taking part in joint exercises with the U.S. Navy.

"Initially, we thought one of the jets was having mechanical problems, but their forced landing here was strictly weather-related," said Holly Baker, spokeswoman for the Federal Aviation Administration. "There was also some concern about fuel."

The pilots first asked permission to land at the nearest military air base.

U.S. officials denied that, according to Noel Clay, a spokesman for the State Department. But they did give the French permission to land on American soil, and the planes were then diverted to Atlantic City International in Pomona, Clay said.

"We had to scramble to get the necessary diplomatic clearances to allow them to land, but they were obtained," Clay said.

The aircraft began landing at 30-second intervals at 3:49 p.m., according to Carl Winter, a spokesman for the South Jersey Transportation Authority, which oversees airport operations.

Winter said their arrival did not interfere with other traffic at the airport, more accustomed to high rollers on private planes and the budget carrier Spirit Airlines.

Two of the French stayed with their planes, while the others were put up in a hotel here, Baker said. Yesterday they were waiting for the weather to clear before flying to Halifax, Nova Scotia.

"They probably didn't get much of a chance to take in the casinos or anything else, because all they had with them were the flight suits they had on," Baker said.

Not to worry: Whatever might have happened in the city that boasts of being always turned on will doubtless stay right here.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Contact staff writer Jacqueline L. Urgo at 609-823-9629 or [email protected].

[16 blades]

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

...sorry, always have to laugh at the misfortune of the French.

As an aside, having only a flying suit with me (the one and ONLY time my suitcase never made it onto the aircraft!) never stopped me having a good nightstop in Halifax!

16B

[Specaircrew]

It's not just the French that have problems, it takes 3 working days to get dip clearance (valid for 24hrs) for our aircraft to operate into US aifields and any change to the routing or itinerary takes another 3 working days!

It's not unusual to have serviceable aircraft stranded at US airfields during major exercise deployments and recoveries, so much for our 'special relationship'!

[Filthy]

Although I wouldn't let the French in either. Does the Chicago Convention not state that any ac in an emergency or in a diversion can land at any airfield? Regardless of DIPCLEARS

[maxburner]

Last time I diverted within the US, due to an engine oil light, the people at Buckley AFB could not have been more helpful. We fixed the probelm and continued on our merry way a day or two later with no mention of dip clearances or other admin.

[Climebear]

So much for the argument that having a carrier removes the requirement for land-basing and the supposed host nation restrictions.

[Widger]

Funny event occurred in Gulf in 1992. I was visiting a Ticonderoga class and the force was conducting some joint exercises. One of the exercises was for the Frenchies to provide extra fire fighters to the Tico to fight an exercise fire.

Duly, the French came along, landed on the deck without clearance and along trot 6 french "Pompiers" to the scene of the fire. You can just imagine the state of panic the Spams were in "being invaded" by the French.

I did laugh! To give them their credit the yanks did see the funny side at Dinner later on, or was it because they were allowed wine at Dinner as there was a visiting Brit onboard.

[SASless]

Now that is a switch....the French invading someone....imagine that?