Silly old woman. She has no business being allowed to fly a plane at her age if she can't act responsibly.

Jets scrambled

Didn't have her radio switched on? That should be an automatic licence suspension.

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If she had pulled that stunt in South Korea in the 70's, their military would have shot the plane out of the sky, no question. Just like they did the 747 cargo plane and the helicopter that the country's President Park Chung-hee was in (the radio was out) when they strayed into restricted air space over Seoul.

Lt

And what a cocky ol' b...................
I think this has less to do with age than with taking the responsibility of flying seriously.

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My body may be here, but my mind is in a galaxy far, far away.

Have made friends here.
Most were cats.

On a clear day with good visibility, it is perfectly legal to fly over much of the US below certain altitudes (which vary depending on the proximity to busy airports) without filing a flight plan or being in contact with air traffic control. It's the pilot's responsibility to see and avoid other traffic. I've done it many times.

Now, she should have checked to see if there were any new Notices to Airmen (NOTAMS) which would alerted her to the temporary restricted airspace. She said she tried, but her computer was down.

Of course, if a pair of F-16's ever buzzed me, I don't believe I would think they did so because my aircraft was cute.

Odds are that unless she has had a previous run-in with the FAA, nothing will come of it.

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I think Pilots Licences should be like our Driving Licences here in the UK.

Once you pass your driving test, your licence is valid until age 70, thereafter an annual test is required.

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I think Pilots Licences should be like our Driving Licences here in the UK.

Once you pass your driving test, your licence is valid until age 70, thereafter an annual test is required.

In the USA no matter the age every two years a flight review is required. Also there are numerous requirements such as 5 night landings and takeoff's in the last 180 days to carry passengers at night.

As to radios, in the USA they are not required to even be installed in an airplane for VFR flight. An operating altitude reporting transponder is required to operate in some airspace.

As to her computer being down, she should have called the 800 number for the FSS (Flight Service Station) and gotten a briefing before she took off. That is a violation.

I suspect she will get written up and required to attend some flight safety seminars.

BTW if F-16's come screaming up, that means nothing. If one gets in front of you and wags its wings, that means follow me. They might not have been able to fly slow enough to give the signals. Might have been a smart idea for her to come up on the emergency frequency when they came up on her though.

I did see where she self reported to the NASA flight safety program. Won't get her off the hook for this, but that gets many a pilot and controller off the hook for a minor mistake.

There was something troubling about the report. It said the restricted area was 30 miles centered on the airport? Last I checked 30 miles from a major airport was the size of the normal restricted airspace, but not at all altitudes. Unless things have changed a lot I thought they only restricted about 3 miles around the president. Is Obama getting special treatment?

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Of course, if a pair of F-16's ever buzzed me, I don't believe I would think they did so because my aircraft was cute.

Had an F-14 do that at North Island but we were both talking to the same approach controller at the time ...

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Once you pass your driving test, your licence is valid until age 70, thereafter an annual test is required.

That is incorrect. There is no annual test after age 70. However a court can order that a test be taken after a serious motoring offence.

driving over 70

Once you pass your driving test, your licence is valid until age 70, thereafter an annual test is required.

That is incorrect. There is no annual test after age 70. However a court can order that a test be taken after a serious motoring offence.

driving over 70

Then it has been changed. There also used to be an annual medical after 70 but thats no longer in force either.

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I believe I am correct in that drivers of taxis, buses, and HGV still have to have an annual medical over age 65. It doesn't apply to private cars.

Medicals

I believe I am correct in that drivers of taxis, buses, and HGV still have to have an annual medical over age 65. It doesn't apply to private cars.

Medicals

Ooops, sorry, thanks for reminding Chris. I keep forgetting that I'm a HGV driver.

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Of course, if a pair of F-16's ever buzzed me, I don't believe I would think they did so because my aircraft was cute.

Had an F-14 do that at North Island but we were both talking to the same approach controller at the time ...

I flew into Charleston, SC once. The civilian airport shares the AFB. A memorable trip. I was in a little Cessna 152 and had to follow a C-5 in on approach. Needless to say, I gave him plenty of lead time and distance. As I was leaving the next day, I taxied to the runway hold and paused to enter the frequency for departure and the tower asked me to expedite. I turned around and there were two F-15C's right behind me!

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