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New Don't believe everything you read about aviation.
First, the pilot in question still gets to have a hearing. A private pilot certificate is one of the few remaining licenses that are actually good for life. My guess is that a suspension is likely, but I doubt he loses his ticket. That happens, but it is very rare. Second, a "student pilot with only 30 hours" is only 10 hours away from the minimum for a check ride and almost certainly post-solo endorsement (check rides are usually taken with 45-50 total hours and solos 15-25 hours, but there are exceptions).

Finally, unless the law has changed, only the President of the US can order the downing of a civilian aircraft in US airspace (that's why Clinton had to give the okay to shoot down golfer Payne Stewart's aircraft if it looked like the aircraft was going down over a largely populated area. It didn't, it ran out of fuel and crashed in the Dakotas). Since the toddler was out on a bike ride and didn't even know of the incident until well after the hysteria had dissipated, those in charge of the "missles" would have almost certainly got a hold of the pResident if they had thought there was the slightest chance they'd need to down a Cessna 150. BTW, another popular myth supported by the uninformed press is that the old fart was an instructor - he isn't.
bcnu,
Mikem

Eine Leute. Eine Welt. Ein F\ufffdhrer.
God Bless America.
New Thanks. The shoot-down rules have changed.
Of course, one has to have their skeptics hat on when reading the paper. Thanks for the reminder. :-)

[link|http://msnbc.msn.com/id/7838324/page/2/|MSNBC]:

Immediately after the Cessna entered the restricted 30-mile radius Air Defense Identification Zone at 11:28 a.m. EDT, authorities activated the Domestic Events Network to share information as they tracked the plane. The network, a conference call of officials from the Homeland Security Department, Customs and Border Protection, the Pentagon, the Federal Aviation Administration and a handful of other agencies, lasted until the Cessna landed just over an hour later.

Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld was apprised of the situation as it unfolded. He is among a small handful of top Pentagon officials who can order a shootdown. The president also may give such an order.

Pentagon officials sought to play down the incident, saying the small plane was not seen as a serious threat and did not come close to being shot down. Homeland Security spokesman Brian Roehrkasse declined to comment on how close it was.


I assume the people who have the authority would be very reluctant to use it against a GA plane.

Cheers,
Scott.
New Re: The shoot-down rules have changed.
They had to. With the plane having 3 minutes to get to the White House, Bush would have taken 7 minutes to decide something might have to be done.
Alex

The trouble with the world is that the stupid are cocksure and the intelligent are full of doubt. -- Bertrand Russell
New :-)
But seriously, I think it's appropriate that people other than the POTUS also have the authority to make that decision. E.g. suppose Bush were in Tbilisi, Georgia when it happened.

If Saturday Night Live (with Will Ferrell hosting) doesn't have a field day tonight with Bush's [link|http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/05/11/AR2005051102170.html|bicycle ride], well ...

Cheers,
Scott.
New Of course. The Federal Government must, at all cost, ...
be protected from The People.
bcnu,
Mikem

Eine Leute. Eine Welt. Ein F\ufffdhrer.
God Bless America.
     Way to go, Dumb ASS! - (mmoffitt) - (12)
         Yeah.. that thought came immediately - (Ashton)
         I'd call that blaming the victim - (ben_tilly) - (1)
             Disagree (slightly). - (mmoffitt)
         FAA Statement, etc. - (Another Scott) - (8)
             Don't believe everything you read about aviation. - (mmoffitt) - (4)
                 Thanks. The shoot-down rules have changed. - (Another Scott) - (3)
                     Re: The shoot-down rules have changed. - (a6l6e6x) - (2)
                         :-) - (Another Scott)
                         Of course. The Federal Government must, at all cost, ... - (mmoffitt)
             So the obvious takeaway here - (tuberculosis) - (2)
                 Impeccable logic! -NT - (CRConrad)
                 Damned straight. - (mmoffitt)

Those are German nouns, so they must always be capitalized.
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