F-16s Intercept a Private Plane in No-Fly Zone Over Jersey

Many of us have had the experience of driving down the road when all of a sudden we see red and blue lights flashing in our rearview mirror.

It's a horrible feeling as you pull off to the side of the road and await the police officer who strolls to your car.

But imagine if you are on a plane, and you've done something wrong.

As you look out your window, you see a powerful-looking F-16 pulling up to you.

That's exactly what happened today in the skies over the Wildwood.

A young local pilot who was flying a Cessna (a really small plane) out of Ocean City, got the surprise of his life today when he saw an F-16 (military jet) coming at him.

Before actually flying, pilots need to go through their pre-flight checklist.

Among the items on that list are something called TFRs or NOTAMs or Temporary Flight Restrictions and Notice To Airmen.

Turns out these are very important items on that list.

TFRs refer to No Fly Zones.  Think of those as closed highways, only in the sky.  There are several reasons for these temporary no-fly zones.

There might be military jets training, natural disasters, or perhaps a major event or even VIPs like a President or Vice President in the area.

When a TFR is in place, you may not fly in that specific area without permission from authorities.  It's a rule that's taken very seriously.

If a plane does enter a restricted area, the assumption is they are a threat, and are treated accordingly.

Back to our pilot from Ocean City.

He didn't review the local TFRs before taking off, and as his plane entered the no-fly zone over Wildwood the F-16s that were patrolling the area, literally flew into action.

The tower responsible for that area tried radioing the private pilot and directed one of the fighter jets to investigate.

This next part is probably familiar to anyone who's ever been pulled over by police,

 “N28PA here, Ive got a jet flying close to me, is something wrong?”

When informed that he was flying in a restricted area, the pilot apologized and informed the tower he was heading straight back to Ocean City.

No word on what, if any, actions will be taken against the pilot.