Intercepted

[Flying Razorback]

Remember your intercept procedures folks!:

When being intercepted, the intercepting aircraft will slow to a position ahead, slightly above, and to the left of the intercepted aircraft.  They will rock their wings and make a slow left hand turn to the heading they want you to follow.  You will rock your wings in acknowledgement and turn to follow.  If at night, they will flash their navigation and position lights at you and you will flash your acknowledgement back.

In Northern Europe last week:




Video:

[Brownstreak]

I can't get the video to play.  Cool pics though.  Were they ours?  I'm guessing Finns if not us based on the tail insignia???

[SouthSide Johnny]

I can't get the video to play.  Cool pics though.  Were they ours?  I'm guessing Finns if not us based on the tail insignia???

Video played for me pop up and linked to photobucket 

[Flying Razorback]

I can't get the video to play.  Cool pics though.  Were they ours?  I'm guessing Finns if not us based on the tail insignia???

They were Dutch.  They saw us coming through and asked if they could do an intercept on us.  It was pretty cool and unplanned.

[Brownstreak]

My phone must not like the vid.  Good pics though!

[gotyacovered]

that is really sweet.

ok, so i am an instrument student, and have zero international knowledge... that being said...

you on obviously were on instruments, so does ATC handle anything or is there some sort of protocol that gives the foreign/domestic military the "right" to intercept regardless of IFR procedures, advisories, vectors, etc....?

[Flying Razorback]

that is really sweet.

ok, so i am an instrument student, and have zero international knowledge... that being said...

you on obviously were on instruments, so does ATC handle anything or is there some sort of protocol that gives the foreign/domestic military the "right" to intercept regardless of IFR procedures, advisories, vectors, etc....?

Through parts of Europe we get military control routing which is separate from everyone else.   We were under radar control and the controller told us they were heading up to see us and asked if they could be cleared in all the way to close approach.  We told them it was good and then the pilot got a hold of us and we talked to him from there.

In more tight international areas you will see foreign aircraft come in and form up on you without your permission.  Especially around China and Russia.   We do the same to them.  That's how the P3 crashed too when the pilot outflew his own abilities and ran in to our Navy plane.

[Brownstreak]

I remember seeing the P3 video footage of that Mig21(?) wallowing around on left side waaaaaay too close.  I'll bet it's on YouTube somewhere...

[bvillepig]

that is really sweet.

ok, so i am an instrument student, and have zero international knowledge... that being said...

you on obviously were on instruments, so does ATC handle anything or is there some sort of protocol that gives the foreign/domestic military the "right" to intercept regardless of IFR procedures, advisories, vectors, etc....?

http://www.faa.gov/news/safety_briefing/2002/media/janfeb2002.pdf

Gotya I hope we don't find out.  Limbo

[gotyacovered]

http://www.faa.gov/news/safety_briefing/2002/media/janfeb2002.pdf

Gotya I hope we don't find out.  Limbo

Man... Yep.

Hope all is well... Pop in more!

[bvillepig]

Thanks.
I have a friend who owns a 182 that has flown it to Destin a few times. From some of the stories he has told me I fully expect him to get escorted to the ground some day. Great guy but he has a tendency to just fly like they did years before all of the restrictions.

A couple of years ago he was flying down the coast line VFR and Eglin had to tell him four times to get one mile off the coast. He was just sight seeing in some of the most restricted and busy military air space anywhere.

[RNC]

Yeah and they have a pretty short leash these days particularly out west.

If I strayed more than a mile from my stated victor when I was coming back from San Diego along the Mexico border they were 'verifying' with me.

[Flying Razorback]

Yeah and they have a pretty short leash these days particularly out west.

If I strayed more than a mile from my stated victor when I was coming back from San Diego along the Mexico border they were 'verifying' with me.

Yep, very short leash along the border.  They have guys that will just lazy along like everyone else and then just make a 90 degree turn, dive down to min altitude just off the desert floor and gun it.  Disappear in the terrain and land on the dirt somewhere to pick up/drop off drugs, money, weapons, and so on.

The restrictions around the military airspace out west and down in the Florida panhandle are no joke.  There's live ordnance going around those areas.  You have AC-130s raining hell down in the Florida panhandle and in eastern New Mexico.  You have the Yuma ranges, Barry Goldwater range, and more in Arizona, and you have all the Red Flag ranges in Nevada.  Then the ranges in the desert in California.

Proper flight planning is critical when filing and flying VFR through those states to avoid getting intercepted or accidentally running in to a faster mover or parts of a weapons release.