When takeoff and landing slots at Washington’s Reagan National airport were allocated, 10% were reserved for private aviation. But the airport is close-in to D.C., right across the river from the White House. After 9/11, after the national air system was shut down for two days, this airport didn’t re-open. It remained closed for 23 days.
There were always strict protocols flying in and out of this airport. Those became stricter. For a period of time passengers weren’t even allowed to use the lavatory for the first and last 30 minutes of flight taking off and landing at this airport.
It’s virtually impossible to get permission for a non-commercial flight to use the airport. Cabinet secretaries usually have to fly out of much farther out Washington Dulles when traveling on a private plane. Former President Trump’s campaign plane, though, has been permitted to use the airport.
Their charter operator, Eastern Airways, has had a series of mishaps.
- They failed to get proper clearance to enter the restricted airspace around the Republican convention and were forced to divert with J.D. Vance on board.
- Trump’s campaign plane had mechanical issues leading him to fly around in Jeffrey Epstein’s old jet.
Now a Trump campaign 737 mistakenly entered restricted airspace over the White House, banking right towards the Washington Monument after takeoff from National airport. Had they been landing at National airport instead of taking off, they may have been ordered to divert to Dulles.
BBQ917 Trump/Vance campaign Boeing 737 appears to have entered the Prohibited 56 airspace over the White House departing Regan National. Controller advises the pilot of a possible pilot deviation.
Audio via @liveatc and tracking @ADSBex pic.twitter.com/CTPYVEVxzy
— Thenewarea51 (@thenewarea51) September 6, 2024
Whilst we don’t know what was going on on the flight deck at the time, not flying over P-56 is discussed/mentioned on every northbound procedure chart.
Stay over the Big F*** Off for starters. pic.twitter.com/EGmOGALPAL— Sticky (@stickybloke) September 6, 2024
These rules are meant to provide a buffer of protection for key sites in the capital given the risk the sort of risk that a jet poses, which was made especially clear on 9/11. While it seems unlikely that a Presidential candidate’s plane poses such a risk, it’s the pilot and not the candidate at the controls – in the best case.
We would be all better off if it had been shot out of the sky
There are several RNAV north departures out of DCA which would require a right turn after takeoff. Most will take the aircraft up the Anacostia River. Some airlines will use these departures. Other airlines operations will prohibit these NE departures as they run a greater risk of intrusion on P56. Instead, they will require their aircraft to initiate an immediate left turn and NW up the Potomac River. I can assure you that the approaches when landing south are equally tricky and require some fancy maneuvers very low to the ground in order to avoid P56.
Stop questioning and start charging him and his clan.
ENOUGH!
@RunningJock: Spoken like a true Maoist simp.
Better Maoist than MAGA. The Little Red Book is also easier to read than Reject 2025.
Gary,
Our National Security is more at risk with an open Southern Border (as well as Northern Border).
Fake news headline.
@runningjock: This is not healthy – it was a pilot on a charter plane flying his VP nominee with a potential pilot deviation.
Even his pilot is a nitwit? I expect a lot of childish attempts to mislead or misdirect…
Trump’s plane is a 757. Not a 737.
RunningJock: I agree. The more the losers charge him the greater his popularity. Keep it up please!!!
The plane should have immediately been shot down! What a disaster this administration is!
I’m happy he finally admitted he lost the 2020 election and there was no steal. Certainly caused an apoplexy among is far tightie righties. https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/elections/2024/09/05/trump-admits-lost-2020-enrages-supporters/75086053007/
Anyone using “fake news” in sentence (unless it refers to Fox “News”) is immediately assumed to be a brainwashed toothless meth head with the IQ of a shoe…the perfect sycophant for the Don-Old.
Eastern like most small charter operators cant compete with the half million dollar a year salaries the majors pay for pilots. The result is smaller companies like Eastern are stuck with inexperienced pilots building hours and pilots that have skeletons in their closest preventing majors from hiring them.
Inexperience and incompetence gets results like this.
The scary thing is regional airlines, low cost carriers and yes even the half million a year majors have and will continue to get desperate at times to keep pilot seats filled so standards do drop at times.
As a passenger, you have no idea if the pilot flying you was fully qualified or hired because the airline overlooked things to keep their flights moving.
They turned WHICH way out of DCA? Maybe Clyde was flying the plane
What a waste of good airspace, especially considering where it’s located.
I learned long ago that when a question is asked in a headline, the answer is always “no”, despite the author’s deepest wishes.
Flying into DCA takes some planning but doesn’t require superhuman pilots. Crews do it everyday. This is inexcusable.
@John A – this is a campaign plane, not his personal plane
What an incredible amount of hate in these comments. Take care that your bad wishes don’t come bounce back on you.
As usual, TDS rears its head. Facts don’t matter, do they?
Trump isn’t operating his own aircraft. He has pilots to do that who are 100% legally responsible for any deviations.
Second. This is about Vance’s aircraft. A 737 wet leased from Eastern Airlines, who is solely responsible for the aircraft. Trump campaign simply leases the aircraft.
Maybe if YOUR pilot experiences a pilot deviation while a passenger all of a sudden YOU are responsible for what happened as a passenger? Come on know. You know this is nothing but another in a series of trump hit pieces.
Someone like you, Gary, should know better. But. As usual, it’s bs anti trump stuff.
As always, you’re spewing safety as justification for a hit piece. Was there EVER a threat to the President in P56? No, of course not. It was a pilot deviation. The PILOT did it. Not Trump.
The TDS is strong in all of you. Yes. In case you didn’t guess I am pilot and have in and out of the ADIZ often
TDS Patients would rather have an appointed figurehead than a strong leader improving the US and thus the world.
I guess high inflation, wars and illegal invaders wreaking havoc on our populace as well as the budgets at all levels.
As you can guess, I am voting for President Trump
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