Threats don't do any good unless one believes they will be carried out.
Shooting down one Cessna would wake up a lot of pilots.

Perhaps, but it would likely wake-up the poor unfortunate people below as
shards of the wreckage sliced through their homes and spawned fires.
Frankly, I'm glad that we don't have 'Barney Fife' on the fire button of
those fighters - cooler heads will always prevail. Bad enough our
leadership got us bogged down in that 'new Vietnam' in the Middle East.

Would also give
the public a "sense of security," however false it may be.

So they would feel more secure knowing that airplane parts and flaming
aviation fuel & oil will be raining upon their heads after the little Cessna
is shot down... and then you find out it was totally harmless intrusion and
you've just killed people on the ground and destroyed property? I think you
better re-read your post. ;o)

I would rather see a harsh administrative penalty, maybe in the form of a
temporary suspension of the CFI's credentials while he gets retested by an
examiner on navigation in the Washington ADIZ.

I was surprised to learn that the flight was manned by a CFI along with his
student (they were going to an airshow). I should think that the CFI should
at least be required to demonstrate their navigation skills in a partial
checkride. I mean,,, geez!?



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Good Flights!

Cecil
PP-ASEL-IA
Student - CP-ASEL

Check out my personal flying adventures from my first flight to the
checkride AND the continuing adventures beyond!
Complete with pictures and text at: www.bayareapilot.com

"I fly because it releases my mind from the tyranny of petty things."
- Antoine de Saint-Exupery -

"We who fly, do so for the love of flying. We are alive in the air with
this miracle that lies in our hands and beneath our feet"
- Cecil Day Lewis -