The my boss was in town Tuesday, and some poor Canadian float plane on the way back from vacation got a little too close to the TFR. Fighters scrambled off PDX and headed towards the TFR. The controller working the sector between PDX and SEA, is a buddy of mine, and a fellow trainee. He had just been signed off that morning (got signed off as AF1 was arriving), and had just come back from break. He plugged in as the fighters were scrambling to work his FIRST solo radar position. The flight lead ROCK01 asked if he had permission to go super sonic, he didnt know better, and replied with, "affirmative". And BOOM away they went!
I was sitting in my car at work and heard it, and was like WOAH!!! Crazy loud and I felt like something had hit me in my chest. Attached is a picture of the radar scope of what we saw from our side of the world.
http://federalway.komonews.com/content/ ... uget-sound
Following military tradition, most pilots do not have a choice on their callsign. It is one that is assigned by their peers.A sonic boom rocked Puget Sound this afternoon around 1:50 p.m. after National Guard fighter jets responded to reports of a private aircraft entering presidential airspace while President Barack Obama was in Seattle today.
The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) confirms that two F-15 jets were launched from the 142nd Air National Guard unit based in Portland. According to the Oregon National Guard, the jets were dispatched for a "real world mission," not a drill.
NORAD Spokesman John Cornelio says the aircraft left the restricted area before the Air National Guard jets arrived, and there was no interception. Todd Banks with Kenmore Air, who owns the harbor where the plane landed, says it was a Cessna 180 seaplane (video above) that landed on north Lake Washington before the fighter jets got to it. The secret service is now questioning the man and woman on board.
A passenger, Laura Joseph of Normandy Park, told The Associated Press she and the pilot were returning from Lake Chelan in eastern Washington and didn't know of the flight restrictions.
Meanwhile, 911 lines were down in Pierce County until 3 p.m. according to Sheriff spokesman Detective Ed Troyer.
"Many house and car alarms have been set off that we will not be able to respond to," said Troyer just after 2 p.m.
The lines are back up now but Troyer asks that residents not call 911 about the sonic boom.
Typically one that you wish you had never made that mistake...
To our C170 Members,
What is our new trainee's call sign?
