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Posted on 10/26/2026 8:23:40 AM PDT by Red Badger
A fighter jet used a "headbutt maneuver" to intercept a civilian plane that had entered restricted airspace near President Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida, on Saturday, U.S. military officials said. Mr. Trump was in West Palm Beach that day to vote in Florida's midterm election.
The interception took place at around 12:20 p.m. ET, when an F-16 deployed by the North American Aerospace Defense Command, or NORAD, flew closely in front of the plane in order to gain the pilot's attention, NORAD said. That tactic, called the "headbutt maneuver," is considered standard, according to the command.
In this case, the maneuver allowed the military jet to establish communication with the pilot, who proceeded to safely steer the plane out of restricted airspace, in compliance with flight instructions, NORAD said. The plane had violated a Temporary Flight Restriction, or TFR, enacted over the area, which means its pilot could "also be met by federal authorities upon landing and subject to enforcement action," the command said.
The Federal Aviation Administration issues TFRs for a variety of reasons, often linked to large sporting events, extreme weather scenarios, political rallies or any number of other engagements attended by high-profile political figures, especially the president. The FAA transmits the latest information about such restrictions to pilots through Notices to Airmen, or NOTAMs. Pilots are encouraged to keep tabs on those regularly.
Mr. Trump and First Lady Melania Trump were seen at a West Palm Beach polling station on Saturday afternoon, where the president cast an early ballot ahead of next week's midterm elections. Asked whether he voted along party lines, Mr. Trump said: "Very much so." He went on to travel to Georgia for a campaign rally.
His appearances at midterm campaign rallies around the country have triggered various temporary flight restrictions in recent weeks. Earlier this month, NORAD reported that its F-16s intercepted a plane that had entered restricted airspace over Clemson, South Carolina, where Mr. Trump held a rally to support Darline Graham's Senate campaign. Just days before that, the command said a similar interception took place over Cincinnati, Ohio, near the site of another rally that the president attended.
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AVIATION ping1.....................
“Asked whether he voted along party lines…”
What a stupid ass question.
TFR’s are a thing....
I hope he had a dashcam.
“Possible Pilot Deviation. Let me know when you’re ready to copy this number...”
Looks like Bubba’s weekend got ruined! LOL!
Yeah but to read this you’d think it was unique to President Trump because you know, he’s a problem to some people no matter what he does. SMH
the lib news can’t stand the fact that he’s out helping get Republicans elected instead of hiding in a basement somewhere.
It would be interesting to see them position the exhaust right in front of the plane and then open the throttle.
Not sure what kind of incineration defense small planes have.
“It would be interesting to see them position the exhaust right in front of the plane and then open the throttle.”
My only concern would be for people on the ground.
I’ve had the opportunity to see full afterburner first hand up close and personal in a test cell....a small plane wouldn’t stand much of a chance to say the least.
This gives me an idea. Why not have an “interdiction” drone whose design and purpose is solely to *ram* other aircraft in flight? Obvious purpose: if you continue flying in that direction you will be rammed and taken down.
All sorts of variations, such as disabling engines, targeting fuel tank to cause leak, grapple hooking its nose to force course change, you name it.
Exactly how slow can an F16 go? I mean the single engine was at what 100knots? 115?
In some cases like that, the jet would hit their fuel dump switch then ignite the fuel with the heat from their exhaust.
“What a stupid ass question.”
You just don’t understand journalism. ;)
When I came back from a deployment the NBC local reporter stuck the mike in my face and asked “how does it feel to be home?”. I looked at her and said “you’ve been sitting here for an hour and that’s the best question you could come up with?”. Needless to say, they didn’t air that response.
130 Knots clean,,,,,,100 Knots full flaps
1. In Aviation (Military Interception)
In military aviation, a “headbutt” is a non-contact tactical maneuver used by fighter jets—such as those operated by the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD)—to intercept, get the attention of, or signal a civilian or non-responsive aircraft.
• How it works: The fighter jet flies closely in front of the target airplane’s nose (often performing a vertical fly-up or tight visual approach) without making physical contact.
• Purpose: It is a standard, non-lethal escalation and communication tactic used when a plane strays into a restricted no-fly zone (such as a Temporary Flight Restriction around a high-profile location like Mar-a-Lago) and fails to respond to standard radio calls.
• Next Steps for Pilots: Upon being intercepted, pilots are instructed to switch to emergency frequencies (such as 121.5 or 243.0) and immediately reverse course.
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