I guess someone has to decide which is worse. Banning novice pilots in light aircraft from takeoff from these fields or scrambling fighter jets and having the scenario we had today
The scenario we had today worked. Your scenario would also involve scrambling jets if it was breached, You just ~also~ hassled the daily lives of a bunch of innocents over a wider area to get there.
I don't have a problem with the "scenario" we had today.
I am glad to see they were on the alert and took precautions. Imagine what criticism there would be if no action was taken and that plane crashed -- because of some mechanical problem, even -- in the center of DC. Everyone would be screaming "What...the plane got through the No Fly Zone and no one told us???" What is wrong with the system we are supposed to have...blah, blah, blah.
It is a no win situation for Homeland Security and the FAA I am sure. So, it is always better to err on the side of caution.
Yes, and it should be looked at from the standpoint of taxpayer dollars. How much does it cost to rush 2 - F16's into the air, how much to send all the authorities to Maryland to investigate?
Hm......I would vote for banning novice pilots for 100 mi radius. Novice pilots are not the brightest of the lot.