Interesting
article in Wired about a Pentagon plan to introduce a visual laser system to lead 'navigationally challenged' pilots away from Restricted Airspace. This system is slated for deployment in the Capitol, but could obviously be used in other hotspots and Restricted Areas.
The system is designed as a non obtrusive way for well-intending pilots to be made aware that they are in or close to a Restricted Area. If implemented correctly, I feel it is a decent idea to fix what is a more problematic and error prone issue than people might think.
Why is this even such a problem, and why can't Air Traffic Control just snap an order to them if neccesary? I figured I'd share some insight into this.
The main problems stems not from the pilots in the jetliners criss-crossing the sky, who by and large are a professional bunch, having much superior skill, regs and tech than the 'general aviation' crowd. The GA airspace, is much more problematic when it comes to a potentially well-intentioned airplane making a beeline course for the Whitehouse.
If something like that happens, the only way we currently have available to attempt to reach an aircraft is by radio. Unfortunately, that is sometimes (and this happens more often than you might think) neccesary to escalate the matter significantly. NORAD will dispatch or divert a couple of figher jets to give you a little incentive to pay attention to what you are doing. Cost to the taxpayer: $50,000.
How can there be planes flying around that just simply are not responding to at all on the radio?
Most planes have at least 2 radios, and it is a smart idea for a pilot to keep one of them tuned to 121.5. This general purpose emergency (guard) frequency is the same one used by most homing beacons of vessels in distress, and would be at the top of the list for getting in touch with an airplane with unknown intentions in a potentially increasingly worse situation. Also on that list would be the frequency of the airspace you were in, were departing from, and approaching.
Unfortunately, radios get fucked up, all the time. Whether it is an equipment problem such as bad wiring (common, considering the rapid aging of the general aviation fleet), or a human problem (a pilot miskeys a frequency, or selects the wrong output/input channels on his radio), they happen. A lot of people only have one radio, which is definitely not even half as good as having 2.
Some planes don't even have a radio. You need one to arrive and depart at a 'controlled' field or to enter controlled airspace, but most of the country isn't restricted. You can fly across the country and not talk to a soul (if you had the range).
For whatever reason, if that airplane is not reachable on radio, there is really no other way around sending out the F-16's. (short of just shooting first and asking questions later, the possibility of which this is possible in the current political climate is another story). This laser system provides the pilots who are infringing on these increasingly complex set of lines in the sky with another means for increasing their situational awareness. And that's a good thing.