President Joe Biden was forced into hiding during his recent vacation to Delaware over the weekend after a mysterious aircraft veered towards his home.
Joe and Jill Biden, who are on track to take more vacations than any president in history, were taking another weekend at their beach home in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware when the incident occurred.
According to reports, a small private aircraft “mistakenly” flew into the temporarily restricted airspace over Biden’s home. The AP reports that the restrictions of flying in the area “include a 10-mile radius no-fly zone contained with a 30-mile restricted zone.”
A CBS reporter in the area then tweeted that he saw the Secret Service and presidential motorcade shuttling the Bidens to the Rehoboth Fire State for protection. According to him, they were not carrying the usual pool of reporters that normally travels with the President.
The reporter also claims that he saw 2 military jets fly overhead to intercept the small craft.
The pilot eventually complied with the Secret Service and the First Family was later declared safe. According to a preliminary investigation from the agency, the pilot failed to use the proper radio channel and was not following published flight guidance. They have said they intend to interview him over the incident.
The Federal Aviation Administration maintains strict standards for pilots’ and their routes. Pilots are required to check for flight restrictions before taking off. Still, temporary aerospace restrictions that the ones that follow the President around are often harder to enforce and frequently violated.
It still becomes more difficult with a president like Joe Biden who takes vacations regularly, forcing the FAA to create new no-fly zones each time. Biden is currently on track to surpass George W Bush as the most vacationed sitting President in US history, having spent 188 full or partial vacation days away from the White House since taking office in 2021.
It would be hard to be a private jet pilot in any of Biden’s preferred lounge spots considering how often he visits. Who do you think is really responsible for this incident? The pilot or Joe Biden himself?
