Fighter jet escorts plane from Chicago airspace
Sun-Times Media June 16, 2012 5:52PM
Updated: July 18, 2012 6:48AM
CHICAGO — An F-15 fighter under the direction of North American Aerospace Defense (NORAD) Command intercepted a general aviation aircraft in the vicinity of Chicago on Saturday morning and escorted it out of the restricted flight area without incident.
At approximately 10:30 a.m. the fighter responded to a temporary flight restriction violation by a small single-engine aircraft, a release from NORAD said. After intercepting the aircraft, the F-15 escorted it out of the flight restricted area without further incident at approximately 10:45 a.m.
President Barack Obama and his family are in town this weekend to attend the wedding of Laura Jarrett, the daughter of Obama senior adviser Valerie Jarrett.
NORAD’s mission — in close collaboration with homeland defense, security, and law enforcement partners — is to prevent air attacks against North America, safeguard the sovereign airspaces of the United States and Canada by responding to unknown, unwanted and unauthorized air activity approaching and operating within these airspaces, and provide aerospace and maritime warning for North America, the release said. NORAD may be required to monitor, shadow, divert from flight path, direct to land and/or destroy platforms deemed a potential threat to North America.
