What happens if a plane flies in the airspace of Camp David?

Camp David is the country retreat for the President of the United States. It is a prohibited area and aircrafts are not allowed to fly within the area for security reasons. The airspace above Camp David has a three – mile no fly zone around it.

Any pilot flying within this region would know that it is difficult for any aircraft to pass the region. The only time an aircraft can fly pass a restricted area is when the controlling agency has given the permission either directly or via ATC to fly within the region. Otherwise, flying through the restricted area might cause great penalties for those involved.

Camp David is the presidential retreat home for U.S. Presidents. Its airspace is restricted to protect the president from aerial attacks on the house. It is fiercely guarded by U.S. air force. The airspace around Camp David is officially restricted airspace for almost all flyers.

Despite that, it’s actually pretty common for planes to fly into the restricted airspace of Camp David. Usually, small passenger planes are the ones which constantly violate these rules and every time they do, a fighter jet is deployed to guide them back out of the restricted airspace of Camp David. The government has been trying to find ways to control this violation but has not been successful so far.

When a plane does cross over into Camp David airspace, the jet set to intercept it, is tasked with escorting the plane out of the airspace through verbal communication. In case, the plane doesn’t respond, the jets are permitted to fire and neutralize the plane as a way to protect the retreat. Officially, Camp David is considered a military installation, hence, justifying the extreme force that may be used in case of violation of rules.