“7-2-4 Charlie Papa, You’re in restricted airspace. You’ve been intercepted by armed fighters,” the radio squawked, “Please acknowledge.”
Two fighter jets appeared, seemingly out of nowhere. With each pass, the jets got closer to the smaller plane until they were positioned next to the wings.
The single-engine plane kept flying, the radio warnings continuing: “…if you do not comply, you will be fired upon.”
The F-15s then successfully escorted the aircraft out of the restricted airspace.
That’s what happened when a F-15 fighter jet from the California Air National Guard’s 144th Fighter Wing in Fresno intercepted a six-seat Cessna 206 that violated restricted airspace over the Central Valley on Tuesday. Practice for an actual airspace incursion during a big event in the region, such as the upcoming Olympics or World Cup events in Los Angeles.
In conjunction with this weekend’s Pacific Airshow, North American Aerospace Defense Command, commonly known as NORAD, which is a joint United States and Canadian command, demonstrated this week for media its air defense mission with the real-time example of the high-stakes chain of events when a pilot violates a temporary flight restriction. The same exhibition of air patrol was to take place in the skies over Huntington Beach this weekend during the air show, but the government shutdown cancelled the military’s participation.
An F-15 fighter jet from the California Air National Guard’s 144th Fighter Wing in Fresno intercepts a Civil Air Patrol single-engine Cessna 206 over California’s Central Valley on Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2025. North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), a joint U.S. and Canadian command, demonstrated its air defense mission with a real-time example of the high-stakes chain of events when a pilot violates a TFR. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG) CNN reporter Julia Vargas Jones takes video of an F-15 fighter jet from the California Air National Guard’s 144th Fighter Wing in Fresno as it intercepts a twin turbo-prop King Air over California’s Central Valley on Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2025. North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), a joint U.S. and Canadian command, demonstrated its air defense mission with a real-time example of the high-stakes chain of events when a pilot violates a TFR. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG) An F-15 fighter jet from the California Air National Guard’s 144th Fighter Wing in Fresno during an in-air demonstration of NORAD’s air defense mission over California’s Central Valley on Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2025. The joint U.S. and Canadian command demonstrated the high-stakes chain of events when a pilot violates a TFR. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG) An F-15 fighter jet from the California Air National Guard’s 144th Fighter Wing in Fresno intercepts a twin turbo-prop King Air over California’s Central Valley on Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2025. North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), a joint U.S. and Canadian command, demonstrated its air defense mission with a real-time example of the high-stakes chain of events when a pilot violates a TFR. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG) An F-15 fighter jet from the California Air National Guard’s 144th Fighter Wing in Fresno during an in-air demonstration of NORAD’s air defense mission over California’s Central Valley on Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2025. The joint U.S. and Canadian command demonstrated the high-stakes chain of events when a pilot violates a TFR. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG) An F-15 fighter jet from the California Air National Guard’s 144th Fighter Wing in Fresno intercepts a twin turbo-prop King Air over California’s Central Valley on Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2025. North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), a joint U.S. and Canadian command, demonstrated its air defense mission with a real-time example of the high-stakes chain of events when a pilot violates a TFR. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG) Canadian Royal Air Force Lt. Col. James “Buca” Kettles, left, and U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Jeff “Vader” Brandon share a laugh at Fresno Air National Guard Base after demonstrating an in-air demonstration of NORAD’s air defense mission over California’s Central Valley on Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2025. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG) An F-15 fighter jet from the California Air National Guard’s 144th Fighter Wing in Fresno during an in-air demonstration of NORAD’s air defense mission over California’s Central Valley on Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2025. The joint U.S. and Canadian command demonstrated the high-stakes chain of events when a pilot violates a TFR. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG) An F-15 fighter jet from the California Air National Guard’s 144th Fighter Wing in Fresno intercepts a twin turbo-prop King Air over California’s Central Valley on Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2025. North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), a joint U.S. and Canadian command, demonstrated its air defense mission with a real-time example of the high-stakes chain of events when a pilot violates a TFR. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG) An F-15 fighter jet from the California Air National Guard’s 144th Fighter Wing in Fresno intercepts a twin turbo-prop King Air over California’s Central Valley on Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2025. North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), a joint U.S. and Canadian command, demonstrated its air defense mission with a real-time example of the high-stakes chain of events when a pilot violates a TFR. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG) An F-15 fighter jet from the California Air National Guard’s 144th Fighter Wing in Fresno intercepts a twin turbo-prop King Air over California’s Central Valley on Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2025. North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), a joint U.S. and Canadian command, demonstrated its air defense mission with a real-time example of the high-stakes chain of events when a pilot violates a TFR. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG) An F-15 fighter jet from the California Air National Guard’s 144th Fighter Wing in Fresno intercepts a twin turbo-prop King Air over California’s Central Valley on Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2025. North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), a joint U.S. and Canadian command, demonstrated its air defense mission with a real-time example of the high-stakes chain of events when a pilot violates a TFR. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG) An F-15 fighter jet from the California Air National Guard’s 144th Fighter Wing in Fresno intercepts a Civil Air Patrol single-engine Cessna 206 over California’s Central Valley on Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2025. North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), a joint U.S. and Canadian command, demonstrated its air defense mission with a real-time example of the high-stakes chain of events when a pilot violates a TFR. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG) An F-15 fighter jet from the California Air National Guard’s 144th Fighter Wing in Fresno intercepts a twin turbo-prop King Air over California’s Central Valley on Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2025. North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), a joint U.S. and Canadian command, demonstrated its air defense mission with a real-time example of the high-stakes chain of events when a pilot violates a TFR. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG) An F-15 fighter jet from the California Air National Guard’s 144th Fighter Wing in Fresno during an in-air demonstration of NORAD’s air defense mission over California’s Central Valley on Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2025. The joint U.S. and Canadian command demonstrated the high-stakes chain of events when a pilot violates a TFR. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG) An F-15 fighter jet from the California Air National Guard’s 144th Fighter Wing in Fresno intercepts a twin turbo-prop King Air over California’s Central Valley on Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2025. North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), a joint U.S. and Canadian command, demonstrated its air defense mission with a real-time example of the high-stakes chain of events when a pilot violates a TFR. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG) An F-15 fighter jet from the California Air National Guard’s 144th Fighter Wing in Fresno intercepts a twin turbo-prop King Air over California’s Central Valley on Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2025. North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), a joint U.S. and Canadian command, demonstrated its air defense mission with a real-time example of the high-stakes chain of events when a pilot violates a TFR. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG) An F-15 fighter jet from the California Air National Guard’s 144th Fighter Wing in Fresno intercepts a twin turbo-prop King Air over California’s Central Valley on Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2025. North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), a joint U.S. and Canadian command, demonstrated its air defense mission with a real-time example of the high-stakes chain of events when a pilot violates a TFR. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG) An F-15 fighter jet from the California Air National Guard’s 144th Fighter Wing in Fresno during an in-air demonstration of NORAD’s air defense mission over California’s Central Valley on Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2025. The joint U.S. and Canadian command demonstrated the high-stakes chain of events when a pilot violates a TFR. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG) An F-15 fighter jet from the California Air National Guard’s 144th Fighter Wing in Fresno during an in-air demonstration of NORAD’s air defense mission over California’s Central Valley on Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2025. The joint U.S. and Canadian command demonstrated the high-stakes chain of events when a pilot violates a TFR. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG) An F-15 fighter jet from the California Air National Guard’s 144th Fighter Wing in Fresno intercepts a Civil Air Patrol single-engine Cessna 206 over California’s Central Valley on Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2025. North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), a joint U.S. and Canadian command, demonstrated its air defense mission with a real-time example of the high-stakes chain of events when a pilot violates a TFR. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG) Show Caption1 of 21An F-15 fighter jet from the California Air National Guard’s 144th Fighter Wing in Fresno intercepts a Civil Air Patrol single-engine Cessna 206 over California’s Central Valley on Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2025. North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), a joint U.S. and Canadian command, demonstrated its air defense mission with a real-time example of the high-stakes chain of events when a pilot violates a TFR. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG) ExpandAccording to NORAD’s Lt. Col. James “Buca” Kettles, a member of the Royal Canadian Air Force, temporary flight restrictions, known as TFRs, are put in place by the FAA and enforced by NORAD, “over a venue, a person, an event or some sort of airspace they want to make sure nobody flies in.”
U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Jeff “Vader” Brandon, with the California Air National Guard’s 144th Fighter Wing, pilots one of the F-15s used to intercept planes that violate a TFR.
“The alarm goes off and the directors at NORAD are telling us, ‘Hey, you need to go intercept this target of interest and find out what they’re doing,’” Brandon said.
The intercepting pilots start radioing from miles away, he said: “Hey, you’re not where you’re supposed to be, you’ve entered a TFR.”
If there is no response, they’ll do various maneuvers that gradually bring the fighters closer and closer to the plane, he said. “We’ll bring (the fighters) into anywhere up to and including about 1,000 to 500 feet, and we’ll move them out of the airspace in whatever means necessary.”
“If the situation dictates, we’ve exhausted all other resources and the rules of engagement have been met, we will get direction from NORAD to engage, and then we will,” Brandon added.
Kettles stressed the “last thing that we want to do is to shoot down a civilian airplane, especially if it’s a pilot that’s lost, or radios aren’t working, or they’re disoriented.”
In the next few years, temporary flight restrictions are planned over Southern California during the World Cup in 2026, Super Bowl in 2027 and Olympics in 2028.
But, they’re not always scheduled years in advance. If the president visits, a 30-mile temporary flight restriction is activated around his location, sometimes with very short notice.
In Southern California, fighters are scrambled from March Air Reserve Base. But, in the case of high-profile events, other aircraft are brought in and March is the backup.
In the continental United States, the NORAD crews have intercepted an average of about 35 aircraft during temporary flight restrictions over the seven years, though last year saw more than 70.
Brandon said there are alert sites all over the country ready to respond 24 hours a day, “At all times, when we’re at home, having dinner, that’s happening, and you don’t even know about it.”
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