F-16s scrambled as flight violations around Trump leap to more than 20 incidents

North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) has urged pilots to check NOTAMs before every flight after F-16 fighter jets were scrambled twice over the weekend to intercept aircraft in Florida violating Temporary Flight Restrictions (TFR) surrounding President Donald Trump. 

In the latest incident on March 9, 2025, a general aviation aircraft was intercepted by an F-16 which used flares to draw the pilot’s attention so the plane could be escorted from the restricted airspace over Palm Beach, Florida.  

This followed an incident on March 8, 2025, in which another general aviation aircraft was met by fighter jets in similar circumstances. 

According to a NORAD statement, since President Trump’s inauguration on January 20, 2025, it has responded to more than 20 “tracks of interest” entering the Palm Beach TFR area.  

The restricted airspace put in place over Florida covers President Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home where he often spends time at the weekend.  

According to Associated Press, the latest incident came as the US president was finishing a round of golf at his West Palm Beach golf course. 

The news outlet added that a TFR, with a radius of 30 nautical miles, is permanently in place when President Trump is visiting his Florida home.  

While interceptions are not rare in themselves, NORAD has taken exception to the frequency of the incidents now occurring. 

“NORAD and the FAA work closely together to keep the skies over America safe, with close attention paid to areas with Temporary Flight Restrictions (TFR),” said Gen. Gregory Guillot, Commander, NORAD and US Northern Command. “Adherence to TFR procedures is essential to ensure flight safety, national security, and the security of the President.”  

He added: “The procedures are not optional, and the excessive number of recent TFR violations indicates many civil aviators are not reading Notice to Airmen, or NOTAMs, before each flight as required by the FAA, and has resulted in multiple responses by NORAD fighter aircraft to guide offending aircraft out of the TFR.” 

NORAD advises pilots that should they be intercepted by a fighter jet or helicopter, they should “immediately come up on frequency 121.5 or 243.0 and turn around to reverse course until receiving additional instructions on one of those frequencies.” 

NORAD employs a layered defense network of radars, satellites, and fighter aircraft to identify and respond to potential threats.  

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