Military jets are scrambling on average more than once a week to intercept general aviation pilots who stray into restricted airspace, according to the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD). Besides the potential danger involved in such intercepts, the incursions — 75 on average per year — cost tax payers millions of dollars, officials say.
The number of incidents of pilots busting TFRs has decreased in recent years with better outreach to the pilot community, but NORAD anticipates that the frequency of intercepts will remain at current levels, according to a report in USA Today.
