On The Air: July 2017

Two Texas Highway Patrol Officers were conducting speeding enforcement on Highway 77, just south of Kingsville, TX. One of the officers was using a hand-held radar to check speeding vehicles approaching the town. The officers were suddenly surprised when the radar gun began reading 300 miles per hour and climbing. The radar gun would not reset and then it suddenly turned off.

Editorial Staff

Thursday, June 15, 2017 at 12:00 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

A Texas Highway Patrol radar gun was jammed by a USMC F/A-18 Hornet, which automatically locked an air-to-ground missile onto the radar; the pilot intervened, and the base's witty reply detailed the aircraft's advanced detection capabilities and the officers' reactions.
A pilot with prior permission to land at the NASA Shuttle Landing Facility was initially denied by Orlando Approach, who were unaware of the authorization, highlighting communication gaps.
The NASA tower then humorously cleared the pilot to "follow the Challenger" for landing, requiring them to circle while a shuttle back-taxied, providing a unique view of the Space Center.

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My father worked for the military a number of years and got some good stories similar to OTA that he’d pass along. While this isn’t technically OTA it was so good I had to pass it along. He swears it was true.