A Foreign Aircraft land within feet of the White House
If the above JDA Journal title was headline of the Washington Post, the first sentence would highlight the squadron of F-16 Fightin Falcons launching to defend the President. The below article describes WHAT HAPPENED: In 1910 a flight of a British Farman III landed on the road next the Executive Office Building (now the OLD EOB) to meet with two high ranking US officials. OH, HAVE THE TIMES CHANGED.
Today, as depicted in the above chart, the center of the US Government is protected by four concentric circles of increasing security:
[word press has renumbered the below paragraphs and cannot be corrected]
- Special Flight Rules Area (SFRA): The National Capital Region is governed by an SFRA within a 30-mile radius of Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. The SFRA is divided into two rings:
- Inner Ring (15-mile radius): Flying an unmanned aircraft within this inner ring is prohibited without specific FAA authorization. Experienced Part 107 and public aircraft operators can request authorization through the online Access Program (AAP). A TSA/FAA waiver and an SGI/COA are required.
- Outer Ring (30-mile radius): No specific restrictions apply within this outer ring, but general aviation pilots should be aware of the heightened security and exercise caution.
- Recreational Drone Flights: If you’re flying a drone for recreational or non-recreational use between 15 and 30 miles from Washington, D.C., you must follow these operating conditions:
- Aircraft must weigh less than 55 lbs (including any attachments like a camera).
- Register and mark your drone.
- Fly below 400 ft.
- Maintain visual line-of-sight.
- Fly in clear weather conditions.
- Never fly near other aircraft.
- National Defense Airspace: The airspace around D.C. is more restricted than in any other part of the country. Rules established after the 9/11 attacks limit aircraft operations to those with FAA and Transportation Security Administration authorization. Violators face stiff fines and criminal penalties. It is designated as P-56.
He was one of England’s first aviators
The 1910 plane was piloted by Claude Grahame-White, who was one of England’s first aviators (Certificate No. 6) and the holder of several records there. He learned how fly from Louis Blériot and flew the Farman III an aircraft of French design. Prior to his flight through today’s P-56, Grahame-White was in the US competing for and winning a number of trophies here. This pioneer “aeronaut” established his own aircraft manufacturing company, taught students, formed the Women’s Flight League, advocated early for aviation being prepared for World War I and fought in this first war that used aircraft.
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Claude Grahame-White’s Daring Landing at the White House in 1910
Witness the incredible feat of aviation pioneer Claude Grahame-White as he lands his biplane on West Executive Avenue next to the White House in 1910. Read the amazing story and see the photos here!
Look at this photo from 1910. It’s amazing. That’s the Executive Office Building on the left and the West Wing on the right … and an airplane landing between them.
Claude Grahame-White is about to land his small Farman biplane on West Executive Avenue, right next to the West Wing to pay a quick visit to some top military brass.
Not only is this amazing, it is exceedingly dangerous. I’m shocked that he didn’t crash and kill himself.
In the early 20th century, he was one of the preeminent aviation experts, not to mention a daredevil with no fear of death. He was also the first pilot to conduct a flight at night.
Claude was landing near the White House to visit officers in the State, War and Navy building. The plan had only been hatched only a couple hours earlier when General Robert S. Oliver had been notified by telephone that the pilot intended to depart from the airfield three miles away in Benning for a quick visit. Upon arrival, several high-ranking officers applauded his feat, took him to lunch up the street at the Metropolitan Club and sent him back on his way an hour later.
Below is part of what was reported in the Washington Post the following day.
‘The most remarkable and daring landing ever made from such a height by an aviator, either native or foreign, marked the record of Claude Grahame-White, the young English aeronaut, who yesterday morning flew from his headquarters at Benning across the city, circle the Washington Monument at a height of 500 feet above its top, and alighted in Executive avenue at the very gates of the White House.
Mr. Harmon and Mr. Macdonald stood in the street below, waving red and white flags, notifying the airman that he was to land where they stood. His machine dipped until it came within 400 feet of the ground. The motor was silences, and Mr. Grahame-White then undertook the glide which never before has been successfully carried out under similar conditions, from such a height.
The machine shot earthward at a safe angle, and landed in the middle of the narrow street. It struck the asphalt. As it did so, the aviator turned its nose upward, and it flew over the smooth surface, two feet in air, for a short distance. He then turned it to the ground, and the momentum carried it a few feet, when it was brought to a standstill, and the driver alighted’.
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This was a truly remarkable feat, a little over 10 years after the birth of aviation; witnessing this was similar to watching the first rockets blast into space. Those present, stood in awe and applauded.”
