Message #47088

[Psalm 51:17]

http://www.myfoxny.com/story/24594504/no-fly-zone-over-metlife-stadium
No-fly zone over MetLife Stadium
1/30/14

MYFOXNY.COM -
The skies above and around MetLife Stadium will be in a no-fly zone on Super Bowl Sunday.

The first level of defense will be provided by Black Hawk helicopters with U.S. Customs and Border Protection. The unarmed helos will serve as the eyes in the sky.

And if a hostile aircraft enters restricted air space near MetLife stadium, New Jersey Air National Guard F-16s based in Atlantic City will be scrambled.

Colonel Brad Everman of the 177th Fighter Wing said his pilots have been training for months and are prepared to secure the skies above the big game.

"It's not necessarily a hostile aircraft. It could be someone who is lost. It could be someone who had aircraft issues and is simply trying to fly a flight path they think is safest. So there's not necessarily a presumption of hostility," Col. Everman says.

But, he says they will be ready if a hostile aircraft enters the space.

"It's a layered defense, so what we hope to do is to get their attention and move them away from the Super Bowl. If not, a graduated response to do what we need to do to provide the safety and security," Col. Everman says.