Plane flew over Cuba.

[Wisconsin Beth]

Huh, I just assumed that it was someone trying to get TO Cuba.  And since it's about to leave Cuban airspace, I'm wrong. 

www.cnn.com/2014/09/05/us/norad-air-threat/index.html?hpt=hp_t1 

There appear to be two pilots aboard the unresponsive plane now flying over Cuba, a federal aviation source tells CNN's Deborah Feyerick. The source described the pilots as unconscious. Based on calculations of fuel known to be aboard the aircraft, the source said the plane probably ran out of fuel about 2 p.m. ET.

[Original story, published 1:48 p.m.]

(CNN) -- A Cuban fighter jet Friday was trailing a small aircraft that was unresponsive over the Atlantic Ocean and flying over Cuban airspace, NORAD said.

U.S. authorities say that they do not think the plane poses a security threat and that the pilot and occupants may be incapacitated.

The U.S. military launched a pair of jet fighters to trail the aircraft, but the U.S. planes broke off before reaching Cuban airspace 12 miles off the island's coast, NORAD said. The plane was cruising at about 25,000 feet.

[mmhmm]

OMG. What a horrible thing. I'm glad it isn't some sort of effort to wreak havoc, but I sure wish there was something that could be done to help the people in the plane!

[Deleted]

I'm guessing there won't be a multi-country, multi-million dollar search for this aircraft?

[deziloooooo]

This reminds me of the tragic event with Pro Golfer Payne Stewert....The plane he was piloting or a passenger in decompressed for some reason and all became incapacitated and it flew over the country side for some time before coming down..naturally all died...

[Wisconsin Beth]

Sept 5, 2014 13:22:10 GMT -5 @jma23 said:

I'm guessing there won't be a multi-country, multi-million dollar search for this aircraft?

Well, Cuba and the US are following the plane now.  It's heading towards Jamaica.  Could be 3 countries involved. 

And I don't know how much it costs to have a couple of F15s fly behind/near it for several hours so maybe we're spending the millions NOW instead of later? 

And finally, since it's being followed, we'll know exactly where to look...  

[Wisconsin Beth]

Sorry, that was more smart ass than I meant it to be.  But since I"m not sure how to fix it I'm leaving it. 

[Deleted]

Sept 5, 2014 13:30:18 GMT -5 Wisconsin Beth said:

Sept 5, 2014 13:22:10 GMT -5 @jma23 said:

I'm guessing there won't be a multi-country, multi-million dollar search for this aircraft?

Well, Cuba and the US are following the plane now.  It's heading towards Jamaica.  Could be 3 countries involved. 

And I don't know how much it costs to have a couple of F15s fly behind/near it for several hours so maybe we're spending the millions NOW instead of later? 

And finally, since it's being followed, we'll know exactly where to look...  

Since there is really nothing good about that kind of situation at least they can follow it to it's crash site and have some closure for the relatives and friends etc.

[Deleted]

Sept 5, 2014 13:31:27 GMT -5 Wisconsin Beth said:

Sorry, that was more smart ass than I meant it to be.  But since I"m not sure how to fix it I'm leaving it. 

It wasn't smart ass at all.  To me anyway. 

[Wisconsin Beth]

Yeah, closure is all they're going to get now. 

I was surprised to learn that we talked to Cuba about the plane.  I guess I just assumed we didn't pass on info except via calls from the POTUS to Cuba.  So it's good to know that there's some way in place to talk about stuff like this with them while it's happening.  But I don't pretend to know anything about Cuba beyond it's an island in the Caribbean that the US isn't on good terms with. 

[Angel!]

Sept 5, 2014 13:30:18 GMT -5 Wisconsin Beth said:

And I don't know how much it costs to have a couple of F15s fly behind/near it for several hours so maybe we're spending the millions NOW instead of later? 

And finally, since it's being followed, we'll know exactly where to look...  

Would it really cost millions to follow a plane for a few hours? The pilots are already paid whether or not they are flying. We already have the aircraft. We already have people that sit in NORAD all day watching for things like this. This is seriously why we have a standing military & people available. Not necessarily to follow a unconcious pilot, but to track potential threats before something bad happens.

It seems like just fuel & probably extra maintenance due to extra flight time. Although maybe fuel is expensive.

[mmhmm]

It's in the water off Jamaica.

[Wisconsin Beth]

Sept 5, 2014 13:56:32 GMT -5 Angel! said:

Sept 5, 2014 13:30:18 GMT -5 Wisconsin Beth said:

And I don't know how much it costs to have a couple of F15s fly behind/near it for several hours so maybe we're spending the millions NOW instead of later? 

And finally, since it's being followed, we'll know exactly where to look...  

Would it really cost millions to follow a plane for a few hours? The pilots are already paid whether or not they are flying. We already have the aircraft. We already have people that sit in NORAD all day watching for things like this. This is seriously why we have a standing military & people available. Not necessarily to follow a unconcious pilot, but to track potential threats before something bad happens.

It seems like just fuel & probably extra maintenance due to extra flight time. Although maybe fuel is expensive.

I have no idea Angel.  You're probably right though. 

[The Walk of the Penguin Mich]

Sept 5, 2014 13:58:58 GMT -5 Wisconsin Beth said:

Sept 5, 2014 13:56:32 GMT -5 Angel! said:

Would it really cost millions to follow a plane for a few hours? The pilots are already paid whether or not they are flying. We already have the aircraft. We already have people that sit in NORAD all day watching for things like this. This is seriously why we have a standing military & people available. Not necessarily to follow a unconcious pilot, but to track potential threats before something bad happens.

It seems like just fuel & probably extra maintenance due to extra flight time. Although maybe fuel is expensive.

I have no idea Angel.  You're probably right though. 

AF pilots are required to get in so many flight hours/mo.  So if they were not following the plane, they'd be doing something else (and not always useful).  

My dad used to be on a flight crew when he was in the AF.  So the whole team got flight time in (he was a boom operator, used to refuel planes midair) when they were scheduled to fly.  And sometimes, there was no rhyme nor reason as to where they flew.

[Sum Dum Gai]

It didn't cost millions to follow the plane.  NORAD already had the jets, and if they weren't scrambled to follow this plane they would have probably been airborne on training exercises or something.  They can't sit on their ass for years then be ready to go at a moment's notice when a non-responsive plane starts heading for protected airspace.  They fly training missions and stuff constantly to keep their skills sharp.  Just like commercial pilots have to log so many hours a year to keep their wings.  Military pilots spend a good chunk of time airborne every year as well to keep theirs, even when we aren't at war or conducting overseas humanitarian operations.

[Deleted]

Sept 5, 2014 13:56:32 GMT -5 Angel! said:

Sept 5, 2014 13:30:18 GMT -5 Wisconsin Beth said:

And I don't know how much it costs to have a couple of F15s fly behind/near it for several hours so maybe we're spending the millions NOW instead of later? 

And finally, since it's being followed, we'll know exactly where to look...  

Would it really cost millions to follow a plane for a few hours? The pilots are already paid whether or not they are flying. We already have the aircraft. We already have people that sit in NORAD all day watching for things like this. This is seriously why we have a standing military & people available. Not necessarily to follow a unconcious pilot, but to track potential threats before something bad happens.

It seems like just fuel & probably extra maintenance due to extra flight time. Although maybe fuel is expensive.

I'm to blame for starting the cost point of the discussion. You are correct in your assessment and I was sort of referring to that huge hunt for that Malaysian airliner.

[mmhmm]

I'll admit I'm a lot more concerned about the "cost point" of lives lost. As far as I know, there's been no word on how many people might have been on that plane.