PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. - The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), in coordination with the Federal Aviation Administration and the Department of Homeland Security, will conduct calibration flights on May 25 over the Washington D.C. area.
The calibration flights, which will take place from approximately 1 – 4 p.m., will be performed by a civilian Cessna aircraft and a Beechcraft King Air aircraft flying patterns at approximately 1000 feet above ground level. These flights have been carefully planned and will be closely controlled. The flights are intended to assist in calibration of systems and equipment, and will serve to refine and improve our ability to respond to unknown and potentially threatening aircraft.
If the May 25 flights have to be cancelled for any reason, they will be attempted again on May 26 or May 27 at the same time.
NORAD has conducted flights of this nature throughout Canada and the U.S. since the start of Operation Noble Eagle, the command’s response to the terrorist attacks that occurred on Sept. 11, 2001.
NORAD is the bi-national Canadian and American command that provides maritime warning, aerospace warning and aerospace control for Canada and the United States. The command has three subordinate regional headquarters: the Alaskan NORAD Region at Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska; the Canadian NORAD Region at Canadian Forces Base Winnipeg, Manitoba; and the Continental NORAD Region at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida.