How do fighter jets that scramble to intercept small planes not stall?
A small plane can travel at 60 knot but the fighter jet will stall at those speeds following to intercept.
In: 6
They’ll have to fly in a zig-zag pattern, but it’s not ideal.
Several years back, a aircraft mechanic student in Thunder Bay, Canada stole his school’s single-engine Cessna and flew it across the US-Canada border. The Americans scrambled F-18s to intercept, which must had been a hilarious chase as the Cessna’s maximum speed was pretty much the stall speed of the F-18 Hornet. In the end, they decided not to shoot him down, and he landed on a stretch of highway and the local cops took him into custody.
they will use a helicopter to intercept, or a jet fighter will fly in circles around the slower plane.
“Intercept” does not require flying alongside the target plane, you just need to show them that you are within firing range. A good fighter pilot can cross closely in front of the smaller plane, or rattle it with its turbulence, both of which are likely to make a pilot poop their pants.
Also, Most intercepted planes are ignorant/lost, not terrorists. Once they see that a jet fighter is after them, they start paying attention.
[from American Made, based on a true story. perfect example and answer for your question.](https://youtu.be/ODIZKyevVxQ)
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