Camp David

FREDERICK, Md. - A pilot who allegedly flew into restricted air space Saturday night came within 71/2 nautical miles of Camp David, a Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman said Sunday. The U.S. Secret Service and FAA were investigating the incident Sunday. According to spokespeople for the agencies, the pilot, who landed at Frederick (Md.) Municipal Airport, had not been charged. FAA spokeswoman Laura Brown said a Cessna 172 was detected in temporary restricted air space about 10:30 p.m. Saturday near Camp David.

tarar@herald-mail.com Former President George H.W. Bush, his wife Barbara, their twin granddaughters and their dog landed at Hagerstown Regional Airport on Thursday as they made their way to Camp David for Christmas. Airport Manager Carolyn Motz confirmed the Bush family flew in on a business jet Thursday afternoon. "It was a thrill," said Washington County Commissioner John C. Munson, who was at the airport and saw the Bushes land. "It was interesting. Very, very interesting.

shappell@herald-mail.com For the next week, there will be two presidential retreats in the mountains of Frederick County. "The West Wing," the popular, Emmy-winning television series about the workings of a fictional White House, on Tuesday began filming portions of episodes for next season in the Thurmont area, not far from the Camp David presidential retreat. Filming will continue through May 20 or May 21, said Neal Ahern, the show's line producer. Ahern said the crew and cast, including Martin Sheen, who portrays President Josiah Bartlet, and John Spencer, who portrays Bartlet's chief of staff, spent most of the past week at ThorpeWood shooting scenes.

By ANDREW SCHOTZ andrews@herald-mail.com That's a military fighter jet flying next to me, Hank Rausch realized. Something's up. Rausch, in his Piper PA-38 Tomahawk, had wandered into a restricted area: the air space above and around Camp David, the presidential retreat in Frederick County. The fighter jet zipped by so its pilot could read the tail number on Rausch's plane, a way to figure out who he was. If Rausch had flown the same course - Martinsburg, W.Va.

Plane forced down after entering restricted air A military jet intercepted a plane that flew into restricted air space over Camp David Thursday morning and forced it to land at Hagerstown Regional Airport. Airport Manager Carolyn Motz confirmed the incident, but said she did not know specific details. She said there have been similar landings "dozens of times" since the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11. On that day, the no-fly zone over Camp David, the presidential retreat in nearby Catoctin Mountain Park, was expanded.

The pilot of a small private plane that violated the restricted air space around Camp David was intercepted Saturday at 11:12 a.m. and advised to land at Hagerstown Regional Airport. "The pilot/owner of the Piper 28 landed at the airport at 11:31 a.m., was interviewed and then released," said Deirdre O'Sullivan, spokeswoman for the Transportation Security Administration. Sgt. Travers Ruppert of the Washington County Sheriff's Department said when he learned of the incident, he directed Sgt. Tom Newton, who already was at the airport, to the scene.

President stops at airport By ANDREA BROWN-HURLEY andreabh@herald-mail.com President George W. Bush landed at Hagerstown Regional Airport on Friday afternoon en route to the Camp David presidential retreat. Bush was headed to Camp David to meet with advisors and work on his upcoming State of the Union address, according to The Associated Press. Bush will give the State of the Union address Jan. 29. Security was exceptionally tight at the airport off Showalter Road.

Hagerstown Regional Airport's proximity to Camp David and the possible economic effect on businesses at the airport are reasons the Federal Aviation Administration should consider keeping the airport's air traffic control tower open, Airport Director Phil Ridenour said Wednesday. Wednesday was the deadline for airports to pitch to the FAA why their control towers should remain open as the FAA prepares to enact cuts due to the federal budget cuts, known as sequestration. FAA officials will review submitted letters and make decisions on March 18 and are expected to announce March 20 which towers will remain open or will close, Ridenour said.

scottb@herald-mail.com The size of the no-fly zone over Camp David has been reduced, which will make landing at the Hagerstown Regional Airport more convenient for pilots, Airport Manager Carolyn Motz said Wednesday. In late April the restricted airspace over Camp David, the presidential retreat in nearby Catoctin Mountain Park, was reduced from a horizontal 8 nautical mile radius from the center of the camp, to 5 nautical miles. A nautical mile is about 6,076 feet. A statute mile is 5,280 feet.

tammyb@herald-mail.com CATOCTIN FURNACE, Md. - Nestled in the Catoctin Mountains near the Camp David presidential retreat, Trout Run, a 453-acre recreational compound, is a nature lover's dream. It's also been a closely guarded secret for decades. Famous people could make clandestine visits to the camp, "and nobody knew they were here," said Trout Run owner Howard Haugerud, 79. "The only reason we're opening it now is because we're trying to peddle it," he said.

Hagerstown Regional Airport's proximity to Camp David and the possible economic effect on businesses at the airport are reasons the Federal Aviation Administration should consider keeping the airport's air traffic control tower open, Airport Director Phil Ridenour said Wednesday. Wednesday was the deadline for airports to pitch to the FAA why their control towers should remain open as the FAA prepares to enact cuts due to the federal budget cuts, known as sequestration. FAA officials will review submitted letters and make decisions on March 18 and are expected to announce March 20 which towers will remain open or will close, Ridenour said.

When world leaders convene this week at Camp David for the G-8 Summit, Thurmont plans to be ready. Mayor Martin Burns said shop windows and sidewalks will be clean and the grass in the park will be mowed. Businesses will brace for a flood of visitors, including many American and foreign journalists covering the G-8, or Group of Eight. The Group of Eight nations are the United States, Canada, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, France and the United Kingdom. A White House statement said the summit, to be held on Friday and Saturday, “will address a broad range of economic, political and security issues.” One of the biggest unknowns is the protests.

Take that Chicago. How does it feel to get waxed by Smithsburg? Last week, the failed Obama administration abruptly announced that the G8 summit originally scheduled to be held in the Windy City this spring will instead be held at Camp David. Obama didn't say why. Maybe the G8 wants to take a stab at solving Smithsburg's storm-water management issues. The G8 summit is important because its host city becomes, in the words of one senior fellow, “a showcase to the world.” So better set a couple extra places at the Dixie Eatery.

Mark Allen Lewis, 87, of Stottlemyer Road, Garfield, Md., passed away Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2011, at his home. Born Sept. 13, 1924, in Garfield, he was the son of the late Claude C. and Annie (Hayes) Lewis. He attended Forrest School in Garfield. Mark was a young farm boy in northern Frederick County when called to duty in World War II. He served proudly as a member of the U.S. Army 17th Airborne, 139th Airborne Engineer Battalion, where he made glider landings in Germany and fought bravely at the Battle of the Bulge.

JULY 9, 1927-JUNE 27, 2011 James A. “Jim” Norris, 83, of Frederick, Md., passed away at home surrounded by his loving wife and family on Monday, June 27, 2011. Born July 9, 1927, in Garrett, Pa., he was the son of the late James E. and Violet L. Norris, who lived in St. James, Md. He also was preceded in death by his sister, Beth Shank of Hagerstown. He is survived by his wife of 58 years, Janet Barkdoll Norris; his daughter, Kathy Wright and husband, Jeff, of Cazenovia, N.Y.; his sons, Allan J. Norris and companion, Marie Henery, and Matthew W. Norris and fiancée, Jo Ann Kerns, all of Frederick; and his sister, Ardythe Lois Graybill of Texas.

The Air Force flies the president on Air Force One, Marines fly his helicopter, the Army drives his vehicles, but when he’s hungry, he turns to the Navy. Tal Sims of Kearneysville was a Navy chief chef and member of the White House Mess from 1999 to 2003, the year he retired as a chief petty officer after a 20-year career. He cooked for President Bill Clinton during his last year of office and for George W. Bush during his first three years in office. The White House Mess has been the Navy’s responsibility since 1880, when President Rutherford B. Hayes, the 19th White House occupant, first used Navy stewards to cook his meals.

tarar@herald-mail.com Former President George H.W. Bush, his wife Barbara, their twin granddaughters and their dog landed at Hagerstown Regional Airport on Thursday as they made their way to Camp David for Christmas. Airport Manager Carolyn Motz confirmed the Bush family flew in on a business jet Thursday afternoon. "It was a thrill," said Washington County Commissioner John C. Munson, who was at the airport and saw the Bushes land. "It was interesting. Very, very interesting.

FREDERICK, Md. - A pilot who allegedly flew into restricted air space Saturday night came within 71/2 nautical miles of Camp David, a Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman said Sunday. The U.S. Secret Service and FAA were investigating the incident Sunday. According to spokespeople for the agencies, the pilot, who landed at Frederick (Md.) Municipal Airport, had not been charged. FAA spokeswoman Laura Brown said a Cessna 172 was detected in temporary restricted air space about 10:30 p.m. Saturday near Camp David.

An airplane that had violated an area no-fly zone Saturday landed at Frederick (Md.) Municipal Airport, Maryland State Police Sgt. M. Jones in Frederick said Saturday night. As the situation unfolded, it was not immediately clear which no-fly zone the pilot had violated, but it could have been the Camp David or Washington, D.C.-area restricted areas, a police spokesman and a local airport official said. Matt Cissel, an employee at Rider Jet at Hagerstown Regional Airport, said a pilot that had landed about 10:30 p.m. also heard that a nearby pilot had violated flight restrictions, although no such plane had landed in Hagerstown.

The pilot of a small private plane that violated the restricted air space around Camp David was intercepted Saturday at 11:12 a.m. and advised to land at Hagerstown Regional Airport. "The pilot/owner of the Piper 28 landed at the airport at 11:31 a.m., was interviewed and then released," said Deirdre O'Sullivan, spokeswoman for the Transportation Security Administration. Sgt. Travers Ruppert of the Washington County Sheriff's Department said when he learned of the incident, he directed Sgt. Tom Newton, who already was at the airport, to the scene.