The F-16 pilots patrolling the skies got some action when a small plane violated the restricted air space near the shuttle launch pad.
The Shaw fighters tried twice to get the attention of the plane’s pilot. When they finally dropped three flares over the nose of the aircraft, they did get his attention.
The fighters shadowed the Cessna to a landing strip about 50 miles north of Cape Canaveral and returned to their patrol.
The Shaw pilots flew in shifts with two always patrolling the no-fly zone.