The Hunted
I’ve never really thought about it much before, but with jobs like this, being in the Civil Air Patrol would be a really interesting experience.
As his watch ticks toward midnight, Paul Gardella checks the oil on the small Cessna 182 parked on a cold, dark airstrip in Fairfax County. He knows what he soon could be facing: Coast Guard helicopters chasing him. F-16s intercepting him. Ground-to-air missiles tracking his every turn.
That’s because Gardella — a software engineer and former military officer — is taking on a new role.
Enemy of the U.S. government.
“In the Navy, I was on the other side. I was on the side of the ones that were shooting,” he muses.
Gardella, 50, is among a group of pilots who pose as nighttime intruders, penetrating restricted airspace over Washington in drills that take place every few weeks. While area residents slumber, the volunteers allow the U.S. military to practice intercepting them — or worse.
I’m sure only the most experienced and “senior” members get to do that sort of thing…but how awesome would that be?
Thursday, January 18th, 2007




