--
Aug. 20--Charles "Lee" Daily was thinking about the beautiful summer day, not President Barack Obama, when he unknowingly flew into restricted air space Tuesday and prompted two fighter jets to speed his way, setting off two sonic booms that startled residents throughout the Puget Sound area.
The 63-year-old Redmond man has been flying for 25 years, but this was only the second time he had taken his lady friend up in his Cessna 180 float plane.
After leaving Lake Chelan, Daily relaxed into the route he takes almost every weekend in the summer, commenting on the warm weather and pointing out a jet to his girlfriend as it practiced maneuvers.
"Everything was so perfect until I landed at Kenmore," Daily said.
Only then did he learn that the president was visiting Seattle and that a no-fly zone had been set up around Obama and Air Force One. He flew directly through the temporary restricted airspace as he cruised back to Kenmore Air Harbor.
Although the sonic booms likely were heard by tens of thousands of people, Daily said he didn't hear them and is awfully sorry to be the man who prompted them. He thinks the entire experience has been unbelievable.
He's wishing now that he had checked before taking off to see if there were any air restrictions. But he was flying the same old route and never imagined he'd be so unaware of a major event such as a presidential visit.
"It's amazing how such a simple mistake can upset such a large apple cart," Daily said.
The Secret Service was waiting for him when he landed, but Daily said he wasn't nervous because he hadn't done anything wrong and he had nothing to hide.
In fact, Daily found them to be quite nice.
The sanctions that could be handed down might not be so pleasant; it's not yet clear what they will be.
"I'm extremely sorry that it happened," Daily said.
Stacia Glenn: 253-597-8653 [email protected]
