The Weird, Scary Airspace Over Washington DC

Twenty-five years ago next month, a hijacked airliner crashed into the Pentagon in Washington, DC. Since then, restrictions for airplanes flying over our nation's capital have been seriously beefed up. Unauthorized flights are liable to lead to arrest, fines, and even the danger of being shot down. But right in the middle of that restricted zone, we have Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) with tons of flights arriving and departing every day. On a side note, who designs an airport with three runways in which only one can be used at a time? 

Pilots who fly into Washington have a list of rules to follow, from registering identification to obtaining a password to staying in contact with control towers at all times. Older rules for DCA mandate that they follow DC's rivers to approach the airport. If you don't know all the rules, you have no business being there. Air traffic controllers have procedures that are just as strict and Byzantine. These rules are all in service of safety and for keeping the military from having to shoot down your plane. Half as Interesting gives us an overview of how complicated it all is. The video is only seven minutes long; the rest is promotional.