Here's why a flyover in D.C. is such a big deal

When 56 planes flew over the National Mall Friday, they were in some of the most secure and restricted airspace in the world.

It's unique enough that those planes are fighters and bombers from WWII, but they are also flying a path that's been severely restricted since the terrorist hijackings on Sept. 11, 2001.

The "Arsenal of Democracy" flyover event commemorated Victory in Europe Day, when Germany surrendered to the Allies 70 years ago.

Pete Bunce, CEO of the General Aviation Manufacturers Association, which helped organize the event, spent a year coordinating plans with the Federal Aviation Administration, Secret Service, Transportation Security Administration and National Park Service to fly the vintage planes into the heavily controlled airspace over Washington.

"Even after the gyrocopter incident, everybody was focused and said we're doing this for the right reasons," Bunce said. "There was no wavering or anything else."

Secret Service searched the planes Friday morning before the historic flight, Bunce said. "You couldn't ask for more support."

Airspace around D.C.'s government buildings has always had some restrictions, says Marty Lauth, a professor of air traffic management at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Florida. But since 9/11, the restrictions became much more extensive. The thirty-mile radius around D.C. has restrictions, as does a 30-miles radius around that first bubble. Elsewhere in the country, like New York City, there are restricted air spaces, Lauth said, but they cover much smaller areas.

"There's absolutely no doubt the airpsace around D.C. is the strictest in the country," Lauth said.

Flying planes with standard, limited or experimental certificates over national landmarks inside restricted airspace poses significant legal and logistical challenges.

"We had to assess and mitigate the risks, which included focusing on the specific route over the Potomac River to minimize exposure to people and property on the ground," the FAA's Jim Viola, said in this month's Safety Briefing magazine. Viola is the manager of the FAA's General Aviation and Commercial Division.

The FAA had to coordinate with National Airport to put a hold on flights during the event. And while flying the historic route over The Mall, planes can maneuver to a non-congested area within 30 seconds if required.

That safety precaution was tested Friday when one of the TBM Avengers flying in the event made an emergency landing there. No injuries were reported.