Plane intercepted over Washington was piloted by Brethren.

The pilots whose small plane entered restricted air space over Washington, D.C., on May 11 causing the evacuation of the White House, the Capitol, and the Supreme Court, are Brethren. Pilot Hayden "Jim" Sheaffer of Lititz (Pa.) Church of the Brethren, and student pilot Troy Martin of Ephrata (Pa.) Church of the Brethren, were on their way to an air show.

"Both Troy and Jim sought the church for support" following the incident, said pastor Bob Kettering of the Lititz congregation. "They are salt of the earth people. I feel very badly about it." He said the men received "gracious and kind" treatment by the authorities, including the FBI and Secret Service, after their plane was escorted away from Washington, D.C., by F-16 fighter jets.

In worship the next Sunday, pastor Galen Hackman at Ephrata asked his congregation to be in prayer for the pilots and their families. He also requested church members not to ask Martin about the event, explaining that the men were not yet at liberty to talk publicly for legal reasons. The pastors reported that the press "camped out" at the men's homes, and even contacted the church for comment.

Since then, Sheaffer has appeared on the "Today" show on NBC with his lawyer on May 23. "I thought we were going to get shot out of the sky," he said.

Source: 05/25/2005 Newsline
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