Cheney needs his space, man.

The Federal Aviation Administration has imposed flight restrictions over Vice President Dick Cheney's new Maryland house, angering private pilots because they cannot fly overhead even when he is not there.

A spokesman for the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, Chris Dancy, said Tuesday that the aviation agency imposed restrictions over Mr. Cheney's house in Jackson Hole, Wyo., only when he was present. Mr. Dancy questioned a need to have the restrictions in place at all times over a house in Maryland, where there is much more air traffic.

Private pilots call airspace restrictions an inconvenience. If they stray into restricted space, they could lose their pilot's license, be escorted away by fighter jets or, in a worst case, be shot down.

Mr. Cheney's new home is on the Chesapeake Bay in St. Michaels, Md., about 30 miles east of Washington. The restricted airspace has a radius of one nautical mile and was established on Nov. 22.

The vice president's official residence is on the grounds of the United States Naval Observatory in Northwest Washington, part of the region covered by airspace restrictions that were put in place after the Sept. 11 attacks.

A spokeswoman for the aviation agency, Laura Brown, said the St. Michaels restriction was classified as temporary, although she acknowledged that there was no date set for it to be lifted.

Flight restrictions over President Bush's home near Crawford, Tex., stay in place even in his absence.