ADIZ, other "temporary" SUA now visible in Garmin 430/530, thanks to AOPA

ADIZ, other "temporary" SUA now visible in Garmin 430/530, thanks to AOPA

Why can't the temporary flight restriction area - also called the air defense identification zone (ADIZ) - around Washington, D.C., show up in the Garmin 430/530 databases? That's what AOPA member Frank Cantrell, who bases his Baron just outside the restricted airspace, asked AOPA President Phil Boyer last month.

Starting today, it does - along with some of the other "temporary" restricted areas that have been with us for several years. How that happened is a glimpse into how AOPA works with the industry and the government to make things better for members.

Recognizing that clear depictions of the ADIZ and other TFRs on the moving maps of GPS units was the best way to keep pilots from inadvertently violating restricted airspace, AOPA staff had already been working with database supplier Jeppesen and Garmin to make it happen.

Jeppesen ultimately had to create a specific special-use airspace database for these TFRs, and Garmin had to work through some technical issues before it could be added to its 430/530 line of GPS nav/coms. AOPA revisited the issue with Garmin representatives during EAA's AirVenture in Oshkosh.

Now with the latest database update, the Garmin 430/530s will show not only the complete Washington, D.C., ADIZ, but also the area of the expanded TFR over Camp David whenever President Bush is there, along with the other TFRs over military installations that have essentially become permanent.

August 11, 2005