"If the FAA makes the Washington, D.C., ADIZ permanent, it will set a dangerous precedent, creating the possibility of IFR-like flight restrictions within the footprint of every Class B airspace," said AOPA President Phil Boyer.
One pilot recounted his experience as a student who inadvertently penetrated the ADIZ during his first solo cross-country flight. His student certificate was suspended for 30 days, but that's not all. "For a period of three years, I will be unable to purchase insurance if I buy an aircraft, and the incursion will remain on my record," he wrote.
A flight instructor based at Manassas, Virginia, told of miscommunications and long waits while getting cleared to enter the ADIZ. "The extra cost to pilots and reduction in safety because of the extra workload imposed on controllers far outweigh any perceived benefits of the ADIZ," the instructor wrote.
AOPA acknowledges the need to protect the nation's capital, but the critical areas, including the White House, are within the flight restricted zone, which itself is well protected with antiaircraft defense systems and interceptor aircraft.
Systems 101: Engine and Propeller
Studying or teaching about the parts of a cylinder and its operation? Need a refresher on engine and propeller systems before that checkride? The AOPA Air Safety Foundation's new online course Engine and Propeller is a perfect study guide and teaching tool.
It uses interactive activities and video clips to teach the ins and outs of carbureted and fuel-injected piston engines and fixed-pitch and constant speed propellers. For example, the course provides a hands-on module for practicing engine starts under hot and cold conditions. Many new pilots receive little instruction on how to handle hot starts consistently. The course, sponsored by Lycoming, Hartzell, Cessna, and Continental, is available online to all pilots. Find more resources at AOPA Flight Training Online.
AOPA Air Safety Foundation makes accident database user-friendly
The AOPA Air Safety Foundation has launched an improved version of its online accident database to make it more useful for pilots, researchers, and others in the aviation industry to conduct basic case study research.
The improved database allows users to search using keywords that ASF has attached to the appropriate accident reports, which means the search will return a listing of relevant accidents. ASF also added additional search criteria, such as light (day, night, dusk) and basic weather conditions at the time of the accident. Cross-references allow users to see other keywords related to their search.
What would an ADIZ be like in your back yard?
The "temporary" Washington, D.C., ADIZ has been a permanent fixture of the Washington-Baltimore Class B airspace since it was hastily imposed over a weekend during the run-up to war in Iraq two and one-half years ago. Some security officials have indicated they would like to see ADIZ restrictions around other major cities.
"This would be much more restrictive than Class B, returning to the way things were in the months following September 11," said AOPA President Phil Boyer. "You wouldn't be able to fly VFR 'under the shelf' anymore to outlying airports."
The inner ring around the hub airport could become a flight restricted zone (FRZ), making the airspace off-limits to most aircraft.
The ADIZ itself would extend to the surface from the outer ring of the Class B and could be even larger. To fly in the ADIZ, pilots would first have to file a flight plan with flight service (no DUAT filing is permitted), obtain a discrete transponder code, and remain in contact with air traffic control.
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