An article in the January 2005 issue of AOPA Pilot magazine, " How Low Do They Go?" by Tim Wright, attracted my attention, since I am interested in the interactions between civilian and military aviators. These interactions became more significant in the interior of Alaska in the early to mid-1990s, when the U.S. Air Force proposed to establish a huge complex of military operations areas (MOAs) to the east of Fairbanks, Alaska, where I made my home.
It is important to understand that MOA airspace is specifically and legally considered joint-use airspace. The military pilot has no more or less right to operate there than the civilian pilot. There is nothing in the federal aviation regulations that suggests in any way that a civilian pilot cannot, or should not, fly into an active MOA. The author of this particular article did an excellent job of articulating how difficult it is for military aviators who are participating in simulated air-combat maneuvering to see and avoid transiting civilian aircraft. By the same token, it isn't that easy for a civilian pilot to see and avoid a camouflaged fighter, at a head-on angle, moving at 500-plus knots. In other words, the risks are very real.
There is, however, a way to improve the situational awareness of both the military and civilian pilots operating in MOA airspace. In the Eastern Alaska MOA complex, we call it SUAIS, which is short for Special Use Airspace Information Service. This invaluable service originated as the Eielson Air Force Base Range Control function. It now has been expanded to provide traffic advisories for both civilian and military aircraft operating in the huge MOA complex and restricted areas of east-central Alaska.
An added bonus is that since Eielson Range Control is the using agency for the restricted airspace in eastern Alaska, it can provide clearance to a VFR pilot to enter or cross active restricted airspace if no military aircraft are actually in the airspace at the moment. For the moment, though, let's focus on the topic at hand: de-conflicting civilian and military aircraft within MOA airspace. How does this service work?
Let's say I need to fly from Fairbanks to Eagle, a small village on the Yukon River some 180 miles east of Fairbanks. Unfortunately, within minutes of departing Fairbanks International Airport, I'll enter military operations areas, and will remain in this category of airspace virtually throughout this flight. I did mention that these are large MOAs, right? Theoretically, I could divert significantly from a direct route, fly north for nearly an hour to reach the Yukon River, and fly up the Yukon at low level through a corridor that is excluded from MOA airspace. Unfortunately, this would add very significantly to the length of my flight, and to accomplish the flight, I'd need to refuel in Eagle. There is no commercially available fuel in Eagle.
So, I'm setting sail direct to Eagle, at a legal eastbound VFR altitude, of course. As I depart Fairbanks, the tower hands me off to departure control, and once clear of the Fort Wainwright Army Air Field Class D surface area, I ask Fairbanks Departure control for a frequency change to Eielson Range (SUAIS) and permission to keep the discrete transponder code assigned to me by Fairbanks clearance delivery. Departure replies, "Frequency change approved," and I switch to SUAIS on 125.3 MHz.
My first call to Eielson Range Control will go something like this: "Eielson Range, Cessna One-Two-Three is a Cessna 180, off Fairbanks, en route Eagle, climbing to 7,500 feet, request traffic advisories."
On this day, Eielson Range comes back with, "Cessna Two-Six-Delta, Eielson Range, you are radar contact, I currently have a flight of two F-16s operating in the vicinity of the Charley River and four F-15s operating above 18,000 feet in the southern portion of Yukon 2 MOA. The F-16s should be clear of the airspace by the time you reach that area."
As I thank the controllers for the assistance, Eielson Range asks me if I'll be returning from Eagle today, and I respond that indeed I intend to turn around immediately and return to Fairbanks upon reaching Eagle. The SUAIS controller informs me that a "Red Flag-Alaska go" will start at 1:30 p.m., and I may wish to delay my return for an hour or so. "Red Flag-Alaska" is the name for the Pacific Air Force's major flying exercise, conducted from Eielson AFB, just south of Fairbanks, and one of the primary reasons for the Eastern Alaska MOA complex. (The name was changed from "Cope Thunder" in late March 2006.) A Red Flag-Alaska go can involve more than 100 tactical aircraft operating at high speed and all altitudes, in a simulated war fighting scenario. The Red Flag-Alaska scenarios vary greatly in both numbers of aircraft involved and types of flight operations, but suffice it to say that the middle of a Red Flag-Alaska go is no place for a civilian aircraft.
Again, it is important to understand that there is legally nothing to prevent a civilian pilot from flying through the middle of a major flying exercise. In fact, if this happened and the civilian aircraft's presence was detected by any military pilot or by SUAIS, the military pilots would be required by policy to "knock it off," stopping the air exercise. While this is the safe thing to do, it certainly isn't the best way to train military pilots, and is a tremendous expenditure of funds for a lost training opportunity. Ironically, a delay on the part of the civilian pilot of as little as an hour might have completely avoided any potential conflict. During Red Flag-Alaskas, the air war is very short and very intense, after which the MOAs are generally totally free of military aircraft.
This is where SUAIS shines. Eielson Range's reminder to me that Red Flag-Alaska go is scheduled during my proposed return flight makes the decision easy for me: I'll spend an extra hour on the ground in Eagle, avoid the Red Flag-Alaska go altogether, and have a nice peaceful flight home. This also will keep me out of the way of the military pilots, allowing them to focus on their training.
On another day, en route from Isabel Pass south of Delta Junction to Fairbanks, a thunderstorm lies directly in the civilian corridor between restricted airspace and Eielson AFB, blocking my path. A quick call on the SUAIS frequency results in a clearance to fly through Restricted Area 2211 en route to Fairbanks, "as long as you can be through there within 15 minutes." Piece of cake.
AOPA and the Alaskan Aviation Safety Foundation worked closely with the Air Force and FAA planners during the airspace proposal process. There was little doubt that there would be some very large blocks of airspace placed into MOA status during this process, so it was the goal of both AOPA Government Affairs and the Alaskan Aviation Safety Foundation to find innovative solutions to improve the safety of all our operations.
It was apparent from the outset that the MOA airspace would be so large as to preclude practical circumnavigation by general aviation aircraft. The Special Use Airspace Information Service turned out to be but one tool to improve the safety of these operations. While SUAIS does not currently provide "real-time MOA control," it offers the next best thing to it.
During times when the Air Force is not using the MOAs or restricted areas, an automated broadcast goes out over the SUAIS frequency, alerting pilots to the next active flight operations, and specifying whether the U.S. Army will be using the restricted areas for live fire.
As a sign of the success of SUAIS, AOPA and the Alaskan Aviation Safety Foundation have joined forces with the Army, which will join the Air Force in using SUAIS for artillery and unmanned-aerial-vehicle operations within restricted airspace.
SUAIS is a great tool that allows a significantly improved safety margin for both military and civilian pilots operating in MOA airspace. A key to the continued success of this program, however, is for civilian pilots, both residents and those who may be flying to Alaska to visit, to use the service. The military pilots are required to flight plan and communicate with Range Control, so the onus really is on the civilian pilot to realize the full value of this service.
Oh, and by the way, if the military is proposing to establish or is currently operating a MOA near you, get involved in the planning process, and express your views. You may want to suggest to the military that a SUAIS-type program in your area would significantly improve the safety of operations within that MOA. If this isn't a valid and invaluable mitigation for establishment of military airspace, nothing is.
If you're flying to Alaska via the Alaska Highway, once you depart Northway, give Eielson Range Control a call on 125.3, and find out who else is or isn't sharing the airspace on this fine day. And tell them I sent you.
A former wildlife biologist in Alaska, Mike Vivion now teaches natural resource aviation at the University of Minnesota.
Available Online
To learn more about special-use airspace, visit the ASF Web site. Just click on free online courses. Know Before You Go is designed to take the mystery out of the multiple types of special-use airspace, concentrating on security-type airspace. Mission: Possible — Navigating Today's Special Use Airspace reviews key facts about special-use airspace and helps pilots understand all types of special-use airspace, concentrating on the new lights-out training that the military has been authorized to do in MOAs using night-vision goggles. The course includes fast-paced video clips, exciting animation, and an interactive flight-planning scenario. Also ASF offers the Airspace for Everyone Safety Advisor, free on the Web site.
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