AOPA tips: Ensure a holiday free of mishaps
With the increased amount of traffic at airports during the Fourth of July holiday, it is important to secure your aircraft properly and help safeguard our nation's airports. While on your trip, join more than 650,000 pilots in the national AOPA Airport Watch Program to observe and report suspicious activity in and around airports.
Review AOPA's Security Resources if you have questions about secure operations and procedures on the ground and in the air. Resources include help for navigating the Washington, D.C., Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ), flight-planning tools, and an overview of the FAA's and TSA's security-related rules and regulations. With outdoor celebrations under way, remember to fly at least 1,000 feet above an "open air assembly of persons," according to FAR 91.119, and watch out for other aircraft enjoying the same view.
Your attention to flight-planning detail is critical during such a fun and busy time. Temporary flight restrictions (TFRs) can pop up anywhere, anytime. Visit AOPA Online for updated TFR and notam information. Look for local notams as well in order to avoid areas where airshows and aerial displays are scheduled. In addition, familiarize yourself with restricted and prohibited areas by referencing the AOPA Air Safety Foundation's Safety Hot Spot: Critical Airspace.
Read the AOPA Air Safety Foundation's Collision Avoidance Safety Advisor, and refresh your memory about the practical common-sense steps necessary to steer clear of the many aircraft on similar flight paths. Take advantage of other planning resources online, in particular, AOPA's Real-Time Flight Planner and AOPA's Airport Directory.
June 20, 2007
