D.C. ADIZ off limits during State of the Union address
By AOPA ePublishing staff
General aviation pilots should steer clear of the Washington, D.C., Air Defense Identification Zone and Flight Restricted Zone on Jan. 28. The airspace will be closed to GA during the President’s State of the Union address.
“The flight restrictions mirror those of previous years,” said Heidi Williams, AOPA director of air traffic services. “But the size of the restriction is reduced this year because of the smaller ADIZ.”
During the national security event, GA flight will be banned in the ADIZ from 8 to 11 p.m. local. All waivers for flight into the ADIZ or FRZ will be suspended during that time, except for those beginning with ELO, GOV, or SPO.
Special procedures will be temporarily suspended at the DC-3 airports, College Park (CGS), Potomac Airfield (VKX), and Washington Executive/Hyde Field (W32), along with Barnes (MD47), Flying M Farms (MD77), Mountain Road (MD43), Robinson (MD14), Skyview (51VA), and Vint Hill Farms Station (04VA).
The “maneuver area” and ingress and egress procedures at Leesburg (JYO) will also be suspended during that time.
The only exception to the GA flight ban will be for GA aircraft on IFR flight plans departing or arriving at Washington Dulles International (IAD) and Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall (BWI) airports.
“Pilots flying anywhere near the ADIZ that evening should plan their flights carefully and ensure that they allow ample separation between their aircraft and the ADIZ boundaries,” said Williams. “The restrictions will be strictly enforced, and pilots must do their part to prevent incursions.”
For more details, see the FAA’s flight advisory.
January 16, 2008
