After changing ingress and egress operations at Virginia’s Leesburg Executive Airport inside the Washington, D.C., Special Flight Rules Area (SFRA), the FAA has updated its online training course that is required for pilots operating within a 60-nautical-mile radius of the DCA VOR/DME.
Effective Nov. 30, pilots who follow the published procedures for entering and exiting the Leesburg Maneuvering Area no longer need to file an SFRA flight plan. ( See the required procedures ).
“We are encouraged that the FAA continues to take into account the operations at airports within the DC SFRA,” said Craig Spence, AOPA vice president of operations and international affairs.
The revised special awareness training course “includes entry/exit scenarios, as well as revised versions of the downloadable kneeboard guides for operating in this airspace,” the FAA announced. The agency reiterated that “pilots who have already completed the course are not required to take it again.” However, pilots who fly in the area should consider periodically taking the course as a refresher.
