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WASHINGTON D.C. ADIZ In 2003 the U.S. created a "temporary" ADIZ around the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area as a response to the September 11, 2001 Attacks . The concept is to create a restricted zone for air traffic near strategically sensitive locations in the District Of Columbia , such as the White House . This "temporary" ADIZ has created tension between the government and the pilots that fly in and around the ADIZ. Despite efforts by the FAA to inform pilots of the ADIZ there are still many unauthorized incursions by unsuspecting pilots. Many times the unfortunate pilot will get a military escort consisting of a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter or a F-16 fighter jet to the nearest airport, followed by suspension and/or revocation of the pilot's certificates. There have been two highly publicized mishaps inside this ADIZ. One involved a plane carrying the Governor Of Kentucky . The other, almost a year later, involved a Cessna 150 flown by a student who was being supervised by an experienced pilot. Following this incident in 2005 Congress began considering legislation to make this ADIZ and other remaining post 9/11 "temporary" restrictions permanent. Both incidents led to the evacuation of the Capitol . Within the ADIZ is an even more sensitive zone designated the Washington DC Metropolitan Area Flight Restricted Zone (DC FRZ). The DC FRZ extends approximately 13-15 nautical miles (15-17 statute miles) around the VOR / DME located at the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. Flight within the FRZ is restricted to governmental, certain scheduled commercial and a limited set of waivered flights. Three general aviation airports (known as the "Maryland 3" or the "DC 3") are located inside the DC FRZ. The "Maryland 3" are College Park Airport (CGS), Washington Executive/Hyde Field (W32), and Potomac Airport (VKX). The status of College Park Airport's claim to being "the oldest continuously operating airport in the world" has come in to question as a result of these restrictions. To operate an aircraft within the DC ADIZ a pilot must: (1) file a flight plan, (2) establish and maintain radio communications, with clearance to enter Washington's class-Bravo airspace, and (3) Transmit (“squawk”) a discrete mode-C transponder code assigned by Potomac Traffic Control, that reports altitude to air traffic controllers. Pilots' groups, led by the Aircraft Owners And Pilots Association (AOPA), have argued that the ADIZ is unnecessary and has a harmful effect on the economy of small airports and aviation-related businesses in and near the ADIZ. Pilots involved in law enforcement have described the ADIZ as a "major, unnecessary burden on pilots and air traffic controllers with almost no increased security benefit." {Link without Title} AOPA and other groups are hoping to persuade Congress to lift the ADIZ restrictions from Washington airspace. EXTERNAL LINKS
In 2006 the FAA issued an NPRM {Link without Title} docket number 17005 concerning making the temporary rules permanent. Over 20,000 responses were received the vast majority of them in opposition to making the temporary rules permanent. There were two public hearings held by the FAA in the Washington D.C. area on the NPRM. All speakers were opposed to making the NPRM permanent. The FAA published transcripts of the public hearings: http://dmses.dot.gov/docimages/pdf95/383930_web.pdf http://dmses.dot.gov/docimages/pdf95/383929_web.pdf The transcripts were later withdrawn from the public as they were alleged to contain Sensitive Security Information. Allegedly the reason for this was that one pilot pointed out that a terrorist could fly to Dulles International Airport makes a right-hand turn at the last minute, and be over downtown Washington, D.C., in four minutes. http://www.ato.faa.gov/DeskTopDefault.aspx?tabindex=4&tabid=17&itemid=863 |
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