Members "Angry And Confused" With New Requirements
The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association says its members are
"both angry and confused" about a new ADIZ training rule.
The new rule requires any pilot flying VFR within 60 nautical
miles of the Washington, DC (DCA) VOR/DME -- whether they intend to
fly into the Air Defense Identification Zone itself -- to complete
the FAA’s "special awareness training" by February 9,
2009.
"Our members are telling us that it makes no sense to mandate
training for pilots who’ll never fly in the ADIZ. And they
can’t see the logic of forcing pilots who are already flying
in the ADIZ or have been cleared for the Flight Restricted Zone to
take a course to teach them what they already know," said Andy
Cebula, AOPA executive vice president of government affairs. "Some
pilots are also confused about which course they have to take, and
whether they’ve already met the requirement."
AOPA argued forcefully against the mandatory training when it
was first proposed in 2006. However, the pilot advocacy
organization concedes it's a good idea for pilots who might fly
close to the ADIZ to know about it, especially given the number of
inadvertent ADIZ penetrations through the years.
"Our sources tell us that security agencies pushed the FAA
pretty hard on this," said Cebula.
There are two online courses that meet the requirements of the
rule. Some pilots may have already taken an older FAA course,
"Navigating the DC ADIZ, TFRs, and Special Use Airspace." While no
longer offered, the course still qualifies, and pilots who have
taken it can retrieve a copy of their completion certificate from
the "My Courses" section of the FAA’s FAASTeam Web site.
The current course is "Navigating the New DC ADIZ." It takes
about 90 minutes to complete. If you’ve taken the course
before, you don’t need to repeat it, just download a copy of
your completion certificate.
For traditionalists -- or those without internet access --
pilots may also complete the special awareness training by
attending an FAA Safety Program seminar and obtaining an ADIZ
training certificate. Pilots won't have to carry the certificate on
their person, but they will have to produce it "within a reasonable
time" if asked by a law enforcement officer, FAA inspector, or
Transportation Security Administration agent.
AOPA also notes IFR pilots flying near Washington, DC should
take the course, in order to cover themselves. Many pilots opt to
cancel IFR clearances when on approach to land, hoping to avoid
vectors. But should they cancel IFR within 60 nautical-miles of
DCA... they're caught redhanded, operating VFR within the so-called
"speed ring."
"There’s a lot more work that needs to be done on both the
training rule and on the ADIZ rules themselves," said Cebula.