Lorn Olsen wrote:

Has anyone beside myself heard of the new 60nm radius ADIZ around  
DCA? This new ADIZ is supposed to go into effect on 08/30/07.

Lorn,

I fly out of Potomac Airport (VKX) about 10 miles south of the Capitol, so I
follow this pretty closely. Have not seen the new NOTAM or actual printed
charts, but saw the FAA Administrator's announcement of the ADIZ change two
weeks ago. It is my understanding that the current ADIZ around the national
capitol area will be changed from the current "Mickey Mouse" shape (look at
a chart) to a simple 30 (not 60) NM radius circle centered on the National
Airport VOR. Any flight within the ADIZ requires that a flight plan be
pre-filed with a flight service station (no air-files), and contain your
specific ADIZ routing and destination information. The area covered by the
new ADIZ is significantly smaller and easier to locate than the current
ADIZ.

The Flight Restricted Zone (FRZ), currently a 15 NM radius circle centered
on the Nation's Capitol, will remain in effect. GA operation within the FRZ
requires prior vetting and approval of any pilot requesting such operation,
and a specific "FRZ flight plan" be filed for each flight. As GPS is the
only way to accurately monitor aircraft position with respect to the FRZ,
we've asked that the FRZ be discontinued, or re-based on a recognized nav
aid--as they have apparently done for the ADIZ. The Administrator announced
that the FRZ would be continued, but did not say if it would be re-defined
from an existing navaid.

For any of you contemplating a flight to or within the ADIZ (but not the
Flight Restricted Zone), the rules are simple and easy to comply with: You
must file a flight plan--IFR or VFR--annotating that you're intending a
Washington ADIZ operation in the remarks section. You must be under positive
voice control (Potomac TRACON) from before entry until after leaving the
ADIZ--or landing/departing from an airfield within. You must be on a
discrete, assigned code, and must report altitude via your IFF system. These
things are "automatically" taken care of on an IFR flight plan, but if
you're operating VFR some "non standard" (for VFR flight)
intervention/checking/radio communications is required as outlined
above--essentially, you need to follow IFR procedures with respect to
Potomac TRACON. The big GOTCHA in this system is your transponder. A number
of government agencies, with apparently no Soviets or Mexicans to chase
these days, monitor the Washington airspace with the eyes of an electronic
eagle. Enter the ADIZ by a quarter mile without being on a discrete squawk,
or change to 1200 a quarter mile before leaving the airspace, and you will
get the opportunity to defend yourself against a charge of, "Gross
endangerment of the public, to wit..."

As to the FRZ, there are three small GA airports within this area--Potomac,
Hyde and College Park, plus Reagan National and Andrews Air Force Base, and
a couple of military fields. Unless you have a regular need to operate in
and out of one of these, gaining access/clearance can be done, but is
probably not worth the effort. If you don't have authorization/clearance,
avoid this area. I have been told that no "enroute transits," over-flights,
or other penetrations of this airspace are allowed--except for operation
to/from the above airfields.

AOPA is now sending notices to members; new charts should be available very
soon. These would definitely be worth updating before flying in the DC area
after the end of August--or for flying around here even now!

Hope this helps...

Bob Pastusek