ADRidge Posted July 28, 2008 Posted July 28, 2008 I was looking at the El Paso sectional a while back, trying to figure out a hypothetical flight plan over Big Bend Nat'l Park (my favorite place in the world) and saw the words "Defense Area" marked all over that region. I've looked at SUA's, I've asked instructors, I've googled around, I've broken out the FAR/AIM and I just can't figure it out. What the heck is a defense area? Are they just alerting me that I'll encounter military aircraft more often? Check it out and see for yourself. SkyVector.com is a neat place anyway. That's where I was looking up the sectional. And no, I don't mean the ADIZ. Quote
icqa Posted July 28, 2008 Posted July 28, 2008 I never noticed that before. It looks like it is part of the ADIZ along the US/Mexico border on the US side. Looking at charts on SkyVector shows that worded from the Gulf to the Pacific. Perhaps to indicate encounters with Border Patrol flights. I was looking at the El Paso sectional a while back, trying to figure out a hypothetical flight plan over Big Bend Nat'l Park (my favorite place in the world) and saw the words "Defense Area" marked all over that region. I've looked at SUA's, I've asked instructors, I've googled around, I've broken out the FAR/AIM and I just can't figure it out. What the heck is a defense area? Are they just alerting me that I'll encounter military aircraft more often? Check it out and see for yourself. SkyVector.com is a neat place anyway. That's where I was looking up the sectional. And no, I don't mean the ADIZ. Quote
kodoz Posted July 28, 2008 Posted July 28, 2008 I was looking at the El Paso sectional a while back, trying to figure out a hypothetical flight plan over Big Bend Nat'l Park (my favorite place in the world) and saw the words "Defense Area" marked all over that region. I've looked at SUA's, I've asked instructors, I've googled around, I've broken out the FAR/AIM and I just can't figure it out. What the heck is a defense area? Are they just alerting me that I'll encounter military aircraft more often? Check it out and see for yourself. SkyVector.com is a neat place anyway. That's where I was looking up the sectional. And no, I don't mean the ADIZ. They're handled together in CFR 99: 99.1 Defense area means any airspace of the contiguous United States that is not an ADIZ in which the control of aircraft is required for reasons of national security. Air defense identification zone (ADIZ) means an area of airspace over land or water in which the ready identification, location, and control of civil aircraft is required in the interest of national security. 99.7 Each person operating an aircraft in an ADIZ or Defense Area shall, in addition to the applicable rules of this part, comply with special security instructions issued by the Administrator in the interest of national security and that are consistent with appropriate agreements between the FAA and the Department of Defense. 99.49 All airspace of the United States is designated as Defense Area except that airspace already designated as Air Defense Identification Zone. Quote
kodoz Posted July 28, 2008 Posted July 28, 2008 as mud So it's not just me that didn't know what to make of those regs then. There are also Defense Areas charted on the Florida Coast, but didn't see any charted on the Canadian border. The NACO Chart User's guide doesn't even make mention of Defense Areas. Quote
67november Posted July 29, 2008 Posted July 29, 2008 So it's not just me that didn't know what to make of those regs then. There are also Defense Areas charted on the Florida Coast, but didn't see any charted on the Canadian border. The NACO Chart User's guide doesn't even make mention of Defense Areas. yip, gonna have to do some more digging, most be the same or simular to the airspace around military installations. Quote
ADRidge Posted July 29, 2008 Author Posted July 29, 2008 Thanks... I'll have to dig around in CFR 99 a bit and see if I can make any sense of it. Quote
Gomer Pylot Posted July 30, 2008 Posted July 30, 2008 (edited) here are also Defense Areas charted on the Florida Coast, but didn't see any charted on the Canadian border.The US isn't as paranoid about keeping the Canadians out as they are the Mexicans and other Latin Americans. The Canadians are mostly white, eh. Edited July 30, 2008 by Gomer Pylot Quote
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