Locals, AOPA Battle MOAs On Both Coasts…
If it wasn’t hard enough threading your way through all the TFRs, NSAs and other acronyms for places you’re not especially welcome, the military (specifically the Navy) wants even more airspace. The Navy is under fire in both North Carolina and California for trying to get huge blocks of air (two in North Carolina and one in California) designated as military operations areas (MOAs). Now, an MOA doesn’t ban GA traffic but it does add another level of anxiety, particularly for inexperienced pilots, who might want to fly through, Wade Brabble, a North Carolina pilot who works at a small airport, told The Washington (N.C.) Daily News. “Eastern North Carolina is just gettin’ blocked off from general aviation,” he said. GA pilots are allowed to fly VFR through MOAs and military controllers will usually provide separation, provided it’s solicited. But while local pilots might be used to flying in MOAs (it’s part of the cross-country training for students) all those hash marks and restricted areas on the sectionals can be intimidating for transient pilots because they aren’t up on the regulations and may never have talked to a military controller, Brabble said. “Pilots just don’t want to go into areas where military aircraft might be,” he said.
