CAA: GA News, "FAA cites no-fly zone violations"

["Stephen Irwin" <stepheni@xxxxxxxxx>]

Thursday, January 31, 2002

FAA cites no-fly zone violations


     HAGERSTOWN, Md. (AP) - At least 62 pilots have violated an expanded
no-fly zone over Camp David since September 11, the Federal Aviation
Administration says.

     Authorities said many of the incursions apparently reflected
confusion about the boundaries, which changed repeatedly for weeks
before they were set at eight nautical miles from the presidential
retreat. Before September 11, the restricted zone was a radius of three
nautical miles around Camp David.

     In conventional terms, the no-fly zone increased from about 3.5
miles to 9.2 miles around Camp David, hidden inside Catoctin Mountain
Park in northern Frederick County.

     Aircraft that violate the zone are tracked until they land or are
forced down by military jets. The pilots are investigated to determine
whether the action is intentional, FAA spokesman Jim Peters said.

     Local pilots say they are familiar with the expanded zone and avoid
it.

     "It is just something you have to live with," said Howard Leedham,
chief pilot for Aero-Smith Inc., a charter carrier based at Hagerstown
Regional Airport.

     Most of those who violated the zone were from outside the region
and were unaware of the changes, said Warren Morningstar, vice president
of the Frederick-based Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, a
national civil aviation group.

     For at least a few weeks after the attacks, the boundaries varied,
depending on who was staying at Camp David. Some pilots were confused by
the changes, Mr. Morningstar said.

     David Pence, Hagerstown air-traffic manager, said pilots who call
the airport's tower are reminded of the expanded boundaries.

     Frederick-based pilot Richard Collins says no landmarks easily
define the zone except on its southern boundary, which touches
Interstate 70.

     On Friday, the FAA approved a limited exception allowing pilots
with approved flight plans to approach Hagerstown's main runway from the
east, airport manager Carolyn Motz said Monday.

     The eastern approach zone includes instruments that guide pilots to
the runway when visibility is low. Because of the expanded no-fly zone,
pilots had been forced to choose between a noninstrumental landing or
diverting to another airport when visibility was poor, Miss Motz said.


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