FAA Shuts Down Western US Airspace?!?!?

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Pilot101

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Pilot101
I flew yesterday and I did not hear about this until today.

https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zo...t-air-traffic-after-north-korea-fired-missile

I did a 3.2 hour flight that crossed a big chunk of Californians and Arizona and since I fly VFR and never listen to the radio I would not ever know that this was happening unless I flew to a controlled airspace and had to dial someone up..

When I fly professionally we abide good practice and monitor guard however I do not remember reading any regulation about having to monitor any frequency when operating VFR unless you fly through an airspace that actually requires it. It has been a number of years (read decades) since I did training in Cessnas and we would fly for hours without talking to anyone and it was not until the days after 9/11 when we started the practice of monitoring guard.

The benefits of flying my own airplane for pleasure is the pleasure of just grinding along by myself in complete solitude and after reading this article I guess I never thought about what would happen if I was doing my usual flight just droning happily and peacefully along VFR and something like this happened.

I presume that they could launch a fighter intercept and shoot me down however what I am asking the collective here is can there be any regulatory action?

Naturally you could fly VFR around the nations capital and if I did that I would certainly monitor guard... however is there a requirement?

Thanks for the information
 
Pilot101 said:
I flew yesterday and I did not hear about this until today.

https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zo...t-air-traffic-after-north-korea-fired-missile

I did a 3.2 hour flight that crossed a big chunk of Californians and Arizona and since I fly VFR and never listen to the radio I would not ever know that this was happening unless I flew to a controlled airspace and had to dial someone up..

When I fly professionally we abide good practice and monitor guard however I do not remember reading any regulation about having to monitor any frequency when operating VFR unless you fly through an airspace that actually requires it. It has been a number of years (read decades) since I did training in Cessnas and we would fly for hours without talking to anyone and it was not until the days after 9/11 when we started the practice of monitoring guard.

The benefits of flying my own airplane for pleasure is the pleasure of just grinding along by myself in complete solitude and after reading this article I guess I never thought about what would happen if I was doing my usual flight just droning happily and peacefully along VFR and something like this happened.

I presume that they could launch a fighter intercept and shoot me down however what I am asking the collective here is can there be any regulatory action?

Naturally you could fly VFR around the nations capital and if I did that I would certainly monitor guard... however is there a requirement?

Thanks for the information
Click to expand...

It's in the 432 pages of NOTAMS you get when you get a briefing for a 15nm flight and has been around for well over 10 years.
 
Pardon the all-caps from the original:

!FDC 4/4386 SPECIAL NOTICE
NATIONAL AIRSPACE SYSTEM INTERCEPT PROCEDURES. AVIATORS SHALL
REVIEW THE FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION AERONAUTICAL
INFORMATION MANUAL (AIM) FOR INTERCEPTION PROCEDURES, CHAPTER 5,
SECTION 6, PARAGRAPH 5-6-2. ALL AIRCRAFT OPERATING IN UNITED
STATES NATIONAL AIRSPACE, IF CAPABLE, SHALL MAINTAIN A LISTENING
WATCH ON VHF GUARD 121.5 OR UHF 243.0. IF AN AIRCRAFT IS
INTERCEPTED BY U.S. MILITARY AIRCRAFT AND FLARES ARE DISPENSED,
THE FOLLOWING PROCEDURES ARE TO BE FOLLOWED: FOLLOW THE
INTERCEPT'S VISUAL SIGNALS, CONTACT AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL
IMMEDIATELY ON THE LOCAL FREQUENCY OR ON VHF GUARD 121.5 OR UHF
GUARD 243.0, AND COMPLY WITH THE INSTRUCTIONS GIVEN BY THE
INTERCEPTING AIRCRAFT INCLUDING VISUAL SIGNALS IF UNABLE RADIO
CONTACT. BE ADVISED THAT NONCOMPLIANCE MAY RESULT IN THE USE OF
FORCE.
WIE UNTIL UFN​
 
If you, @Pilot101 , were in trouble, you would likely already know.

They can track you, if on radar, and have the local FBO contact you or have authorities there to meet you.

Sounds to me like you’re fine (although those with a Comm 2 are expected to monitor 121.5 is my understanding).
 
I always wonder why pilots have to be reminided to do what they already know they are to do....
 
Nobody knows what that was about, but I did hear rumors there was a Japanese submarine sighted offshore and reports of a P40 Warhawk flying low down Hollywood Blvd.

This guy was apparently the instigator

7f0047aa6c56c52ff28e956e89cba8a5.jpg
 
North Korea missile test: those crazy rascals are at it again.........

In 2018 Hawaii accidentally set off their missile attack warning system - so at least that didn't happen again.
 
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WDD said:
North Korea missile test: those crazy rascals are at it again.........

In 2018 Hawaii accidentally set off their missile attack warning system - so at least that didn't happen again.
Click to expand...
It was a ballistic launch that went 60 kilometers high. Likely set off all of the attack warning systems.
 
Pilot101 said:
I flew yesterday and I did not hear about this until today.

https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zo...t-air-traffic-after-north-korea-fired-missile

I did a 3.2 hour flight that crossed a big chunk of Californians and Arizona and since I fly VFR and never listen to the radio I would not ever know that this was happening unless I flew to a controlled airspace and had to dial someone up..

When I fly professionally we abide good practice and monitor guard however I do not remember reading any regulation about having to monitor any frequency when operating VFR unless you fly through an airspace that actually requires it. It has been a number of years (read decades) since I did training in Cessnas and we would fly for hours without talking to anyone and it was not until the days after 9/11 when we started the practice of monitoring guard.

The benefits of flying my own airplane for pleasure is the pleasure of just grinding along by myself in complete solitude and after reading this article I guess I never thought about what would happen if I was doing my usual flight just droning happily and peacefully along VFR and something like this happened.

I presume that they could launch a fighter intercept and shoot me down however what I am asking the collective here is can there be any regulatory action?

Naturally you could fly VFR around the nations capital and if I did that I would certainly monitor guard... however is there a requirement?

Thanks for the information
Click to expand...

As far as I know, there still is no legal requirement to have a radio at all in non-rule airspace.
 
Sluggo63 said:
Oh, trust me... I got the joke. The correct response to my post:

Should have been, "Forget it, he's rolling." (as Boon said to Otter)
Click to expand...

I apologize
 
Sluggo63 said:
Oh, trust me... I got the joke. The correct response to my post:

Should have been, "Forget it, he's rolling." (as Boon said to Otter)
Click to expand...

Obviously our great minds were about a half-wavelength apart.
 
It doesn't sound like this lasted very long. Just enough to give the folks monitoring time to ensure that what ever was launched wasn't heading our direction.
 
FlyingElvii said:
It was a ballistic launch that went 60 kilometers high. Likely set off all of the attack warning systems.
Click to expand...
Actually that would be more forgivable. It was an admin who accidentally set it off for a test but no one was told - so the message “take shelter” went live for a while before they corrected it.
 
WDD said:
Actually that would be more forgivable. It was an admin who accidentally set it off for a test but no one was told - so the message “take shelter” went live for a while before they corrected it.
Click to expand...
I think he was talking about yesterday. The Hawaii alert was a major facepalm.
 
Bob Noel said:
I apologize
Click to expand...

TCABM said:
Obviously our great minds were about a half-wavelength apart.
Click to expand...

No worries. When I was typing it, I even thought to myself, "this sounds like I don't know the movie." But I just sent it anyway. I figured "seven years of Pilots of America down the drain. Might as well join the ****ing Peace Corps."
 
Pilawt said:
Pardon the all-caps from the original:

!FDC 4/4386 SPECIAL NOTICE
NATIONAL AIRSPACE SYSTEM INTERCEPT PROCEDURES. AVIATORS SHALL
REVIEW THE FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION AERONAUTICAL
INFORMATION MANUAL (AIM) FOR INTERCEPTION PROCEDURES, CHAPTER 5,
SECTION 6, PARAGRAPH 5-6-2. ALL AIRCRAFT OPERATING IN UNITED
STATES NATIONAL AIRSPACE, IF CAPABLE, SHALL MAINTAIN A LISTENING
WATCH ON VHF GUARD 121.5 OR UHF 243.0. IF AN AIRCRAFT IS
INTERCEPTED BY U.S. MILITARY AIRCRAFT AND FLARES ARE DISPENSED,
THE FOLLOWING PROCEDURES ARE TO BE FOLLOWED: FOLLOW THE
INTERCEPT'S VISUAL SIGNALS, CONTACT AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL
IMMEDIATELY ON THE LOCAL FREQUENCY OR ON VHF GUARD 121.5 OR UHF
GUARD 243.0, AND COMPLY WITH THE INSTRUCTIONS GIVEN BY THE
INTERCEPTING AIRCRAFT INCLUDING VISUAL SIGNALS IF UNABLE RADIO
CONTACT. BE ADVISED THAT NONCOMPLIANCE MAY RESULT IN THE USE OF
FORCE.
WIE UNTIL UFN​
Click to expand...
I am not capable, I have only one comm.
 
EdFred said:
If you're VFR and not on flight following, you are capable.
Click to expand...

When I fly VFR with a single Com, I usually have it tuned to the closest ATC facility or the CTAF freq of the closest airport. I like to know what is happening around me. But I typically have 121.5 dialed up when I have a second com.
 
EdFred said:
If you're VFR and not on flight following, you are capable.
Click to expand...
As others have mentioned , I think having my comm tuned to a local airport is a better safety trade off than the other options.
 
An aside, but enroute on com2 I like 121.5 in the active, and monitor, and destination weather in the standby. When I get close, hit the flip flop and get weather, then turn the monitor off. Since most ground frequencies are 121.x, it's a simple couple of clicks to dial in ground for after landing. Then when getting ready to depart, both weather and ground are ready to go on com2 (and you should still have tower and departure on com1).
 
MauleSkinner said:
“I was flying near an uncontrolled airport, and felt that monitoring CTAF would be a good idea.”
Click to expand...

"At 8000 AGL?"

"Well, uh..."

Shall is optional if one doesn't feel like it?

We probably won't agree on this, but I think that if you aren't in two way communication with a facility or aren't planning broadcasting on CTAF you *are* capable, you're just choosing to ignore the NOTAM.
 
Last edited:
EdFred said:
"At 8000 AGL?"

"Well, uh..."

Shall is optional if one doesn't feel like it?

We probably won't agree on this, but I think that if you aren't in two way communication with a facility or aren't planning broadcasting on CTAF you *are* capable, you're just choosing to ignore the NOTAM.
Click to expand...
You didn’t specify 8000 AGL. so I assumed my normal <1000 AGL cruise altitude.
 
>It's in the 432 pages of NOTAMS you get when you get a briefing

When I fly my single engine airplane I use the ForeFlight app to plan/ file and they have the "Briefing" function that is supposed to get you the same briefing that you would get if you called the 800-WX-BRIEF so today I planned a flight and pressed the Briefing button and received the standard briefing package and it did not have that "FDC 4/4386 SPECIAL NOTICE".

When I fly professionally we have a flight planning service file the flight plans and it generates a 70+ page flight plan package so today I looked at that package and the "FDC 4/4386 SPECIAL NOTICE" likewise was not included.

So I definitely believe you that the FDC 4/4386 SPECIAL NOTICE is perpetually in effect and therefore I have to listen to Guard and...drats...that just sucks.

I would rather get shot down than to have to monitor any radio (especially guard) whilst grinding around VFR in my airplane...it would not be bad if guard was quiet all the time...however you always hear "Ladies and gentlemen we have begun our initial descent for landing at XYZ.." then "garble garble you are on guard".

THANKS everyone for the information...good stuff. Learn new "Sch-Tuff" every day...
 
When does a ground stop require an airborne aircraft to immediately land at the nearest airfield?

When would a ground stop be broadcast on guard?
 
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