Nancy Lynn, an aerobatic instructor out of Bay Bridge Airport in Maryland -- and inside the D.C. ADIZ -- told AVweb that on March 8 she waited 90 minutes for an open phone line to the Potomac TRACON to obtain the clearance and code required to fly from her non-towered home field. Others suffered a similar fate as the first decent VFR weekend flying day since imposition of the ADIZ brought out hundreds of sky-starved pilots. One week later, it seems the FAA and perhaps the military are getting used to the capital's restrictions, which is good -- officials in at least one other U.S. city have announced intent to restrict airspace if the country goes to war. The New York City Police Department announced this weekend that, in the case of war, heightened security measures, including "limited access to city airspace," could take effect. The complete plan, dubbed "Operation Atlas," would cost an estimated $5 million per week, a cost the city hopes the federal government would absorb. Hopefully lessons will be learned from D.C. After the weekend of the 8th, various club and type chat rooms lit up with complaints. This Saturday, however, was a different story, Lynn reported. "I had to phone three times. On the third try I got through. It took about three minutes," she said. Although the weather on this past weekend was just as good, Lynn said it was her impression that far fewer GA planes were in the air than on the previous weekend, which might account for the speedier service.
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://www.avweb.com/leadnews/life-in-the-adiz