Welcome to Flightinfo.com

  • Register now and join the discussion
  • Friendliest aviation Ccmmunity on the web
  • Modern site for PC's, Phones, Tablets - no 3rd party apps required
  • Ask questions, help others, promote aviation
  • Share the passion for aviation
  • Invite everyone to Flightinfo.com and let's have fun

Interesting MOA encounter with Viper

Welcome to Flightinfo.com

  • Register now and join the discussion
  • Modern secure site, no 3rd party apps required
  • Invite your friends
  • Share the passion of aviation
  • Friendliest aviation community on the web
Bottom line is maneuvers that make it impossible to see and avoid should be limited to restricted areas.

Then we would never get any training done. NAS Kingsville, NAF El Centro, MCAS Yuma, Randolph AFB and many others would have to close.

It is never impossible to see and avoid, just EXTREAMLY difficult.

Better idea, CALL THE SQUADRONS BEFORE ENTERING THE MOA!! Why is this so hard to do??

We are NOT confused about how MOA's work. We use them more then you and are taught FAR's every year. We HAVE to know that civilians can transit and their restrictions.

Many civilians don't seem to understand the difficulties of tactical training operations and the real risk involved in transiting an active MOA.

PLEASE, let us know when you will be there so we can prepare and flex if needed. Or we may tell you, "Today is not a good day to be transiting the MOA." Would you listlen, or just put pilots in danger?
 
Last edited:
Wrong (partially)

And, contrary to an earlier post, it is legal to transit a MOA under IFR although ATC usually won't clear an aircraft through one due to workload. There seem to be a huge misunderstanding on the part of some military pilots and maybe some operations types about the purpose of MOAs and the operational responsibilities associated with them. Bottom line is maneuvers that make it impossible to see and avoid should be limited to restricted areas.
No, even though it IS legal, the reason controllers usually won't clear you through an active MOA is not because of workload, it is because they CANNOT provide IFR separation with the type of maneuvering that is usually going on in the MOA. If they do clear someone through IFR, they will often end up temporarily restricting the airspace (usually by altitue) so they can ensure separation during the transit. There is no misunderstanding on the mil side; it is pounded into their heads from day one of pilot training. See and avoid is required and complied with, it is just more difficult when the maneuvering is more dynamic. The restricted vs MOA airspace issue has been beat to death so I won't go into that any more.
 
No, even though it IS legal, the reason controllers usually won't clear you through an active MOA is not because of workload, it is because they CANNOT provide IFR separation with the type of maneuvering that is usually going on in the MOA. If they do clear someone through IFR, they will often end up temporarily restricting the airspace (usually by altitue) so they can ensure separation during the transit. There is no misunderstanding on the mil side; it is pounded into their heads from day one of pilot training. See and avoid is required and complied with, it is just more difficult when the maneuvering is more dynamic. The restricted vs MOA airspace issue has been beat to death so I won't go into that any more.

ATC is only responsible for separating IFR traffic from other IFR traffic. But, they advise of conflicting VFR traffic when workload permits. Unless you're maneuvering in a MOA under an IFR clearance, ATC can clear civilian IFR traffic to transit the area. They usually choose not to do so because of the hassle factor they'd be exposing themselves to and because they'd be busier than a one armed paper hanger pointing out VFR traffic to the IFR folks. Personally I wish the FAA and military would agree to do away with MOAs altogether and establish additional restricted areas to meet military needs.
 
Last edited:
Just because its an MOA doesn't make it your (military) personal playground to do anything (unsafe tail number check on a non military plane) you feel like doing.

As someone who lives under an MOA and flies through it for most of my life I enjoy watching the f16's operate professionally. Every once and a while we have a f16 that decides he should have been in the movie top gun and ruins it for everyone.

While flying floats in the area we had several close calls with f16's, they have since moved their low level run area. Its pretty common for us to be climbing through or descending through a MOA because it covers 1/4 of the state.

Maybe those who operate in it "get it" that its shared use and understand how to operate safely through it and in it.

Its shared use. Period.
 
Last edited:
When using our MOA in Texas we are under and IFR clearance with the MOA being the clearance limit so know other IFR traffic can be cleared through the MOA.

I think any civilian would consider 2 v 1 BFM unsafe maneuvering.

AGAIN, please call the squadrons before operating in the MOA. The duty officer will make a note and we can all brief your MOA penetration or move to another MOA. NOT ONE has said they would do this, sad.
 

Latest resources

Back
Top