Gladden MOA Mess

The military operations area, or MOA, is the Rodney Dangerfield of special use airspace (SUA): It doesnt get any respect. Part of the reason few pilots pay much attention to whether a MOA is hot or not is VFR operations are allowed-at our own risk-in an active MOA. This is much different from a MOAs more-serious brethren, the restricted or prohibited areas, or even the temporary flight restriction. That doesnt mean punching through an active MOA is a good idea. In late March, two civilian pilots found out the hard way that what goes on in a MOA probably should stay there. Online sister publication AVweb.com was on this story like a wet blanket-including a podcast with one of the civilian pilots and another with an F-16 driver-and the story generated a lot of comments from rank and file pilots. Many of those comments evidence some misunderstandings of MOAs and SUA: What kind of operations is the military engaged in, anyway? Are civilian aircraft endangering themselves or military pilots by entering? Under what rules, if any, is the military operating when in a MOA? As often is the case in an online discussion, these and other questions got thrown about with no clear answers. But were here to help make sense of it all.

Key Takeaways:

• Two civilian VFR aircraft experienced dangerously close encounters with F-16s while legally transiting an active Military Operations Area (MOA).
• The military asserted the F-16s followed proper identification procedures and maintained safe distances, but civilian pilots reported aggressive maneuvers and much closer proximity, including the F-16 countering their evasive actions.
• The article criticizes the F-16's reported actions as irresponsible and creating unnecessary risk for the civilian aircraft, despite the military's claims of adherence to procedure.
• While legal for VFR flights, pilots entering active MOAs must accept significantly increased risks due to the presence of high-performance military aircraft engaged in training.

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