Gaithersburg is the choice for many pilots who don’t want to fly into Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD) or aren’t able to fly into Washington’s Reagan National Airport (DCA). The Montgomery County Airpark (GAI) sits roughly 25 miles north of the nation’s capital, making for a short drive to downtown Washington. The airpark’s single 4,202-foot Runway 14/32 offers the best of two worlds for GA pilots because, while the airport is subject to the Special Flight Rules Area around the capital, GAI sits just north of the Washington, D.C., Flight Restricted Zone that brings with it special operating restrictions for GA aircraft, such as a TSA authorization that includes submitting the pilot in command’s fingerprints. However, because GAI sits within a 30-nautical-mile radius of the DCA VOR/DME, all pilots must have completed the FAA’s ALC-405 special-awareness training for SFRA operations. The busy airspace around GAI is controlled by Potomac Approach for Washington’s Dulles and Reagan National airports and sits not far from Baltimore’s Class B.
Chart Wise: Gaithersburg, Maryland (GAI) RNAV (GPS) – A
Key Takeaways:
- Montgomery County Airpark (GAI) serves as a general aviation alternative to D.C. airports, situated within the Special Flight Rules Area (SFRA) and requiring specific FAA awareness training.
- Arrivals typically utilize the RNAV (GPS)-A procedure via the Westminster (EMI) VOR, culminating in a circling-only approach that requires pilots to maneuver for Runway 14/32.
- Pilots must note that circling minimums vary significantly based on the altimeter setting used, with local GAI AWOS settings allowing nearly 100 feet lower minimums than those from IAD.
- The missed approach procedure directs aircraft back to EMI for a 3,000-foot hold, featuring unusually long 6-nautical-mile legs instead of the typical one-minute inbound legs.
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