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:
- Gaithersburg Airpark (GAI) is a primary General Aviation alternative near Washington D.C., located within the Special Flight Rules Area (SFRA) requiring FAA ALC-405 training, but just outside the more restrictive Flight Restricted Zone (FRZ).
- The RNAV (GPS)-A approach typically involves arrival via the Westminster (EMI) VOR, a circling-only maneuver to align with Runway 14/32, and pilots must confirm the altimeter setting source (local GAI AWOS or IAD) for accurate circling minimums.
- Key procedural details include an expected course change and step-down at WOOLY, and the missed approach features an unusual 6-nautical-mile inbound leg for the holding pattern at EMI.
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