“You just flew through a military training route.” The controller was agitated. Since whatever had happened had happened, and we were already within 10 miles of Thermal’s nontowered airport, John told the controller we were leaving his frequency to get airport advisories. John then switched our transponder to 1200, the VFR squawk, and changed frequencies.
Sky Kings: A Sporting Chance
Key Takeaways:
- The article describes an incident where pilots unknowingly transited a low-altitude military training route (MTR) not depicted on their IFR charts, leading to a post-flight query from ATC.
- It highlights the significant risks associated with Visual Rules (VR) MTRs, which are often below 1,500 feet AGL and not on standard IFR charts, where military aircraft fly at very high speeds (up to 480 knots) and rely on visual separation.
- The author critiques the current MTR risk management system as largely ineffective, suggesting that military pilots on VR routes should communicate with ATC directly to provide real-time information and better mitigate risks for general aviation pilots.
Key takeaways sponsored by Aviator Pro | Start Your Training ->
See a mistake? Contact us.
