Last Monday (16 Aug 2004) I was on an IFR flight from Oakland, CA to Ogden,
UT.

About thirty minutes from Ogden, I heard Salt Lake Center call a Lifeguard
flight and clear him direct to (what sounded like) widow. The pilot asked
for spelling and Center said Whiskey, India, Delta, Oscar, Echo. There was a
pause of a few seconds and the Lifeguard pilot repeated the spelling for
confirmation. He had it right. He said he couldn't find it in his database
and asked if it was on the Low Altitude chart. The controller, a bit peeved
by now, said it was. I couldn't find it on my Jepp chart or in my Garmin
296's database, which I'd just updated -- from Jepp, of course.

I called Center and said I couldn't find WIDOE on my GPS either. "Roger," he
said.

Today, still curious about this intersection, I called Denver FSS and asked
about it. The briefer found it immediately and said it was at 41 13 by 112
46 -- definitely in Utah.

My chart and my GPS is blank in that area.

I went to www.arnav.com and looked up WIDOE. I immediately found it. The
entry says it's on the "MILITARY IAP" chart and its use is "Military
reporting."

Why would the Salt Lake Center controller give a civilian pilot a military
fix and why wouldn't the controller know it wasn't on the low altitude
chart? Are military fixes not distinguished from civilian fixes on his
scope?

Is this intersection on the government's low altitude chart?

Are any military fixes in the Jepp database?

Has anyone else been cleared to a military fix?

Do I ask too many questions?

Jon