NG Launches See And Avoid Web Site

Now (as a result of FSS privatization) that's so difficult to reach
FSS, and the personnel you reach haven't a clue, the time is right for
this:


GUARD LAUNCHES SEE AND AVOID WEB SITE

There is now a one-stop Web site (http://www.seeandavoid.org/) for
information on special-use airspace where military pilots practice
their craft. The See and Avoid site, designed by the Air National
Guard with input from aviation groups, allows pilots whose route
might take them through a military practice area to get all the
information they need about flying safely in that area. "The
mission of SeeAndAvoid.org is to eliminate midair collisions and
reduce close calls with good flight planning," the site says. "By
promoting information exchange between civilian pilots and the
military flight safety community, we hope to help all of us safely
share the skies."
http://www.avweb.com/eletter/archive...ll.html#195332




http://www.seeandavoid.org/about/default.aspx
About Us
Avoid midair collisions through proper flight planning and flight
safety

Welcome to SeeAndAvoid.org. Our goal is to eliminate midair
collisions and reduce close calls through continuous flight safety and
proper flight planning. By promoting information exchange between
civilian pilots and the military flight safety community, we hope to
provide one-stop shopping to help all of us safely share the skies.
This portal will allow users to find and link to all existing military
Mid-Air Collision Avoidance (MACA) programs in a single web site,
while also enjoying new access to information from bases that did not
previously have web-based content.

Since 1978, there has been an average of 30 midair collisions in
the United States each year. These collisions resulted in an average
of 75 deaths per year. There are also over 450 Near Midair Collisions
(NMACs) reported each year; no one can calculate the number that have
gone unreported! As recently as February, 2006 a civilian pilot was
killed in a single plane crash after colliding with an Air Force jet.
In many cases, one or both of the aircraft are not aware that a midair
collision nearly occurred. Particularly in cases where military and
civilian aircraft come into close proximity, lack of basic information
regarding military flight characteristics creates problems among
civilian pilots. FAA regulations and EAA guidelines just aren't
enough.

The SeeAndAvoid.org portal offers a centralized, credible website
that provides civilian and military pilots with reciprocal information
and education on airspace, visual identification, aircraft
performance, and mutual hazards to safe flight; with the ultimate goal
of eliminating midair collisions and reducing the close calls. After
all, what price can be put on proper flight safety and flight
planning?

This portal is targeting two user groups. The first group is
General Aviation (GA) Pilots, who we encourage to include
SeeAndAvoid.org as part of their flight planning. From weather to
Notices to Airmen (NOTAMs) to flight planning, pilots in general and
civilian pilots in particular, use the Internet to get their most
important flight safety information. As important as the weather,
knowing where the military operational flying areas are, and how to
avoid that airspace is crucial to a safe flight. Unexpected
turbulence, icing, terrain obscured by fog, or a jet flying low at 500
knots; each one is just as deadly to the GA pilot if not planned for
prior to takeoff.

The second group targeted are the military safety officers at all
military bases. This portal site provides every participating DoD
flying base in the U.S. with the opportunity to create a web-based
MACA educational and public outreach program. This web-based MACA
program, intended primarily for an audience of 750,000 civil pilots,
is modeled on centralized support, with decentralized execution. This
website integrates and links with related sites such as FAA Special
Use Airspace, AOPA’s Air Safety Foundation, and the new FAA MADE
(military airspace deconfliction) program.

The interface is simple to use with point-and-click interaction,
predominately using Google maps and graphics for ease of use and is
designed to include the MACA programs of all DoD aviation
installations in the CONUS, Alaska, Hawaii, Virgin Islands, Guam and
Puerto Rico.


FAA SPECIAL USE AIRSPACE

The FAA provides Depicted Special Use Airspace (SUA) and Air
Traffic Control Assigned Airspace (ATCAA) data that may not be
complete. Pilots should use this information for planning purposes
only. For the latest SUA information, call your local Flight Service
Station at 1-800-WX-BRIEF. Information concerning ATCAA airspace can
be obtained from the associated Air Route Traffic Control Center. Go
to their website he Actual Military Airspace Status.
http://www.sua.faa.gov/