F-16 Encounters in MOA

three-eight-hotel wrote:

Admittedly, I didn't exhaust all search strings to find this topic
discussed in these forums, but I didn't see any hits, on my first few
attempts...

I am interested in hearing thoughts on the encounters that are linked
off of the AvWeb site:

http://www.avweb.com/avwebflash/news..._198261-1.html


http://www.avweb.com/podcast/podcast/197492-1.html

My initial thoughts are that the military owns those airspaces, and
VFR pilots assume the responsibility for seeing and avoiding aircraft,
even while on flight following. However, it seems as though there
should be some documented rules of engagement (and perhaps there are),
so that pilots flying VFR through an MOA can know what they should
expect.


The military doesn't own MOAs. MOAs are established to separate certain
military training activities from IFR traffic. They also serve to alert VFR
traffic of the activity but VFR aircraft are free to enter a MOA. Even
nonparticipating IFR traffic may be cleared through a MOA if IFR separation
can be provided by ATC.



I have always "assumed" that if I had flight following, and was
traversing through an MOA, just as if I had been cleared to fly
through class Bravo, that there would be some communication or
understanding between ATC and the military controllers of my
intentions.


There may not be any military controllers working the aircraft using the
MOA.



I wouldn't expect to be engaged by an F-16, simply
because I was avoiding a 50+ mile detour to skirt around an MOA, when
I could simple fly through it with the assistance of ATC. I
understand that ATC is simply a courtesy service, but until hearing of
this incident I would have assumed that communicating with them to fly
through a MOA was similar to getting a clearance to fly through class
Bravo.


Not so. In Class B airspace you're separated from other traffic. In a MOA
you're simply provided advisories of observed traffic.



I'm reserving judgement on the right to fly through an active MOA
altogether, but if I clearly knew that, even while talking to ATC, a
military aircraft could have fun with me, to the point of me feeling
like I would have to take evasive actions, I would probably add the
extra time to my flight plan and just fly around the active MOA's.


A military aircraft shouldn't be doing that.