Ron, I couldn't agree more, the presentation and updating of the
ADIZ/FRZ/TFR data is a dangerous mess. Hell, I thought poorly of the
NOTAM system long before 9/11. Since then, it's been overloaded to
the point where I'm sure many don't read the damned NOTAMS because
it's too confusing.

However, in fairness to Jay, he's right too. If someone with a real
pilot certificate hasn't figured out by now that there is a FRZ
somewhere around Washington DC, and that person can't figure out that
they're headed right toward the middle of the city, then I don't
believe they should be behind the controls of an aircraft.

We've all had times when we weren't sure of our actual position
(mostly before GPS became common), but gosh, it's hard to miss a city.
And even if one had no idea of position within 10 miles of accuracy
(hard to imagine, but possible) one would at least know which headings
were more likely to in to danger than others.

We pilots are mere mortals. The NOTAM system is a relic of the
teletype days. Hell, all the FAA has to do is build something
resembling a few moderated news servers and they'd have a vast
improvement over what we're using now. Then allow for intelligent
clients to search the news database for relevant information by
geographical significance, and it would satisfy at least 90% of most
of the gripes we have today.

But, of course, knowing those cheerfully silly FAA planners, it'll
become a monster project with all sorts of overhead and maintenance,
it'll be designed for the next five decades of flight, and it'll cost
so much that it'll fall on the floor as too impractical.

Sigh.


Jake Brodsky,
PP ASEL IA, Cessna Cardinal N30946, Based @ FME
Amateur Radio Station AB3A