Flying near Wash DC - SFRA Training

I plotted that course....disappointing.

At any rate, I'm off work that day....wassup?

I am off work that day too! If your willing to come on through to GAI, I am all for it. Did you just want to fly over IAD, of look for a place to go and see the shuttle?
 
Hello,

I'm new here! I am looking to get started on my license, and wanted any advice in the DC area as to the best/most economical way to learn to fly. Any advice? any CFI's out there willing to take me on as a student if I join a club?

Thanks,
Brandon
 
Hi JayBird. I live in Derwood, and am very close to GAI.
 
I am in the Olney area, which is right near Derwood.


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Matt will help you with some info, but you can also get on the Yahoo DCPilots board
 
Thanks guys. Matt is there a better way to get a hold of you than on the board? feel free to e-mail me if you want brandon.scherr@gmail.com.
I know Olney pretty well. We go to Cafe Rio pretty often! I'm about 15 min drive from downtown Olney.
 
Thanks guys. Matt is there a better way to get a hold of you than on the board? feel free to e-mail me if you want brandon.scherr@gmail.com.
I know Olney pretty well. We go to Cafe Rio pretty often! I'm about 15 min drive from downtown Olney.

Did you not receive my email back on Oct 23rd? You had sent me a message I replied to. If you did not, I can resend it. That is an easy way to get through to me.

I like Cafe Rio myself. Great spot.
 
definitely did not get an e-mail! Im just glad (and amazed) we still have power at the moment.
 
definitely did not get an e-mail! Im just glad (and amazed) we still have power at the moment.


I sent it again. It's a long one. Should keep you going through the storm. And, I feel like we have had worse come through these parts.
 
Great info, Ron! Thanks for
Letting us know! I just finished the course. It's very easy to understand and straight forward! I thought it would be much more complicated to fly in the SFRA. I would recommend this course to all whether you intend to fly the area of the SFRA or not. Takes less than an hour to complete.


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Sounds like in the next few months the requirement to visit the FSDO (or any FSDO for that matter) will go away. Apparently TSA is being given access to FAA enforcement data so they can do the vetting for things like airspace incursions, major violations, etc., without getting an FAA ASI involved.
 
Several hundred $$$ for me. Most of one day at DCA, then another at the Balt FSDO. Not counting mileage, just leave. . .I can't remember what the fee was. TSA was collecting PII on a pirate form then, and then left 'em lying on the counter for casual reading. The paper-shover had to step away for an hour or so. . .dropped the dime to OMB.

I believe the local FRZ airports are keeping hard copies of the forms, with SSN, name, address, birth date, etc. in their highly secure file cabinets, with acess limited to only those who can pull the drawer out. College Park actually locks the cabinent. Pretty sure that's not the case universally.

Threw in the towel after OPM & BC/BS passed my PII to China, and my mortgage company the VA left my data on the front steps, too. Just fraud alerted all three credit agencies and moved on.

Almost supernatural incompetence by OPM and the VA. But then, that's always been the case with both of them. It's just that now they have have much riskier toys to play with. . .
 
I never interacted with TSA during the process. Just the Dulles FSDO and the fingerprint office at DCA.
 
I believe the fingerprint folks at DCA are (or were?) TSA. zi could be wrong. . .they did validate my parking.
 
I believe the fingerprint folks at DCA are (or were?) TSA. zi could be wrong. . .they did validate my parking.

They are part of DCA operations. Accredited by TSA clearinghouse to record fingerprints for all kinds of federal programs.
 
Sounds like in the next few months the requirement to visit the FSDO (or any FSDO for that matter) will go away. Apparently TSA is being given access to FAA enforcement data so they can do the vetting for things like airspace incursions, major violations, etc., without getting an FAA ASI involved.
Oh, that ought to work out much more smoothly.....:yikes::goofy:
 
For those unfamiliar with the rules around the DC area, please, please, please go to http://www.faasafety.gov/gslac/ALC/course_catalog.aspx?categoryId=11 and take the "Navigating the DC Special Flight Rules Area (SFRA)" course, or at least go to the FAR's and see the new Part 93 Subpart V--WASHINGTON, DC METROPOLITAN AREA SPECIAL FLIGHT RULES AREA (sorry, Part 93 isn't in your standard FAR/AIM book -- gotta go on-line) and read sections 93.331 et seq.

Anyone remember who this poster was?
 
It cost me $29. Why did it cost you $130?

Fingerprints at DCA cost $58 plus $6 parking (they don't validate anymore). There's now an intermediary company (NATACS) which also charged $65.

At least it's all over. The longest lead item was getting on the schedule at the Dulles FSDO.
 
SFRA - A tale told by sn idiot, full of sound and fury, and signifying nothing.
 
Fingerprints at DCA cost $58 plus $6 parking (they don't validate anymore). There's now an intermediary company (NATACS) which also charged $65.

At least it's all over. The longest lead item was getting on the schedule at the Dulles FSDO.

I'm thinking you may be eligible for a refund. The cost at DCA should only have been $29.50. See here:

https://secure.natacs.aero/md3/md3_enrollment_form.asp

On the following page it says:

Choose whether you would like to use a NATACS Authorized Fingerprint Technician or a Law Enforcement Officer.

If you use a NATACS Authorized Fingerprint Technician, you will be charged $64.50 which includes both the fingerprinting and the CHRC.

If you use a Law Enforcement Officer, you will be charged $29.50 which includes the CHRC only.
Please note that you may have to pay additional costs to have a Law Enforcement Officer take your fingerprints.

Choose a Collector Type:

1) NATACS Authorized Fingerprint Technician/Collector or Participating Airports - $64.50
2) Law Enforcement Officer/Agency or DCA - $29.50
 
That's a bit devious and confusing. It defaults on the expensive solution. Not sure why you would want the NATACS tech (and background check), maybe if you need the prints for SIDA IDs at other aiports.
 
Thanks for the information. I was looking for the Flight school school near WA & will coming there in next month.
 
Thanks for the information. I was looking for the Flight school school near WA & will coming there in next month.

Skyvector.com - take your pick. I learned to fly at W00- Freeway airport in Mitchellville, MD.
 
Hey thanks for this info.

My brother has completing his helicopter pilot training from Snohomish, Washington.
 
Thanks for sharing. Currently I am pursuing an aviation degree for my FAA license in CA. As a new student pilot, this is good info to know.
 
Dulles isn't too bad if you avoid the "push" times (when the airlines in the hub and spoke try to land all the arrivals and departures in a concentrated 30 minute or so period). If you never leave the movement area, you don't even owe a landing fee (or worse the FBO gouge fees).


Hi Ron, dredged this one up from years ago. Is this true at all airports? Can I request a touch and go at JFK in my 172 and skip out of fees? Google had no info on this...
 
It's been so long ago that I forget now why I asked the question. It definitely has the RL writing style to it.
 
Hi Ron, dredged this one up from years ago. Is this true at all airports? Can I request a touch and go at JFK in my 172 and skip out of fees? Google had no info on this...

I don't know JFK's rules but the MWAA airports (IAD, DCA) do not charge a landing fee if you don't leave the movement area. This is NOT an FAA policy. I know of other airports (like TEB) that don't care if you never leave the runway. You owe 'em.

Back before 9/11 we were up in the (new) DCA tower talking to the controllers one night and they suggested we come over sometime after 10PM when it was quiet and shoot some landings.

This was also back before PCT opened. The radar room for DCA was at the base of the tower. The tower controller would drop the strip into a hole in the desk and it would fall through a tube ten stories or whatever down to the departure controller. When we went up in the elevator to the tower, we found that it had two buckets full of strip holders. They accumulate in the radar room and they just put them in the elevator and eventually someone heading to the cab gives them back to the CD position.

I asked a controller after PCT opened how hard he had to throw the strips to get them to Vint Hill.
 
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