HUGE INCREASE IN MOAs PLANNED...Please Help!!!

Pilot101

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Pilot101
Fellow Aviators,

Can you please help us get the word out and fight this issue?

The Military is planning on expanding the geographic size and lower the height of the MOAs in central Arizona and New Mexico down to 500 AGL and this will negatively impact hundreds of airports and make if very difficult for GA pilots to circumnavigate these larger chunks of airspace.

Here is the map of the airspace that they want to increase:

https://www.arizonaregionalairspaceeis.com/overview-of-proposed-action/

This MOA increase is way bigger than the pilots who fly through or to the airports under the MOA. If you look at the Air Force map it affects a HUGE CHUNK of Arizona and New Mexico.

This will not just negatively impact GA pilots because the Air Force is wanting to allow sonic booms 24 hours a day in this expanded region so that means EVERYONE WHO LIVES/ VISITS/ HIKES/ RIDES/ DRIVES/ BOATS/ CAMPS UNDER THE MOA will be negatively impacted!!!

We have lots of ranchers and horse people and they are really concerned about their livestock getting heart attacks.

Can you imagine riding a horse and have a fighter jet scream 500 feet overhead at 600 MPH?

Can you imagine riding a motorcycle or out camping and have this happen?

This is a BIG DEAL that will affect hundreds of thousands of people each year so we are asking for the help of our fellow aviators to contact the Air Force and the elected officials (contact information below) and get the word out to stop this.

If you frequent other social media for hiking/ biking/ camping/ etc can you please post about this?

Does anyone have a connection with the AOPA/ EAA/ etc that can help?

Here is a write up that we would kindly ask that you share and act on. Please help!!!

We are ALL AFFECTED...SO WE SHOULD ALL SPEAK OUT!!!

--------------------------------------COPY---------------------------------------------------------


How would you like to be relaxing at home, on a drive, riding, or out camping and have an Air Force fighter jet roar 500 feet above your head at 600 MPH???

How would you like to hear a SONIC BOOM at any moment of the 24 HOUR DAY (you don’t know the boom is coming…just unexpectedly there is a VERY LOUD EXPLOSION all around you and it can break your windows)???

How would your animals like to experience this really loud and startling explosion? Would your animal have a heart attack? Would you...or the person driving your car/ motorcycle?

Well guess what???

The Air Force is wanting to GREATLY EXPAND their “Military Operations Area” (MOA) jet training areas outward and down to ONLY 500 FEET ABOVE THE GROUND in HUGE SECTIONS OF ARIZONA/ NEW MEXICO.



You think I am joking??? Here is the map of the airspace that they want to increase:

https://www.arizonaregionalairspaceeis.com/overview-of-proposed-action/



THIS AFFECTS EVERYONE WHO LIVES/ VISITS/ HIKES/ RIDES/ BOATS UNDER THE MOA!!!

PLEASE…THE PEOPLE OF CENTRAL ARIZONA/ WESTERN NEW MEXICO NEED TO FIGHT THIS!!!

EACH PERSON IN YOUR HOUSE…ALL YOUR NEIGHBORS…YOUR FRIENDS…YOUR RELATIVES ALL NEED TO HELP US AND CALL AND SEND AN EMAIL TO OUR ELECTED OFFICIALS TO STOP THIS!!!

Send this message to your friends who hike, camp, ride, boat, fly airplanes and post it on every forum you know.

Here is the contact websites for our federal representatives and Air Force so please CALL THEM and send them the attached letter:

AZ US Senator Mark Kelly: 602-671-7901 https://www.kelly.senate.gov/
AZ US Senator Kristen Sinema: (602) 598-7327 https://www.sinema.senate.gov/contact-kyrsten
AZ US Rep Paul Gosar: (928) 445-1683 https://gosar.house.gov/contact/

AZ US Rep Tom O’Halleran: 928-286-5338 https://ohalleran.house.gov/zip-code-lookup?form=/contact/email

AZ US Rep Raul Grijalva: (623) 536-3388 https://grijalva.house.gov/contact-raul/

AZ US Rep Ann Kirkpatrick: 520-881-3588 https://kirkpatrick.house.gov/contact/email-me/

NM Senator Martin Heinrich: (575) 523-6561 https://www.heinrich.senate.gov/contact/write-martin

NM Senator Ben Luján: 575-252-6188 https://www.lujan.senate.gov/contact/contact-form/

NM US Rep Yvette Herrell: (575) 323-6390 https://herrell.house.gov/contact

Military Website: https://www.arizonaregionalairspaceeis.com/comments/



Write:

NO On The Expansion Of The Military Operations Area In West-Central Arizona!



I am providing specific information relevant to the Proposed Action:

-The Air Force should take NO ACTION to modify or expand the MOA airspace.



-More jet noise will ruin the quiet enjoyment of our residential properties and camping/ riding/ boating/ hiking areas.

-Sonic booms sound like a large explosion and this noise will damage our homes and scare people, livestock, and wild animals.

-These MOA changes would greatly reduce our property values as rural residential property.

-There are 40 airports in the Gladden MOA alone that will be affected.

-The use and enjoyment of camping and hiking will be negatively affected by jet noise.

-How would these loud noises negatively affect the native species of birds, animals, reptiles, and insects?

-What kind of long term environmental impact studies have been conducted and what are the results?
 
How would you like to be relaxing at home, on a drive, riding, or out camping and have an Air Force fighter jet roar 500 feet above your head at 600 MPH???

How would you like to hear a SONIC BOOM at any moment of the 24 HOUR DAY (you don’t know the boom is coming…just unexpectedly there is a VERY LOUD EXPLOSION all around you and it can break your windows)???

How would your animals like to experience this really loud and startling explosion? Would your animal have a heart attack? Would you...or the person driving your car/ motorcycle?

Well guess what???

The Air Force is wanting to GREATLY EXPAND their “Military Operations Area” (MOA) jet training areas outward and down to ONLY 500 FEET ABOVE THE GROUND in HUGE SECTIONS OF ARIZONA/ NEW MEXICO.



You think I am joking???

Yeah, actually, I think you are.
 
More MOA more problems.
 
I don't really see the problem. It's just a map boundary for awareness. My house isn't under an MOA or restricted airspace yet I get constant traffic from the near by military base. Most if not all super sonic testing will be at altitude where the "boom" will not be that bad, certainly no worse than someone shooting guns near by. Just because the airspace above you isn't labeled as an MOA doesn't mean the jets can't use it.
 
@Pilot101

I think your account was hacked.
Gotta admit, I like the clickbait headline...

@Pilot101 maybe next time try these:

Never fly though an MOA without doing this one trick...

Best remedies for MOAs that your congressman won't mention...

When Arizonians saw what was planned for the MOAs, they were speechless...
 
I agree, MOAs can negatively impact IFR ops but some can work with you at getting through. If you're VFR, just fly right through it.

They’re not going to be going supersonic right over your heads at 500 ft. It’ll be up at altitude. They’ve been doing it over middle Georgia for decades without killing livestock. Mind you, it is incredibly loud seeing though they’re busting it at like FL490 but not enough to bust windows or kill livestock. Like a loud thunder boom that scares the crap out of ya. I doubt it’ll be on a daily basis either.

EE22AA5E-602C-4526-A523-642AC1B83BB6.jpeg
 
There must be something wrong with me, I love seeing military tech scream by. It's one of the few times I get to actually see my tax dollars go to something useful / cool. Sailing in San Diego bay is the best, you've got C-130s/C-17/C-5 doing level turns departing Coronado and usually somewhere within eye shot Ospreys, UH-60, and a veritable menagerie of misc military tech all at low level

I'm general in favor of less restrictive airspace rules.. but, they have to practice somewhere and as mentioned above the MOA are not restricted, and in my experience usually aren't hot
 
..and unless there's a Petco park event the controllers are very accommodating to the PA-28 and C-172 folks doing the bay tour..
 
No way can we scare the horses. Maybe we can ask China, Russia or North Korea if we can do our military training there.
 
The MOAs shown in the diagrams don't include the Restricted airspace that takes a large bite out of the Great Southwest.

You learn the value of following airways out here, simply because it keeps you away from places where bad things could happen to you.

I have to say, those of us here in the Phoenix area certainly look at those from the Southeast that whine about Eglin's SFRA and wonder what the big deal's all about.
 
I am against airspace grabbing, whether it be military, other government, Disneyland, UAS activity.
I do think pilots should be against it because even MOAs mean further restriction of travel freedom for GA.
Has there been some sudden increase in military action that I have missed, such that this airspace expansion is needed? Those MOAs have not changed for decades and they seem to have done well.
Does anyone ever remember an SUA being diminished in size or duration? Funny how it always seems to be...growth, except for the rare instance.

"SUA Optimization", riiight. Terminology like that is very revealing as to their true plans.
 
Of all the years I flew in New Mexico and Arizona, only once was a MOA a problem. I was on a IFR medivac flight to Tucson when I hear the controller give another A/C a new heading due to the MOA going hot. He accepted the new heading. The controller gave me a new heading due to the MOA going hot. I cancelled IFR and requested flight following. The controller accepted the cancellation and I continued on with a 500 foot altitude change.

How would you like to be.... out camping and have an Air Force fighter jet roar 500 feet above your head at 600 MPH???

Actually, had that happen once back in 1973. Well, twice because the pilot turned around and came over again. Since Bergstrom AFB was not very far away, and my dad was based there at the time (reserve), I am pretty sure he had something to do with that.
 
Has there been some sudden increase in military action that I have missed, such that this airspace expansion is needed? Those MOAs have not changed for decades and they seem to have done well.

I hear you about encroachment by the govt, et al. Also, I imagine there haven't been too many instances of SUA being downsized.

With that being said, there is a real, legitimate need to increase the size of our existing SUA structure. The boundaries drawn decades ago are in fact, very much insufficient to train to current tactics. It is a limitation that fighter aircraft face every day in CONUS training, and have been for years now.

That isn't to say that there aren't also very real, legitimate concerns from fellow aviators and the public in general, as you mentioned. But that is the "why" to your question anyway.
 
The MOAs in Nevada are a huge hassle getting from Reno to New Mexico and Arizona IFR. It really only works on Sunday. They are eventually going to grab enough airspace that GA will be a thing of the past and the military will control all airspace.
 
The MOAs in Nevada are a huge hassle getting from Reno to New Mexico and Arizona IFR. It really only works on Sunday. They are eventually going to grab enough airspace that GA will be a thing of the past and the military will control all airspace.

The entire SW is fairly well dominated by SUA of some sort or another. I know the Fallon and China Lake complexes have civil VFR corridors to help out local traffic, but that obviously doesn't do much for long range IFR looking to transit.
 
This is awkward. Lol.

I could provide a more lengthy and reasoned response to the OP regarding his concerns, but I'd be wasting my time. As a dual hat wearing pilot, I'll just concede we re not all meant to be friends in this life.

Good luck in your crusade, i defend your right to political expression and petition of the government you elect and pay for. Cheers.
 
This is awkward. Lol.

I could provide a more lengthy and reasoned response to the OP regarding his concerns, but I'd be wasting my time. As a dual hat wearing pilot, I'll just concede we re not all meant to be friends in this life.

Good luck in your crusade, i defend your right to political expression and petition of the government you elect and pay for. Cheers.
You can't be friends with someone that disagrees with you about MOA size changes? You must not have a lot of friends if something so pointless is a criteria for friendship. ;)
 
How would you like to be relaxing at home, on a drive, riding, or out camping and have an Air Force fighter jet roar 500 feet above your head at 600 MPH???

How would you like to hear a SONIC BOOM at any moment of the 24 HOUR DAY (you don’t know the boom is coming…just unexpectedly there is a VERY LOUD EXPLOSION all around you and it can break your windows)???
Where do I sign to get this?
 
Horses having heart attacks. I checked out after that to be honest.
 
Where do I sign to get this?


You can hang around Lancaster or Rosamond area. Sonic booms are heard around there quite frequently. Not as often as there used to be, but it does still happen.
 
Posted, the last time we talked about SUA airspace vs Freedom Airspace (lol), as a helpful reference.
Source is the FAA.


SUA.jpg
 
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