NAATS Press Release:Pilot Deviations AvoidableFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Everyone in the nation understands that in recent years security has become a serious issue in the aviation community. What most people are not aware of is the availability of a single organization that can inform the aviation community of these procedures. Most of the general aviation community is aware and takes advantage of the availability of FAA services. Flight Service Stations across the nation employ Over 2000 Air Traffic Control Specialist who are trained to provide important information to pilots prior to their departure and while in flight. This includes Temporary Flight Restriction around Presidential and VIP movement. The pilot and passenger that no doubt were terrified by their F-15 escort in the Philadelphia area could have avoided this incident by placing a single phone call to a Flight Service Station. The FAA itself has required that all pilots must file a flight plan with a Flight Service Station prior to entering modified airspace during certain events that require flight restrictions. Air Traffic Control Specialist across the nation have this information available for pilots to access. This is provided to ensure that they are flying with the safest, most accurate information available. As important as these services are, the FAA is considering discontinuing some of these services. If this were to happen then we can all expect to see more of these stories of uninformed pilots violating airspace across the nation. This is a senseless consideration by the administration considering the importance of the integrity of our national airspace system. For information on NAATS and the services provided, please visit https://www.naats.org or contact the following:
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