LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Va. (ACCNS) -- Officials in Air Combat Command are reaching out to private civilian pilots by publicizing a Web site designed to prevent mid-air collision with military aircraft.
The Web site, called www.seeandavoid.org, allows users to locate their flight path and determine how they can avoid flying through military operating areas.
Although it's legal for private pilots to fly through military operating air space, Lt. Col. Ned Linch, 12th Air Force flight safety chief, said it's risky and often costly.
"When I first started flying the F-16, I had a few near misses with some light civil [airplanes]," he said, "so when I got my masters degree ... I did a lot of projects on mid-air collision avoidance."
Colonel Linch said when a private pilot enters military air space, all training must cease until the civilian aircraft departs the training area. This costs money in fuel because resetting a training scene takes time. It also robs Air Force pilots of valued training hours.
Therefore the Defense Department gives tips on the site about when and where military aircraft fly, their maneuvers and tips to avoid a mid-air collision. All military operating areas and routes in the United States are marked.
"It's important for us to get the word out, one; where the air space is, and two; let 'em know that, yes, it's legal [to fly through] however your creating a safety issue - and a training issue as well," said Colonel Linch. He added that most air-space conflicts can be avoided by simply planning a route properly.
"With GPS it's easy just to go direct [to your destination]," said Colonel Linch. [But] going direct sometimes is not the best option. So we're trying to help guys learn how to navigate special-use air space." The "See and Avoid" Web site makes that possible.
Another purpose of the site helps military pilots understand and communicate to private pilots.
"We're all using and sharing the same air space," said Col. Kelly Fletcher, ACC Deputy director chief of flying safety. "Sometimes [private pilots] don't fully understand our needs and sometime we don't understand theirs. So this is a way to have that communication."
Perhaps the best advantage of the Web site, according to Colonel Fletcher, is that users need not consult multiple sources or Web sites to plan a route.
"It's easy to use and everything is in one place," he said. "Instead of each base having their own site, this is a single central place all pilots can go to."
In addition to military operating areas and routes, the site also pinpoints where past near-misses and mid-air collisions have occurred. This highlights areas more prone to accidents.
"If I'm going through, or by, a military operating area that has a high volume of basic flying training, I probably need to be aware because it's a high concentration of a lot of aircraft coming in and out and moving around there," said Colone Fletcher.
The ease and convenience of the site is resulting in similar efforts to make a site for Southwest Asia areas of operation. It would be used by non-government pilots from relief agencies, who are not part of normal air tasking order, said Colonel Fletcher.
The Web site was designed and funded by the Air National Guard Bureau, along with support from ACC.
USAF. (U.S. Air Force Graphic by Rosario "Charo" Gutierrez)