Committee discusses incursions into Whiting airspace by transient training aircraft; outreach efforts limited by instructor turnover

Committee members reported repeated instances of aircraft operating near or inside Whiting Naval Air Station’s airspace, complicating local traffic patterns at Peter Prince. The committee discussed whether local flight schools or military training units have special permissions and how to reduce incursions.

A committee member said incursions have caused conflicts in the traffic pattern and that earlier minutes flagged the issue. “I just bring it up because it was in the minutes… It’s an issue. Where does it go from there?” the member asked.

A representative speaking for AMS said the FBO has an internal ingress/egress route and emphasized that their instructors are trained to follow it: “AMS, we have our own internal ingress egress route. So we do not set policy for this,” the AMS representative said, adding that their instructors know the boundaries and routinely use vertical and lateral separation procedures when departing eastbound.

Committee members said outreach to other flight schools and the base operations officer had been tried; staff reported the committee visited the base previously and met with the commanding officer and operations officer. Members said outreach efforts are hamstrung by high instructor turnover at flight schools and by transient pilots who do not consult local procedures. The committee agreed staff should continue coordination with the base and local FBOs and encouraged tenants to report near misses so the base and the FAA can follow up.