Narrative:

I was conducting aerobatics with a flight instructor in a robin sport (R2160). We were in the designated palos verdes aerobatics practice area located offshore palos verdes, between point vicente and point fermin, approximately 15 mi southwest of lgb airport. WX was cavu, with a low, thin cloud deck at 2000 ft MSL beginning offshore about 5 mi, extending south to catalina island. There were no clouds above or below us in the practice area. The local practice area for GA flight training over the ocean south of lgb begins at sea level. The aerobatics practice area begins at 3500 ft MSL and extends upward to the lax class B floor at 8000 ft MSL. Most training flts and many transients in this airspace monitor and broadcast position on 122.75, air-to-air communication. In keeping with local practice, we were broadcasting our position and monitoring 122.75. The aerobatics practice area is informally divided into 3 separate segments along the palos verdes southern shore, referred to, running west to east, as the 'horseshoe,' the 'golf course,' and the 'ball field.' we were in the westernmost practice area, off the horseshoe, and another aerobatics flight was in the easternmost practice area, off the ball field. After a clearing turn, we began a loop at 4500 ft MSL, diving to approximately 3800 ft MSL for airspeed, then pulling up into the loop. Our heading was approximately 090 degrees, parallel to the shoreline, and about 1 mi offshore. As we began our descent from the top of the loop we saw a flight of 4 T6 texans immediately below us. They were in formation, on a heading of approximately 180 degrees, on a line from toa to avx. We estimated their altitude at 3500 ft. They flew past us (inside the circle of our loop) as we descended behind them and to their right. We slightly extended our loop to avoid them. When we pulled out of the loop at approximately 3300 ft they were approximately 200 ft above us and 1/4 mi off our right wing, pulling away. They did not appear to see us, nor did they take any evasive action. They did not respond to radio calls on 122.75. As we leveled out at the bottom of the loop, we saw a second flight of 3 T6 texans, on the same heading and altitude as the first flight, but ahead of us by about 2 mi, flying through the easternmost aerobatic practice area off the ball field. We do not know where the 2 flts originated or were heading. We suspect they were unfamiliar with the local airspace, as lcls would not fly through the aerobatic practice area on a sunny, busy sunday afternoon without monitoring 122.75. The encounter may have been avoided by 3 things: 1) better see and avoid tactics on our part. The T6's apparently came from the vicinity of toa over the top of palos verdes, on a 180 degree heading. Because of the terrain, this is not a typical flight path -- most GA traffic in this area follow the coast in an east/west direction, or if heading south for catalina, originate at lgb to the east of the practice area. We were not expecting to see aircraft moving in this direction, crossing directly through the practice area, and that may have contributed to our failure to see them during our clearing turns. 2) better see and avoid tactics on their part. The T6's were in formation, and presumably all but the lead pilot were focused on formation flying. The lead pilot clearly did not see us, and from all indications was unaware he was taking a flight of warbirds through a busy practice area. 3) designation of the aerobatic practice area on the VFR chart. The practice area is located immediately south of the lax VFR corridors, so all aircraft exiting the corridors sebound run the risk of flying directly through the practice area. Since many of the aircraft exit the lax corridors between 3500-5500 ft, this puts them directly at the altitude used by those practicing aerobatics. Without information about the aerobatic practice area on the chart, there is no way for the heavy volume of transients flying up and down the coast to be notified to the increased danger of flying through this airspace. I suggest the location of the aerobatics practice area, and the air-to-air frequency used by pilots in this airspace, be published on the los angeles terminal chart.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A SMA PLT AND INSTRUCTOR PERFORMING A LOOP DISCOVERED A FORMATION OF T6'S HAD PENETRATED THEIR PRACTICE AREA.

Narrative: I WAS CONDUCTING AEROBATICS WITH A FLT INSTRUCTOR IN A ROBIN SPORT (R2160). WE WERE IN THE DESIGNATED PALOS VERDES AEROBATICS PRACTICE AREA LOCATED OFFSHORE PALOS VERDES, BTWN POINT VICENTE AND POINT FERMIN, APPROX 15 MI SW OF LGB ARPT. WX WAS CAVU, WITH A LOW, THIN CLOUD DECK AT 2000 FT MSL BEGINNING OFFSHORE ABOUT 5 MI, EXTENDING S TO CATALINA ISLAND. THERE WERE NO CLOUDS ABOVE OR BELOW US IN THE PRACTICE AREA. THE LCL PRACTICE AREA FOR GA FLT TRAINING OVER THE OCEAN S OF LGB BEGINS AT SEA LEVEL. THE AEROBATICS PRACTICE AREA BEGINS AT 3500 FT MSL AND EXTENDS UPWARD TO THE LAX CLASS B FLOOR AT 8000 FT MSL. MOST TRAINING FLTS AND MANY TRANSIENTS IN THIS AIRSPACE MONITOR AND BROADCAST POS ON 122.75, AIR-TO-AIR COM. IN KEEPING WITH LCL PRACTICE, WE WERE BROADCASTING OUR POS AND MONITORING 122.75. THE AEROBATICS PRACTICE AREA IS INFORMALLY DIVIDED INTO 3 SEPARATE SEGMENTS ALONG THE PALOS VERDES SOUTHERN SHORE, REFERRED TO, RUNNING W TO E, AS THE 'HORSESHOE,' THE 'GOLF COURSE,' AND THE 'BALL FIELD.' WE WERE IN THE WESTERNMOST PRACTICE AREA, OFF THE HORSESHOE, AND ANOTHER AEROBATICS FLT WAS IN THE EASTERNMOST PRACTICE AREA, OFF THE BALL FIELD. AFTER A CLRING TURN, WE BEGAN A LOOP AT 4500 FT MSL, DIVING TO APPROX 3800 FT MSL FOR AIRSPD, THEN PULLING UP INTO THE LOOP. OUR HDG WAS APPROX 090 DEGS, PARALLEL TO THE SHORELINE, AND ABOUT 1 MI OFFSHORE. AS WE BEGAN OUR DSCNT FROM THE TOP OF THE LOOP WE SAW A FLT OF 4 T6 TEXANS IMMEDIATELY BELOW US. THEY WERE IN FORMATION, ON A HDG OF APPROX 180 DEGS, ON A LINE FROM TOA TO AVX. WE ESTIMATED THEIR ALT AT 3500 FT. THEY FLEW PAST US (INSIDE THE CIRCLE OF OUR LOOP) AS WE DSNDED BEHIND THEM AND TO THEIR R. WE SLIGHTLY EXTENDED OUR LOOP TO AVOID THEM. WHEN WE PULLED OUT OF THE LOOP AT APPROX 3300 FT THEY WERE APPROX 200 FT ABOVE US AND 1/4 MI OFF OUR R WING, PULLING AWAY. THEY DID NOT APPEAR TO SEE US, NOR DID THEY TAKE ANY EVASIVE ACTION. THEY DID NOT RESPOND TO RADIO CALLS ON 122.75. AS WE LEVELED OUT AT THE BOTTOM OF THE LOOP, WE SAW A SECOND FLT OF 3 T6 TEXANS, ON THE SAME HDG AND ALT AS THE FIRST FLT, BUT AHEAD OF US BY ABOUT 2 MI, FLYING THROUGH THE EASTERNMOST AEROBATIC PRACTICE AREA OFF THE BALL FIELD. WE DO NOT KNOW WHERE THE 2 FLTS ORIGINATED OR WERE HDG. WE SUSPECT THEY WERE UNFAMILIAR WITH THE LCL AIRSPACE, AS LCLS WOULD NOT FLY THROUGH THE AEROBATIC PRACTICE AREA ON A SUNNY, BUSY SUNDAY AFTERNOON WITHOUT MONITORING 122.75. THE ENCOUNTER MAY HAVE BEEN AVOIDED BY 3 THINGS: 1) BETTER SEE AND AVOID TACTICS ON OUR PART. THE T6'S APPARENTLY CAME FROM THE VICINITY OF TOA OVER THE TOP OF PALOS VERDES, ON A 180 DEG HDG. BECAUSE OF THE TERRAIN, THIS IS NOT A TYPICAL FLT PATH -- MOST GA TFC IN THIS AREA FOLLOW THE COAST IN AN E/W DIRECTION, OR IF HDG S FOR CATALINA, ORIGINATE AT LGB TO THE E OF THE PRACTICE AREA. WE WERE NOT EXPECTING TO SEE ACFT MOVING IN THIS DIRECTION, XING DIRECTLY THROUGH THE PRACTICE AREA, AND THAT MAY HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO OUR FAILURE TO SEE THEM DURING OUR CLRING TURNS. 2) BETTER SEE AND AVOID TACTICS ON THEIR PART. THE T6'S WERE IN FORMATION, AND PRESUMABLY ALL BUT THE LEAD PLT WERE FOCUSED ON FORMATION FLYING. THE LEAD PLT CLRLY DID NOT SEE US, AND FROM ALL INDICATIONS WAS UNAWARE HE WAS TAKING A FLT OF WARBIRDS THROUGH A BUSY PRACTICE AREA. 3) DESIGNATION OF THE AEROBATIC PRACTICE AREA ON THE VFR CHART. THE PRACTICE AREA IS LOCATED IMMEDIATELY S OF THE LAX VFR CORRIDORS, SO ALL ACFT EXITING THE CORRIDORS SEBOUND RUN THE RISK OF FLYING DIRECTLY THROUGH THE PRACTICE AREA. SINCE MANY OF THE ACFT EXIT THE LAX CORRIDORS BTWN 3500-5500 FT, THIS PUTS THEM DIRECTLY AT THE ALT USED BY THOSE PRACTICING AEROBATICS. WITHOUT INFO ABOUT THE AEROBATIC PRACTICE AREA ON THE CHART, THERE IS NO WAY FOR THE HVY VOLUME OF TRANSIENTS FLYING UP AND DOWN THE COAST TO BE NOTIFIED TO THE INCREASED DANGER OF FLYING THROUGH THIS AIRSPACE. I SUGGEST THE LOCATION OF THE AEROBATICS PRACTICE AREA, AND THE AIR-TO-AIR FREQ USED BY PLTS IN THIS AIRSPACE, BE PUBLISHED ON THE LOS ANGELES TERMINAL CHART.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.