Narrative:

I heard on the news that the homeland security status elevation to code orange might lead to more restrs to the dc area airspace. I browsed to the pilots union site and saw an announcement that the status was expected to change in the next few days. Thur morning was cavu in the dc area. I called the leesburg FSS while en route to the jyo airport. The phone initially answers with a recorded warning about security issues. I deliberately listened to the recording all the way to the end expecting to hear something about new airspace restrs. The recording was the same as that I'd heard several times over the past several months with no mention of any changes to airspace or regulations. When the briefer answered, I told him that I was mainly interested in any possible airspace changes and asked him if VFR was possible out of leesburg otherwise I would file IFR to teb. He quickly dismissed my question about airspace changes saying there were none and that VFR was fine. He said nothing about methods to obtain a discrete transponder code at the non-tower airport. I listened to the leesburg (jyo) ASOS. The recording was the same as the recording I have heard for many months, there was no mention of airspace or regulatory changes. I departed leesburg VFR squawking 1200 north then nebound staying under the class B veil until clearing the area then proceeded direct to teb. About half-way, I attempted numerous times to establish flight following. I was bounced between washington and ny ctrs, philadelphia, harrisburg and ny approach. Several identified me on radar and provided traffic advisories. Nearing the ny class B, I asked for and received an IFR clearance to teb. When I landed, the teb ground controller gave me a phone number to call. Potomac approach asked me questions. When I asked exactly what the problem was, he suggested that I departed jyo without a discrete transponder code. This was my first discussion or communication with anyone that suggested that there had been a change to the regulations regarding the dc area airspace. The rtn flight that same day, I flew IFR from teb to jyo (leesburg). Working with pct approach, I called the airport in sight, tried to cancel IFR. The controller asked me to retain my IFR squawk and cleared me to use the unicom frequency. He asked me to cancel my flight plan only after I was on the ground with leesburg FSS. On landing, I called leesburg FSS on all three published frequencies while taxiing in front of their building. They did not answer my call on any frequency. I eventually called a dulles clearance frequency dedicated to leesburg, and asked them to cancel my IFR. They were initially confused by my request, but after some discussion, agreed to cancel my flight plan. There were three safety issues that were out of my control on this flight. The first was that significant changes to airspace occurred and I was unable to learn about them from the appropriate means despite my explicit questions to the briefer about possible recent airspace changes and about the feasibility of VFR flight out of leesburg. Also, the airport ASOS would be a perfectly logical place to record announcements about airspace or restrs of this magnitude. The second issue was just northeast of pottstown VOR. I was bounced to no less than 10 different controllers before anyone would accept me. None suggested they were busy. They simply suggested that they were not the right controller for my position and that another would be more appropriate. All gave me another frequency that was not the right person. The third was my inability to cancel IFR with leesburg FSS even while on the same airport and in front of the appropriate FSS building. This seems to me to have been a significant process failure in developing a method to work with the new airspace rules and to communicate the appropriate process to pilots using the airspace. It should not be this hard.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: BE58 PLT QUESTIONS DCA FSS OVERLOOKED BRIEFING OF NEW WASHINGTON DCA AREA ADIZ, THEN CHALLENGE BY PCT FOR VFR DEP AT JYO WITHOUT AN ASSIGNED XPONDER CODE.

Narrative: I HEARD ON THE NEWS THAT THE HOMELAND SECURITY STATUS ELEVATION TO CODE ORANGE MIGHT LEAD TO MORE RESTRS TO THE DC AREA AIRSPACE. I BROWSED TO THE PLTS UNION SITE AND SAW AN ANNOUNCEMENT THAT THE STATUS WAS EXPECTED TO CHANGE IN THE NEXT FEW DAYS. THUR MORNING WAS CAVU IN THE DC AREA. I CALLED THE LEESBURG FSS WHILE ENRTE TO THE JYO ARPT. THE PHONE INITIALLY ANSWERS WITH A RECORDED WARNING ABOUT SECURITY ISSUES. I DELIBERATELY LISTENED TO THE RECORDING ALL THE WAY TO THE END EXPECTING TO HEAR SOMETHING ABOUT NEW AIRSPACE RESTRS. THE RECORDING WAS THE SAME AS THAT I'D HEARD SEVERAL TIMES OVER THE PAST SEVERAL MONTHS WITH NO MENTION OF ANY CHANGES TO AIRSPACE OR REGULATIONS. WHEN THE BRIEFER ANSWERED, I TOLD HIM THAT I WAS MAINLY INTERESTED IN ANY POSSIBLE AIRSPACE CHANGES AND ASKED HIM IF VFR WAS POSSIBLE OUT OF LEESBURG OTHERWISE I WOULD FILE IFR TO TEB. HE QUICKLY DISMISSED MY QUESTION ABOUT AIRSPACE CHANGES SAYING THERE WERE NONE AND THAT VFR WAS FINE. HE SAID NOTHING ABOUT METHODS TO OBTAIN A DISCRETE XPONDER CODE AT THE NON-TWR ARPT. I LISTENED TO THE LEESBURG (JYO) ASOS. THE RECORDING WAS THE SAME AS THE RECORDING I HAVE HEARD FOR MANY MONTHS, THERE WAS NO MENTION OF AIRSPACE OR REGULATORY CHANGES. I DEPARTED LEESBURG VFR SQUAWKING 1200 N THEN NEBOUND STAYING UNDER THE CLASS B VEIL UNTIL CLRING THE AREA THEN PROCEEDED DIRECT TO TEB. ABOUT HALF-WAY, I ATTEMPTED NUMEROUS TIMES TO ESTABLISH FLT FOLLOWING. I WAS BOUNCED BETWEEN WASHINGTON AND NY CTRS, PHILADELPHIA, HARRISBURG AND NY APCH. SEVERAL IDENTIFIED ME ON RADAR AND PROVIDED TFC ADVISORIES. NEARING THE NY CLASS B, I ASKED FOR AND RECEIVED AN IFR CLRNC TO TEB. WHEN I LANDED, THE TEB GND CTLR GAVE ME A PHONE NUMBER TO CALL. POTOMAC APCH ASKED ME QUESTIONS. WHEN I ASKED EXACTLY WHAT THE PROB WAS, HE SUGGESTED THAT I DEPARTED JYO WITHOUT A DISCRETE XPONDER CODE. THIS WAS MY FIRST DISCUSSION OR COMMUNICATION WITH ANYONE THAT SUGGESTED THAT THERE HAD BEEN A CHANGE TO THE REGULATIONS REGARDING THE DC AREA AIRSPACE. THE RTN FLT THAT SAME DAY, I FLEW IFR FROM TEB TO JYO (LEESBURG). WORKING WITH PCT APCH, I CALLED THE ARPT IN SIGHT, TRIED TO CANCEL IFR. THE CTLR ASKED ME TO RETAIN MY IFR SQUAWK AND CLRED ME TO USE THE UNICOM FREQUENCY. HE ASKED ME TO CANCEL MY FLT PLAN ONLY AFTER I WAS ON THE GND WITH LEESBURG FSS. ON LNDG, I CALLED LEESBURG FSS ON ALL THREE PUBLISHED FREQUENCIES WHILE TAXIING IN FRONT OF THEIR BUILDING. THEY DID NOT ANSWER MY CALL ON ANY FREQ. I EVENTUALLY CALLED A DULLES CLRNC FREQ DEDICATED TO LEESBURG, AND ASKED THEM TO CANCEL MY IFR. THEY WERE INITIALLY CONFUSED BY MY REQUEST, BUT AFTER SOME DISCUSSION, AGREED TO CANCEL MY FLT PLAN. THERE WERE THREE SAFETY ISSUES THAT WERE OUT OF MY CONTROL ON THIS FLT. THE FIRST WAS THAT SIGNIFICANT CHANGES TO AIRSPACE OCCURRED AND I WAS UNABLE TO LEARN ABOUT THEM FROM THE APPROPRIATE MEANS DESPITE MY EXPLICIT QUESTIONS TO THE BRIEFER ABOUT POSSIBLE RECENT AIRSPACE CHANGES AND ABOUT THE FEASIBILITY OF VFR FLT OUT OF LEESBURG. ALSO, THE ARPT ASOS WOULD BE A PERFECTLY LOGICAL PLACE TO RECORD ANNOUNCEMENTS ABOUT AIRSPACE OR RESTRS OF THIS MAGNITUDE. THE SECOND ISSUE WAS JUST NE OF POTTSTOWN VOR. I WAS BOUNCED TO NO LESS THAN 10 DIFFERENT CTLRS BEFORE ANYONE WOULD ACCEPT ME. NONE SUGGESTED THEY WERE BUSY. THEY SIMPLY SUGGESTED THAT THEY WERE NOT THE RIGHT CTLR FOR MY POS AND THAT ANOTHER WOULD BE MORE APPROPRIATE. ALL GAVE ME ANOTHER FREQ THAT WAS NOT THE RIGHT PERSON. THE THIRD WAS MY INABILITY TO CANCEL IFR WITH LEESBURG FSS EVEN WHILE ON THE SAME ARPT AND IN FRONT OF THE APPROPRIATE FSS BUILDING. THIS SEEMS TO ME TO HAVE BEEN A SIGNIFICANT PROCESS FAILURE IN DEVELOPING A METHOD TO WORK WITH THE NEW AIRSPACE RULES AND TO COMMUNICATE THE APPROPRIATE PROCESS TO PLTS USING THE AIRSPACE. IT SHOULD NOT BE THIS HARD.

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.