Narrative:

I have 8 months experience flying in the dc ADIZ. Prior to a local pleasure flight from myo to southwest of fdk and returning to jyo, I sought and received an in-person flight briefing at the leesburg FSS. I also filed 2 ADIZ flight plans at this time, one leaving in the morning hours and the second one returning 30 mins later. When I called potomac clearance, I was told they had the returning ADIZ plan but not the initial departing ADIZ plan. The FSS went to a new windows based computer system about 4 weeks prior, and this loss of ADIZ flight plans has been an hourly occurrence as best I can tell from my own experience, and reinforced by talking with other pilots. There is no screen feedback when the 'file' button is pressed by the mouse click. There needs to be a pop-up window that says something like 'accepted.' in the past couple of months, the jyo AWOS has a new recorded voice segment which requests to only turn on the transponder just prior to takeoff due to excessive TCASII alerts. On my properly briefed and 2 ADIZ flight plan flight, it appears that my transponder either malfunctioned or I may have inadvertently left it on standby due to the new and changing ground-taxi transponder procedures as detailed on the AWOS at jyo. After takeoff, I contacted potomac. When pct finally responded to my third call, they asked if my transponder was on. I immediately recycled the transponder and said something like 'sorry, my fault' and was told 'radar contact, proceed on course, within seconds. I was told to call the potomac TRACON over the CTAF by the FBO, and then later on the potomac clearance frequency while negotiating a busy jyo pattern doing touch-and-goes. On this phone call 10 mins later, I was told that action would be taken against me and the potomac TRACON person had no discretion to alleviate this action. Today I understand that this may have been my mistake, although I have also found apparent loss of a transponder signal to be a common occurrence by the potomac 'recycle transponder' requests. It is possible that I did not accurately see the transponder switch position properly with my primary PIC responsibilities. Undue FAA enforcement actions after possible mistakes or simple transponder recycle operations, when the pilot in question was properly briefed, was clearly following previously filed ADIZ flight plans, after multiple unreturned initial calls, as solved within 5 seconds or less upon notification, will only continue to foster an unnecessarily unproductive and adversarial relationship between the FAA and the pilots who support this vital agency through their tax payments.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PLT OF PA28 FAILS TO SQUAWK ASSIGNED XPONDER ON DEP FROM JYO WITHIN THE DC ADIZ.

Narrative: I HAVE 8 MONTHS EXPERIENCE FLYING IN THE DC ADIZ. PRIOR TO A LCL PLEASURE FLT FROM MYO TO SW OF FDK AND RETURNING TO JYO, I SOUGHT AND RECEIVED AN IN-PERSON FLT BRIEFING AT THE LEESBURG FSS. I ALSO FILED 2 ADIZ FLT PLANS AT THIS TIME, ONE LEAVING IN THE MORNING HRS AND THE SECOND ONE RETURNING 30 MINS LATER. WHEN I CALLED POTOMAC CLRNC, I WAS TOLD THEY HAD THE RETURNING ADIZ PLAN BUT NOT THE INITIAL DEPARTING ADIZ PLAN. THE FSS WENT TO A NEW WINDOWS BASED COMPUTER SYS ABOUT 4 WKS PRIOR, AND THIS LOSS OF ADIZ FLT PLANS HAS BEEN AN HRLY OCCURRENCE AS BEST I CAN TELL FROM MY OWN EXPERIENCE, AND REINFORCED BY TALKING WITH OTHER PLTS. THERE IS NO SCREEN FEEDBACK WHEN THE 'FILE' BUTTON IS PRESSED BY THE MOUSE CLICK. THERE NEEDS TO BE A POP-UP WINDOW THAT SAYS SOMETHING LIKE 'ACCEPTED.' IN THE PAST COUPLE OF MONTHS, THE JYO AWOS HAS A NEW RECORDED VOICE SEGMENT WHICH REQUESTS TO ONLY TURN ON THE XPONDER JUST PRIOR TO TKOF DUE TO EXCESSIVE TCASII ALERTS. ON MY PROPERLY BRIEFED AND 2 ADIZ FLT PLAN FLT, IT APPEARS THAT MY XPONDER EITHER MALFUNCTIONED OR I MAY HAVE INADVERTENTLY LEFT IT ON STANDBY DUE TO THE NEW AND CHANGING GND-TAXI XPONDER PROCS AS DETAILED ON THE AWOS AT JYO. AFTER TKOF, I CONTACTED POTOMAC. WHEN PCT FINALLY RESPONDED TO MY THIRD CALL, THEY ASKED IF MY XPONDER WAS ON. I IMMEDIATELY RECYCLED THE XPONDER AND SAID SOMETHING LIKE 'SORRY, MY FAULT' AND WAS TOLD 'RADAR CONTACT, PROCEED ON COURSE, WITHIN SECONDS. I WAS TOLD TO CALL THE POTOMAC TRACON OVER THE CTAF BY THE FBO, AND THEN LATER ON THE POTOMAC CLRNC FREQ WHILE NEGOTIATING A BUSY JYO PATTERN DOING TOUCH-AND-GOES. ON THIS PHONE CALL 10 MINS LATER, I WAS TOLD THAT ACTION WOULD BE TAKEN AGAINST ME AND THE POTOMAC TRACON PERSON HAD NO DISCRETION TO ALLEVIATE THIS ACTION. TODAY I UNDERSTAND THAT THIS MAY HAVE BEEN MY MISTAKE, ALTHOUGH I HAVE ALSO FOUND APPARENT LOSS OF A XPONDER SIGNAL TO BE A COMMON OCCURRENCE BY THE POTOMAC 'RECYCLE XPONDER' REQUESTS. IT IS POSSIBLE THAT I DID NOT ACCURATELY SEE THE XPONDER SWITCH POS PROPERLY WITH MY PRIMARY PIC RESPONSIBILITIES. UNDUE FAA ENFORCEMENT ACTIONS AFTER POSSIBLE MISTAKES OR SIMPLE XPONDER RECYCLE OPS, WHEN THE PLT IN QUESTION WAS PROPERLY BRIEFED, WAS CLRLY FOLLOWING PREVIOUSLY FILED ADIZ FLT PLANS, AFTER MULTIPLE UNRETURNED INITIAL CALLS, AS SOLVED WITHIN 5 SECONDS OR LESS UPON NOTIFICATION, WILL ONLY CONTINUE TO FOSTER AN UNNECESSARILY UNPRODUCTIVE AND ADVERSARIAL RELATIONSHIP BTWN THE FAA AND THE PLTS WHO SUPPORT THIS VITAL AGENCY THROUGH THEIR TAX PAYMENTS.

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.