Narrative:

My commercial student and I were on a cross country ADIZ training flight from sby to W29 and back. He called the leesburg FSS and filed ADIZ flight plans both ways with the briefer. We contacted pxt for flight following after leaving sby on 127.95 and were told to squawk XXXX. About 10 mi from easton, pxt canceled radar service and told us to squawk 1200. At easton we tried to contact potomac approach on 133.75 and he told us he could not read us clear, to stay clear of the ADIZ and try again. We climbed to 2800 ft and called again. Potomac approach replied they could hear us, we could continue, and to squawk XXXY, and we did. Potomac approach then went into a rant about W29 not needing an ADIZ squawk from him and that next time my student should check the NOTAMS. I realized that W29 did not need an ADIZ squawk from him and that '1227' squawk would have been enough, but the leesburg briefer did not object to the filing and I was trying to get some training for my student in getting an ADIZ squawk and flying it completely since he would be flying to hef solo on a later date. This got my student nervous and rattled, and thinking he had done something wrong. About 5 mi out from W29 I told him to call potomac approach and report airport in sight and request frequency change. Potomac approach granted the frequency change but did not advise my student to keep squawking the XXXY until he got on the ground. I watched my student change the frequency and turned to look for traffic that was calling and getting ready to land at W29 as well. At some point between me looking for traffic and landing, my student switched the transponder from XXXY to 1200. After landing, I went to change the transponder to 1200 and realized it already was. We parked the plane at W29 and went inside. Potomac had called the FBO and left a number for us to call. I called and spoke to a gentleman about the squawk issue. I asked my student when and why he changed the squawk and he said after we changed frequency to W29 he changed the squawk to 1200. Since he did not hear potomac approach tell him to stay on that squawk until landing and had chided him on the radio for filing for an ADIZ squawk from him instead of using the '1227' option, he did what he had been trained to do when calling a visual landing from flight following. He switched frequency to W29 and squawked 1200. What can we learn from this: I will develop a better brief for my students when flying into the ADIZ, developed around the rules and requirements of the ADIZ and on crew concepts. It is very important that when more than 1 pilot is in the plane, if one makes a change to the equipment/plane he tells the other pilot what he did. Also, approach had no reason to chide my student. He had filed a proper ADIZ flight plan with an authority/authorized briefing agency. It seems potomac approach let frustration get the better of them and got distraction by my student requesting a squawk and forgot to further advise him about keeping the squawk till landing. We need to train people on how to get in and out of the ADIZ properly. Which is exactly why I chose to go to W29 with my student before I sent him solo. Unfortunately, most people will not go near it because they fear it. And this is unfortunate that fear is used instead of education. Most pilots do not even want to learn how to get in and out. I have been in and out of the ADIZ 20+ times VFR and have never had an incident. And through better communication and better training, more pilots will be able to as well.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: INSTRUCTOR AND STUDENT IN C150 CHANGE XPONDER TO 1200 DURING ARR AT W29 WITHIN THE DC ADIZ.

Narrative: MY COMMERCIAL STUDENT AND I WERE ON A XCOUNTRY ADIZ TRAINING FLT FROM SBY TO W29 AND BACK. HE CALLED THE LEESBURG FSS AND FILED ADIZ FLT PLANS BOTH WAYS WITH THE BRIEFER. WE CONTACTED PXT FOR FLT FOLLOWING AFTER LEAVING SBY ON 127.95 AND WERE TOLD TO SQUAWK XXXX. ABOUT 10 MI FROM EASTON, PXT CANCELED RADAR SVC AND TOLD US TO SQUAWK 1200. AT EASTON WE TRIED TO CONTACT POTOMAC APCH ON 133.75 AND HE TOLD US HE COULD NOT READ US CLR, TO STAY CLR OF THE ADIZ AND TRY AGAIN. WE CLBED TO 2800 FT AND CALLED AGAIN. POTOMAC APCH REPLIED THEY COULD HEAR US, WE COULD CONTINUE, AND TO SQUAWK XXXY, AND WE DID. POTOMAC APCH THEN WENT INTO A RANT ABOUT W29 NOT NEEDING AN ADIZ SQUAWK FROM HIM AND THAT NEXT TIME MY STUDENT SHOULD CHK THE NOTAMS. I REALIZED THAT W29 DID NOT NEED AN ADIZ SQUAWK FROM HIM AND THAT '1227' SQUAWK WOULD HAVE BEEN ENOUGH, BUT THE LEESBURG BRIEFER DID NOT OBJECT TO THE FILING AND I WAS TRYING TO GET SOME TRAINING FOR MY STUDENT IN GETTING AN ADIZ SQUAWK AND FLYING IT COMPLETELY SINCE HE WOULD BE FLYING TO HEF SOLO ON A LATER DATE. THIS GOT MY STUDENT NERVOUS AND RATTLED, AND THINKING HE HAD DONE SOMETHING WRONG. ABOUT 5 MI OUT FROM W29 I TOLD HIM TO CALL POTOMAC APCH AND RPT ARPT IN SIGHT AND REQUEST FREQ CHANGE. POTOMAC APCH GRANTED THE FREQ CHANGE BUT DID NOT ADVISE MY STUDENT TO KEEP SQUAWKING THE XXXY UNTIL HE GOT ON THE GND. I WATCHED MY STUDENT CHANGE THE FREQ AND TURNED TO LOOK FOR TFC THAT WAS CALLING AND GETTING READY TO LAND AT W29 AS WELL. AT SOME POINT BTWN ME LOOKING FOR TFC AND LNDG, MY STUDENT SWITCHED THE XPONDER FROM XXXY TO 1200. AFTER LNDG, I WENT TO CHANGE THE XPONDER TO 1200 AND REALIZED IT ALREADY WAS. WE PARKED THE PLANE AT W29 AND WENT INSIDE. POTOMAC HAD CALLED THE FBO AND LEFT A NUMBER FOR US TO CALL. I CALLED AND SPOKE TO A GENTLEMAN ABOUT THE SQUAWK ISSUE. I ASKED MY STUDENT WHEN AND WHY HE CHANGED THE SQUAWK AND HE SAID AFTER WE CHANGED FREQ TO W29 HE CHANGED THE SQUAWK TO 1200. SINCE HE DID NOT HEAR POTOMAC APCH TELL HIM TO STAY ON THAT SQUAWK UNTIL LNDG AND HAD CHIDED HIM ON THE RADIO FOR FILING FOR AN ADIZ SQUAWK FROM HIM INSTEAD OF USING THE '1227' OPTION, HE DID WHAT HE HAD BEEN TRAINED TO DO WHEN CALLING A VISUAL LNDG FROM FLT FOLLOWING. HE SWITCHED FREQ TO W29 AND SQUAWKED 1200. WHAT CAN WE LEARN FROM THIS: I WILL DEVELOP A BETTER BRIEF FOR MY STUDENTS WHEN FLYING INTO THE ADIZ, DEVELOPED AROUND THE RULES AND REQUIREMENTS OF THE ADIZ AND ON CREW CONCEPTS. IT IS VERY IMPORTANT THAT WHEN MORE THAN 1 PLT IS IN THE PLANE, IF ONE MAKES A CHANGE TO THE EQUIP/PLANE HE TELLS THE OTHER PLT WHAT HE DID. ALSO, APCH HAD NO REASON TO CHIDE MY STUDENT. HE HAD FILED A PROPER ADIZ FLT PLAN WITH AN AUTH BRIEFING AGENCY. IT SEEMS POTOMAC APCH LET FRUSTRATION GET THE BETTER OF THEM AND GOT DISTR BY MY STUDENT REQUESTING A SQUAWK AND FORGOT TO FURTHER ADVISE HIM ABOUT KEEPING THE SQUAWK TILL LNDG. WE NEED TO TRAIN PEOPLE ON HOW TO GET IN AND OUT OF THE ADIZ PROPERLY. WHICH IS EXACTLY WHY I CHOSE TO GO TO W29 WITH MY STUDENT BEFORE I SENT HIM SOLO. UNFORTUNATELY, MOST PEOPLE WILL NOT GO NEAR IT BECAUSE THEY FEAR IT. AND THIS IS UNFORTUNATE THAT FEAR IS USED INSTEAD OF EDUCATION. MOST PLTS DO NOT EVEN WANT TO LEARN HOW TO GET IN AND OUT. I HAVE BEEN IN AND OUT OF THE ADIZ 20+ TIMES VFR AND HAVE NEVER HAD AN INCIDENT. AND THROUGH BETTER COM AND BETTER TRAINING, MORE PLTS WILL BE ABLE TO AS WELL.

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.