article_snippet.sent: Although a "no-fly zone" over the White House has long existed, the SFRA airspace was developed to protect the Washington area further after the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
article_snippet.sent: The size of the SFRA airspace is designed to be large enough to give our defense forces enough time to determine if a threat exists from an aircraft entering a threat, an opportunity to identify a threat, and if necessary, to divert or eliminate a threat.
article_snippet.sent: An airspeed restriction begins at a 60-mile radius from the center of Reagan National Airport.
article_snippet.sent: At a 60-mile radius from the center of Reagan National Airport, all aircraft must file a flight plan that identifies all aircraft to air traffic control via a specific four-digit transponder code (a transponder is an electronic communication device that identifies a specific airplane on an air traffic controller's display screen to indicate authorization for the flight).
article_snippet.sent: Aircraft must enter the SFRA through specific flight "gates" that are displayed on a standard aviation map.
article_snippet.sent: Aircraft on instrument flight rule flight plans, which include all airline operations, are not required to comply with the SFRA restrictions.
article_snippet.sent: Air traffic control assumes the responsibility for the appropriate routing.
article_snippet.sent: As a matter of standard procedure, flights using an instrument flight rule flight plan have specific clearances with specific transponder codes, so the authorization for transit through the SFRA airspace is already built into the system.
article_snippet.sent: I have had occasion to fly my own little airplane through the SFRA airspace on a visual flight rule flight plan.