Military Training Routes and the ADIZ

Military aircraft train on routes printed on this chart, often faster than 250 knots. Look for a gray line with a black label. This one is IR203. It runs down the Salinas Valley, about three miles from Salinas Airport. IR means the route is flown under IFR. VR means it is flown under VFR.

Four digits, like VR1257 near King City, mean no segment goes above 1,500 feet AGL. Three digits or fewer, like VR249 at Big Sur, mean at least one segment goes above 1,500 feet AGL. The arrow next to the label shows the direction of flight. On IR203, the aircraft fly northwest, toward Monterey Bay.

The chart shows only the centerline. It does not show the route width or the altitudes. FAA route data gives IR203 a width of six miles on each side here. Salinas Airport sits inside that width. You may fly through a route. Keep a sharp lookout, and ask Flight Service for the times, altitudes and width in use.

Now look west of Monterey. The magenta dotted line is the Contiguous U.S. ADIZ, an Air Defense Identification Zone. The zone lies on the ocean side of the line, about twenty miles off Monterey. To fly into it, file and activate a DVFR or IFR flight plan, keep two-way radio contact, and squawk an assigned code with altitude reporting.

On a DVFR flight, report your time, position and altitude before you cross the line.