C172 DEPARTING GAI IS INFORMED OF POSSIBLE ADIZ VIOLATION BY PCT ATC.

Narrative

THIS WAS AN ADIZ FLT OUT OF GAITHERSBURG AIRPARK IN MONTGOMERY COUNTY; MD; TO HANOVER ARPT IN THE RICHMOND; VA. IN ORDER TO AVOID DULLES CLASS B AIRSPACE; I FLEW FROM GAITHERSBURG TOWARD LEESBURG; VA; AND THEN SSW UNTIL CLR OF DULLES AIRSPACE. I HAVE FLOWN APPROX 7 ADIZ FLTS IN 2003. ON THIS DAY; I WAS FLYING A CESSNA 172. I FOLLOWED THE SAME PROCS USED IN MY PREVIOUS ADIZ FLTS. FIRST; I FILED AN ADIZ FLT PLAN WITH FSS. CASANOVA VOR WAS GIVEN AS MY ADIZ EXIT POINT. TO THE BEST OF MY RECOLLECTION. I GAVE XA35 LCL AS MY ESTIMATED DEP TIME. AFTER PREFLTING THE PLANE; I CONTACTED POTOMAC CLRNC ON 121.6 GIVING MY TAIL NUMBER; LOCATION; AND REQUEST. I WAS IMMEDIATELY ASSIGNED A SQUAWK CODE AND GIVEN A FREQ FOR POTOMAC DEP (128.7). TO THE BEST OF MY RECOLLECTION; I DEPARTED AT XA50 LCL AND HEADED DIRECTLY FOR LEESBURG REMAINING UNDER 1500 FT AGL TO STAY UNDER DULLES AIRSPACE. DEP WAS QUITE BUSY WITH COMMERCIAL TFC; AND I HAD TRAVELED CLOSE TO 10 MI BEFORE CONTACTING DEP DUE TO THE TFC ON THE FREQ. I RPTED MY TAIL NUMBER; LOCATION; ALT; AND THAT I WAS VFR. THE CTLR ACKNOWLEDGED THE CALL AND ADVISED ME TO CONTACT ATC ON 119.XX(?) TO 'LET THEM KNOW WHAT I WAS DOING.' I ASKED FOR CONFIRMATION OF THE FREQ AND THEN MADE THE CALL; RPTING AGAIN AS I DID ON THE ORIGINAL FREQ. I DON'T BELIEVE THAT MY CALL WAS ACKNOWLEDGED. I REMAINED ON THE NEW FREQ AS I HEADED S FROM LEESBURG. I RECEIVED NO COMS AS I APCHED AND THEN PASSED THE ADIZ BOUNDARY. I RADIOED ATC; BUT THE SIGNAL WAS WEAK AND I GOT NO RESPONSE. INCIDENTALLY; I NOTICED AT THIS TIME THAT THOUGH I HEARD THE PLT'S SIDE OF THE XMISSIONS; I WAS NOT THEN PICKING UP THE ATC SIDE OF THE COMS. ASSUMING THAT I WAS OUT OF RANGE FOR THIS FREQ; I CONTACTED FSS AND EXPLAINED THAT I HAD NOT RECEIVED AUTH TO SQUAWK VFR AND ASKED FOR A FREQ ON WHICH TO CONTACT ATC. I WAS GIVEN 124.65 AND MADE A CALL EXPLAINING THE SIT. THE CTLR REMARKED THAT THEY HAD BEEN WATCHING ME; BUT THAT I WAS 'NOT IN THE SYS.' I WAS THEN TOLD TO CALL FAA AFTER LNDG TO RPT THE SIT; AS AN ADIZ VIOLATION HAD OCCURRED. I WAS THEN AUTH TO SQUAWK VFR AND PROCEEDED ON MY WAY. IN RETROSPECT; I SHOULD HAVE GONE BACK TO THE ORIGINAL FREQ FOR CLARIFICATION WHEN MY CALL TO THE SECOND FREQ WAS NOT ACKNOWLEDGED. A CONTRIBUTING FACTOR IN THE CONTEXT OF THE ADIZ ENVIRONMENT IS THAT ATC IS DEALING WITH MANY PLTS WHO HAVE VERY LIMITED DEALINGS WITH ATC. RELATED TO THIS IS THAT THERE IS CONFUSION ABOUT THE NATURE OF THE ADIZ PROCESS. IS ATC 'CTLING' VFR PLTS IN ADIZ AREAS? IS A 'CLRNC' NECESSARY TO ENTER THE ADIZ AFTER A CODE HAS BEEN ASSIGNED? CTLRS ARE NOT CONSISTENT WITH THEIR LANGUAGE ON THIS. I HAVE PERSONALLY EXPERIENCED; AND HAVE HEARD ANECDOTALLY FROM OTHERS; CASES WHERE A CTLR ASSIGNS A CODE; BUT DOES NOT EXPLICITLY AUTH ENTRY INTO THE ADIZ. A CALL TO CLARIFY PRODUCES ANNOYANCE ON THE PART OF A BUSY CTLR; WHO REMARKS THAT CLRNC IS NOT REQUIRED AND ASSIGNMENT OF A CODE; IS THE AUTH TO ENTER THE ADIZ. OTHER CTLRS HAVE CONTRADICTED THIS. THESE UNCERTAINTIES PLACE NON-INST RATED PLTS IN DIFFICULT SITS. THOUGH THIS IS NOT THE PROB IN THE IMMEDIATE CASE; UNCERTAINTY OF THE ADIZ PROCS DID CONTRIBUTE TO THE IMMEDIATE PROB. I BELIEVED THAT WHEN I CONTACTED DEP AND WAS ACKNOWLEDGED THAT I HAD FULLY COMPLIED WITH THE ADIZ REQUIREMENTS. FROM MY UNDERSTANDING; I AM NOT BEING CTLED IN THE TECHNICAL SENSE WHILE IN THE ADIZ; I UNDERSTAND THAT IT IS MORE AKIN TO FLT FOLLOWING. AT ANY RATE; ONCE I HAD ESTABLISHED CONTACT; THE NEXT THING I ANTICIPATED WAS BEING RELEASED OUT OF THE ADIZ AND PERMITTED TO SQUAWK VFR. SINCE I WAS TOLD TO 'CHK IN' WITH THE NEW CTLR; I DID NOT NECESSARILY EXPECT TO RECEIVE ANY COM FROM HIM/HER UNTIL I EXITED THE ADIZ. TO SUMMARIZE; I THINK ATC IS UNREALISTIC AS TO FACILITY WITH WHICH THEY EXPECT VFR PLTS TO HAVE WITHIN THE ATC ENVIRONMENT AND SHOULD BE CLRER WITH INSTRUCTIONS. SECONDLY; THE ADIZ PROGRESS IS NOT BEING UNIFORMLY APPLIED BY ATC AND IS CREATING UNNECESSARY CONFUSION AMONG THE PLTS. THESE FACTORS CONTRIBUTED TO THE PROB IN THIS CASE.