A recent episode involving two civilian airplanes in an active military operations area should be a reminder there are times we really shouldn’t be there.

By Joseph E. (Jeb) Burnside

The military operations area, or MOA, is the Rodney Dangerfield of special use airspace (SUA): It doesn’t get any respect. Part of the reason few pilots pay much attention to whether a MOA is hot or not is VFR operations are allowed—at our own risk—in an active MOA. This is much different from a MOA’s more-serious brethren, the restricted or prohibited areas, or even the temporary flight restriction. That doesn’t mean punching through an active MOA is a good idea. …