Narrative:

The purpose of my flight was to fly near bergstrom, west/O entering the arsa or the bergstrom air traffic area, to see if it was possible to see from the air the sst on the ramp at bergstrom. After departing 3r3 on runway 36 (away from aus), I turned westbound and leveled off at approximately 1800'. I then switched to aus approach for that area, 118.8. My intention was to remain outside of the arsa and so unless traffic was heavy I was not going to contact approach, but I was going to monitor the frequency to aid me in picking up traffic. I began to turn southwest to circle the inner ring of the arsa. I heard the controller call out traffic for an airlines jet approaching aus. I looked for and found the jet well ahead of me (at least 4 NM), crossing from northwest to southeast. From the call I determined that I was the traffic being called to him. One of the calls reported the traffic to another aircraft as a flight of 3 fgt's. A # of fgt's are based at bergstrom and fgt's are often seen in the area. I made a mental note to be vigilant for these aircraft, especially since I intended to fly near bsm. I proceeded southwest and passed north of the intersection of hwys 360 and 183. This is an easy landmark to see from the air. I proceeded southbound and remained west of highway 360. Shortly before reaching the river the terrain becomes hilly and so I climbed to 2000'. The floor of the outer ring of the arsa on the west side is 2300', so I was still well below it. I changed to 119.0, which is the aus approach frequency for the area I was entering. I passed west of the tv towers, which are another prominent landmark and which are on the edge of the inner ring of the arsa. At about this time I noticed a flight of 3 jets at about my 2 O'clock passing west to east, about 5 NM or more away. They appeared to be heading toward bsm and they were moving fast enough that they quickly passed across my path and were never a factor. I heard the controller talking to what I thought was the flight of jets, but I did not pick up the call sign. The controller called an small aircraft as traffic to this aircraft and so I thought it was possible that he was calling me to the flight of jets. From partof the exchange it sounded as if the controller thought that the aircraft in question had violated the arsa. Since I was at all times outside of the arsa I then thought that he was talking about a different aircraft. I also believe the controller asked if the aircraft could read the tail # of the small aircraft. The aircraft the controller was talking to was on a different frequency, so I only heard the controller's xmissions. As I reached the area southwest of aus I began to turn to the east, following the freeway and remainng on the outside of it. I located bergstrom and I also located I-35. I maintained my altitude between 1900 and 2000'. As I was flying eastbound toward bsm I picked up the flight of 3 jets at my 12 O'clock and headed in my direction. The jets passed by approximately 1-2 mi north of me and slightly above my altitude. I then resumed my original course eastbound. At this point I was approaching I-35 and could see from this distance I would be unable to see anything on the ground at bsm. Given that and my encounter with the jets, I decided to terminate the flight and return to 3r3. I made a right turn of about 180 degrees and began flying back around the arsa. My altitude at this point was 1900'. I was always west of I-35 and south of highway 360, and still outside of the arsa. Flying northwest, I heard the controller call to the same call sign I had heard previously that the small aircraft he had reported to them earlier was now behind them. It was clear the controller believed that I had violated the arsa. In his report of my new course he stated, 'he's still an arsa violated!' I considered contacting approach to receive flight following. This would identify my aircraft to them and preclude any need for another pass by the jets. While nwbnd at 1900' southwest of aus, the flight of 3 jets returned to inspect me, passing sebnd well above my altitude and south or southwest (away from the city) of my position, farther from me than on their last pass. Clearly my decision to terminate the flight once I found that I was the object of interest of a flight of fgt's was a good one. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following: there has been no follow-up, and in spite of controller attitude, reporter is very sure he never violated the arsa. In future he would be sure to contact ATC to let them know his intentions. Never able to learn of even a temporary restr area being created.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: SMA PLT SIGHTSEEING NEAR AFB HAS FGT INTERCEPT ACTIVITY.

Narrative: THE PURPOSE OF MY FLT WAS TO FLY NEAR BERGSTROM, W/O ENTERING THE ARSA OR THE BERGSTROM ATA, TO SEE IF IT WAS POSSIBLE TO SEE FROM THE AIR THE SST ON THE RAMP AT BERGSTROM. AFTER DEPARTING 3R3 ON RWY 36 (AWAY FROM AUS), I TURNED WBND AND LEVELED OFF AT APPROX 1800'. I THEN SWITCHED TO AUS APCH FOR THAT AREA, 118.8. MY INTENTION WAS TO REMAIN OUTSIDE OF THE ARSA AND SO UNLESS TFC WAS HEAVY I WAS NOT GOING TO CONTACT APCH, BUT I WAS GOING TO MONITOR THE FREQ TO AID ME IN PICKING UP TFC. I BEGAN TO TURN SW TO CIRCLE THE INNER RING OF THE ARSA. I HEARD THE CTLR CALL OUT TFC FOR AN AIRLINES JET APCHING AUS. I LOOKED FOR AND FOUND THE JET WELL AHEAD OF ME (AT LEAST 4 NM), XING FROM NW TO SE. FROM THE CALL I DETERMINED THAT I WAS THE TFC BEING CALLED TO HIM. ONE OF THE CALLS RPTED THE TFC TO ANOTHER ACFT AS A FLT OF 3 FGT'S. A # OF FGT'S ARE BASED AT BERGSTROM AND FGT'S ARE OFTEN SEEN IN THE AREA. I MADE A MENTAL NOTE TO BE VIGILANT FOR THESE ACFT, ESPECIALLY SINCE I INTENDED TO FLY NEAR BSM. I PROCEEDED SW AND PASSED N OF THE INTXN OF HWYS 360 AND 183. THIS IS AN EASY LANDMARK TO SEE FROM THE AIR. I PROCEEDED SBND AND REMAINED W OF HWY 360. SHORTLY BEFORE REACHING THE RIVER THE TERRAIN BECOMES HILLY AND SO I CLBED TO 2000'. THE FLOOR OF THE OUTER RING OF THE ARSA ON THE W SIDE IS 2300', SO I WAS STILL WELL BELOW IT. I CHANGED TO 119.0, WHICH IS THE AUS APCH FREQ FOR THE AREA I WAS ENTERING. I PASSED W OF THE TV TWRS, WHICH ARE ANOTHER PROMINENT LANDMARK AND WHICH ARE ON THE EDGE OF THE INNER RING OF THE ARSA. AT ABOUT THIS TIME I NOTICED A FLT OF 3 JETS AT ABOUT MY 2 O'CLOCK PASSING W TO E, ABOUT 5 NM OR MORE AWAY. THEY APPEARED TO BE HDG TOWARD BSM AND THEY WERE MOVING FAST ENOUGH THAT THEY QUICKLY PASSED ACROSS MY PATH AND WERE NEVER A FACTOR. I HEARD THE CTLR TALKING TO WHAT I THOUGHT WAS THE FLT OF JETS, BUT I DID NOT PICK UP THE CALL SIGN. THE CTLR CALLED AN SMA AS TFC TO THIS ACFT AND SO I THOUGHT IT WAS POSSIBLE THAT HE WAS CALLING ME TO THE FLT OF JETS. FROM PARTOF THE EXCHANGE IT SOUNDED AS IF THE CTLR THOUGHT THAT THE ACFT IN QUESTION HAD VIOLATED THE ARSA. SINCE I WAS AT ALL TIMES OUTSIDE OF THE ARSA I THEN THOUGHT THAT HE WAS TALKING ABOUT A DIFFERENT ACFT. I ALSO BELIEVE THE CTLR ASKED IF THE ACFT COULD READ THE TAIL # OF THE SMA. THE ACFT THE CTLR WAS TALKING TO WAS ON A DIFFERENT FREQ, SO I ONLY HEARD THE CTLR'S XMISSIONS. AS I REACHED THE AREA SW OF AUS I BEGAN TO TURN TO THE E, FOLLOWING THE FREEWAY AND REMAINNG ON THE OUTSIDE OF IT. I LOCATED BERGSTROM AND I ALSO LOCATED I-35. I MAINTAINED MY ALT BTWN 1900 AND 2000'. AS I WAS FLYING EBND TOWARD BSM I PICKED UP THE FLT OF 3 JETS AT MY 12 O'CLOCK AND HEADED IN MY DIRECTION. THE JETS PASSED BY APPROX 1-2 MI N OF ME AND SLIGHTLY ABOVE MY ALT. I THEN RESUMED MY ORIGINAL COURSE EBND. AT THIS POINT I WAS APCHING I-35 AND COULD SEE FROM THIS DISTANCE I WOULD BE UNABLE TO SEE ANYTHING ON THE GND AT BSM. GIVEN THAT AND MY ENCOUNTER WITH THE JETS, I DECIDED TO TERMINATE THE FLT AND RETURN TO 3R3. I MADE A RIGHT TURN OF ABOUT 180 DEGS AND BEGAN FLYING BACK AROUND THE ARSA. MY ALT AT THIS POINT WAS 1900'. I WAS ALWAYS W OF I-35 AND S OF HWY 360, AND STILL OUTSIDE OF THE ARSA. FLYING NW, I HEARD THE CTLR CALL TO THE SAME CALL SIGN I HAD HEARD PREVIOUSLY THAT THE SMA HE HAD RPTED TO THEM EARLIER WAS NOW BEHIND THEM. IT WAS CLR THE CTLR BELIEVED THAT I HAD VIOLATED THE ARSA. IN HIS RPT OF MY NEW COURSE HE STATED, 'HE'S STILL AN ARSA VIOLATED!' I CONSIDERED CONTACTING APCH TO RECEIVE FLT FOLLOWING. THIS WOULD IDENT MY ACFT TO THEM AND PRECLUDE ANY NEED FOR ANOTHER PASS BY THE JETS. WHILE NWBND AT 1900' SW OF AUS, THE FLT OF 3 JETS RETURNED TO INSPECT ME, PASSING SEBND WELL ABOVE MY ALT AND S OR SW (AWAY FROM THE CITY) OF MY POS, FARTHER FROM ME THAN ON THEIR LAST PASS. CLEARLY MY DECISION TO TERMINATE THE FLT ONCE I FOUND THAT I WAS THE OBJECT OF INTEREST OF A FLT OF FGT'S WAS A GOOD ONE. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING: THERE HAS BEEN NO FOLLOW-UP, AND IN SPITE OF CTLR ATTITUDE, RPTR IS VERY SURE HE NEVER VIOLATED THE ARSA. IN FUTURE HE WOULD BE SURE TO CONTACT ATC TO LET THEM KNOW HIS INTENTIONS. NEVER ABLE TO LEARN OF EVEN A TEMPORARY RESTR AREA BEING CREATED.

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.