Narrative:

I decided to take a short local flight of the south mountain area to see if what we spotted from chimney rocks was the big flat towers. There were no clouds with unlimited viability and the national television media report that the national airspace had been reopened, with no mention of any VFR limitations. I had observed many GA aircraft flying on friday afternoon and during the day saturday. I always call flight service when there are WX considerations or when I'm flying to a distant airport, but when flying local within 10 to 15 NM of my home base in good VFR WX my experience has shown that I do need a briefing. I departed and flew southeast toward caledonia state park located near the intersection of route 30 and route 233. I had climbed to about 200 ft MSL and could see a south mountain restoration center. I proceeded south just below south mountain, PA, until I spotted the chimney rock formation. I made a couple of passes over the area and then turned north. As I flew north I could see that the towers we had seen that morning were definitely the towers at big flat. I arrived at big flat several minutes later and made two passes over the area at an altitude of approximately 2200 ft MSL. I then turned, and several mins later I reached the foot of the mountains just south of shippensburg, PA. At this time, about twenty mins into the flight. I heard an unidentified voice on the unicom frequency of 122.8 MHZ requesting that the aircraft, east of chambersburg, should contact harrisburg approach, because they had been trying to contact that aircraft. I proceed west and saw no other aircraft in the vicinity, so I changed to 124.1 MHZ and called harrisburg approach and identified my aircraft. They requested that I proceed directly to the chambersburg airport, and they gave me a phone number to call, upon landing. I proceed home and called approach and the land line. They took my name and informed me that flying was to be done only with an IFR flight plan and that the FAA would be calling me. I was very confused and perplexed. In my many years of flying I had never experienced a time when IFR flight only was issued during a cloudless unlimited visibility VFR day, and my decision to fly on 9/sat/01, was based on my past experience, and on the national news media reports I had heard. In the future it would seem prudent to request some sort of preflight briefing before all flight.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: CESSNA 185 PLT UNKNOWINGLY FLEW VFR WHEN ALL VFR FLTS HAD TEMPORARILY BEEN SUSPENDED DUE TO NATIONAL SECURITY.

Narrative: I DECIDED TO TAKE A SHORT LOCAL FLT OF THE S MOUNTAIN AREA TO SEE IF WHAT WE SPOTTED FROM CHIMNEY ROCKS WAS THE BIG FLAT TWRS. THERE WERE NO CLOUDS WITH UNLIMITED VIABILITY AND THE NATIONAL TELEVISION MEDIA RPT THAT THE NATIONAL AIRSPACE HAD BEEN REOPENED, WITH NO MENTION OF ANY VFR LIMITATIONS. I HAD OBSERVED MANY GA ACFT FLYING ON FRIDAY AFTERNOON AND DURING THE DAY SATURDAY. I ALWAYS CALL FLT SERVICE WHEN THERE ARE WX CONSIDERATIONS OR WHEN I'M FLYING TO A DISTANT ARPT, BUT WHEN FLYING LOCAL WITHIN 10 TO 15 NM OF MY HOME BASE IN GOOD VFR WX MY EXPERIENCE HAS SHOWN THAT I DO NEED A BRIEFING. I DEPARTED AND FLEW SE TOWARD CALEDONIA STATE PARK LOCATED NEAR THE INTERSECTION OF ROUTE 30 AND ROUTE 233. I HAD CLBED TO ABOUT 200 FT MSL AND COULD SEE A S MOUNTAIN RESTORATION CTR. I PROCEEDED S JUST BELOW S MOUNTAIN, PA, UNTIL I SPOTTED THE CHIMNEY ROCK FORMATION. I MADE A COUPLE OF PASSES OVER THE AREA AND THEN TURNED N. AS I FLEW N I COULD SEE THAT THE TWRS WE HAD SEEN THAT MORNING WERE DEFINITELY THE TWRS AT BIG FLAT. I ARRIVED AT BIG FLAT SEVERAL MINUTES LATER AND MADE TWO PASSES OVER THE AREA AT AN ALTITUDE OF APPROX 2200 FT MSL. I THEN TURNED, AND SEVERAL MINS LATER I REACHED THE FOOT OF THE MOUNTAINS JUST S OF SHIPPENSBURG, PA. AT THIS TIME, ABOUT TWENTY MINS INTO THE FLT. I HEARD AN UNIDENTIFIED VOICE ON THE UNICOM FREQ OF 122.8 MHZ REQUESTING THAT THE ACFT, E OF CHAMBERSBURG, SHOULD CONTACT HARRISBURG APCH, BECAUSE THEY HAD BEEN TRYING TO CONTACT THAT ACFT. I PROCEED WEST AND SAW NO OTHER ACFT IN THE VICINITY, SO I CHANGED TO 124.1 MHZ AND CALLED HARRISBURG APPROACH AND IDENTIFIED MY ACFT. THEY REQUESTED THAT I PROCEED DIRECTLY TO THE CHAMBERSBURG ARPT, AND THEY GAVE ME A PHONE NUMBER TO CALL, UPON LNDG. I PROCEED HOME AND CALLED APCH AND THE LAND LINE. THEY TOOK MY NAME AND INFORMED ME THAT FLYING WAS TO BE DONE ONLY WITH AN IFR FLT PLAN AND THAT THE FAA WOULD BE CALLING ME. I WAS VERY CONFUSED AND PERPLEXED. IN MY MANY YEARS OF FLYING I HAD NEVER EXPERIENCED A TIME WHEN IFR FLT ONLY WAS ISSUED DURING A CLOUDLESS UNLIMITED VISIBILITY VFR DAY, AND MY DECISION TO FLY ON 9/SAT/01, WAS BASED ON MY PAST EXPERIENCE, AND ON THE NATIONAL NEWS MEDIA RPTS I HAD HEARD. IN THE FUTURE IT WOULD SEEM PRUDENT TO REQUEST SOME SORT OF PREFLT BRIEFING BEFORE ALL FLT.

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.