The Protected Areas Database-Aviation (PAD-Aviation) is a subset of the
more comprehensive PAD-US v1.1 (CBI Edition). In cooperation with the
US Air Force, other military branches, defense contractors, and
protected areas specialist PAD-Aviation was tailored to include
designations identified as sensitive or potentially sensitive to
aircraft over-flight. Avoidance of airspace over various sensitive
areas (including many designated protected areas) is mandated by public
law, including Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulations and
Department of Defense (DoD) Service Branch regulations. Until now,
aviators used a variety of sources to help them identify these areas.
Sectional charts, Flight Information Publications (FLIP), Notice to
Airman (NOTAMS), and the Managed Areas Database (MAD) are among the
resources available to aviators for pre-flight planning and in-flight
avoidance. Because of the cumbersome nature of this approach and the
lack of a national standard, numerous errors have been made resulting in
civil and fiscal penalties and numerous public complaints.