A special message to AOPA members in the Washington, D.C., and New York City areas. ==> ATTENTION PILOTS <== FAA ALLOWS PATTERN WORK AT TOWERED ADIZ AIRPORTS DURING TEST PERIOD AOPA is sending you this message to let you know that the FAA will conduct a large-scale test this weekend to simplify flight training and air traffic control workload in the Washington, D.C., and New York City air defense identification zones. The agency today issued a notam allowing pilots operating at all towered airports in the ADIZ areas to use, without filing a flight plan, a special transponder code, 1234, for closed traffic pattern operations only. Pilots will make their request for closed pattern work prior to taxiing and will squawk 1234 continuously. The test period runs from 6 a.m. local on Saturday, March 29, until 8 p.m. local on Sunday, March 30. See the notam ( http://www.aopa.org/whatsnew/notams.html#3/2468 ). The notam is the direct result of a successful FAA test that occurred last weekend at three towered airports, each located in the Washington and New York ADIZ areas, using AOPA's suggestion of a special transponder code. AOPA and the FAA had hoped to permit use of the 1234 code at both towered and nontowered airports in the ADIZ areas, but the Department of Defense and U.S. Customs Service, which are responsible for patrolling the areas, balked at the idea. "While this is better than nothing, we still need better operational procedures on a broader scale," said Andy Cebula, an AOPA senior vice president. Pilots are reminded that prior to exiting the traffic pattern and conducting other flight operations within the ADIZ areas, they must, in addition to establishing two-way radio communications with controllers, file a flight plan with a flight service station and obtain and continuously transmit an ATC-assigned discrete transponder code. Download AOPA's checklist for ADIZ operations ( http://www.aopa.org/whatsnew/newsitems/2003/031403_check.pdf ) or see a list of frequently asked questions ( http://www.aopa.org/whatsnew/notams.html#3/2126_qna ) for additional ADIZ information. AOPA advises pilots to check with flight service before flying to get the most current airspace information.