"There Is No Logic..."
The Aircraft Owners and
Pilots Association believes the Federal Aviation Administration is
being shortsighted as the agency decides whether or not to
decommission two heavily used VOR radio navigation aids (navaids)
in southern New England.
The agency is considering decommissioning the Providence (PVD)
Vortac at T.F. Green Airport in Rhode Island and Bradley (BDL)
Vortac at Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks,
Connecticut. In both cases, the VORs have to be shut down because
of airport construction.
The FAA believes it can save money by not relocating and
reactivating the navaids.
"There is no logic to
decommissioning two VORs that define heavily-traveled airways and
instrument approaches into busy airports with little notice and
comment from the user community," said Andy Cebula, AOPA senior
vice president of Government and Technical Affairs. "In fact, the
two VORs support 10 Victor airways and 16 instrument approach
procedures into several airports in the region – not just
Bradley and T.F. Green."
In a letter to the FAA opposing the proposal, AOPA said that it
is "seriously concerned that isolated local studies to decommission
traditional ground-based navigation aids based simply on the local
need to relocate the VOR on the airfield could have significant
negative effects on the National Airspace System … The
proposal provides no indication of how the FAA intends to replace
existing en route and instrument approach services to users, or how
users would continue to access Bradley, T.F. Green, and surrounding
airports without the use of these navigation aids."
AOPA asked the FAA to extend the comment period to allow
"impacted pilots and airport users the opportunity to provide the
FAA with important information regarding the impact that these
possible decommissionings will have on air traffic safety and
efficiency."
In AOPA's opinion, the FAA did not provide enough notice or time
for public comment.
"There have been other cases in which the FAA has looked at the
cost savings from decommissioning a ground-based navaid without
considering the larger impacts on the system," said Cebula. "AOPA
is the leading advocate for transitioning to satellite-based
navigation, but it must be done in a systematic, logical way. You
can't just turn off VORs when circumstances present an
opportunity.
"The VOR decommissioning should not be confused with the FAA's
effort to identify no-longer-needed NDB approaches –
something that AOPA has not opposed," he continued. "Canceling some
redundant, little-used NDB approaches – after a careful
review and considered comments from users – makes sense. It
will save money without jeopardizing pilot safety. "
The more-than-404,000 members of AOPA make up the world's
largest civil aviation association. AOPA is committed to ensuring
the continued viability, growth, and development of aviation and
airports in the United States. These airports are a vital and
critical component of a national transportation system.