But FAA Says Skydive Elsinore Is Not Inhibiting Firefighting Operations

Questions have been raised about a skydiving operation that conducts flights out of Slylark Airport (7B6) by a community group which claims that the skydiving aircraft may be interfering with efforts to fight the Holy Fire in the Cleveland National Forest.

City News Service reports that the FAA initiated an investigation after the group, which runs a social media page "What's Up Lake Elsinore" questioned why Skydive Elsinore was continuing to operate while firefighting aircraft were scooping water out of the lake to fight the 22,000-acre wildfire threatening homes in the area.

But FAA spokesman Ian Gregor told City News Service that a Cal Fire captain said the skydiving flights were not interfering with the firefighting effort. "They were always cooperative," Gregor said. "He said the skydiving company ceased operations to accommodate the fire crews while they were scooping from the lake."

Skydive Elsinore general manager Josh Hall told City News Service that they were staying out of the way of the firefighting aircraft. "If we were inhibiting them, they could shut us down,” Hall said. "But the air boss has been thankful and told us we were easy to work with."

Hall said that the company's pilots have been mindful of the TFR in effect over much of the Cleveland National Forest southeast of Los Angeles. The lake is not covered by the TFR, and Hall said the company's aircraft are staying five miles southeast of the lake. He said that if they were asked to cease operations, they would do so without question, and the airport, which has only a dirt runway, would stand ready to assist in the firefighting effort if asked, as it has in the past.

Gregor said the FAA will continue to monitor what is going on within the TFR, and would speak to the Skydive Elsinore staff to re-emphasize the need to ensure the safety of the firefighting aircraft.

(Map provided by the National Wildfire Coordinating Group)

FMI: Source report, www.nwcg.gov