Specific NOTAMs Will Follow For The Event
OK, OK, we know it's
early. We're all thinking about summer in Wisconsin, and Washington
(DC) is thinking about winter in Washington (state). But forewarned
is forearmed, right? And it'll be winter before you know it. So, at
the request of the Department of Homeland Security and Department
of Defense, FAA will implement airspace security measures for the
Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics and Paralympics Games in February
and March 2010. These flight restrictions in northwest Washington
State will complement Canadian restrictions and procedures on the
other side of the border.
The restrictions will coincide with the opening and closing of
the Athlete Villages in Vancouver and Whistler, British Columbia,
scheduled for January 29, 2010, and March 24, 2010.
The FAA will publish a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) with the
specific restrictions and may issue additional NOTAMs. Pilots
should check NOTAMs frequently for this area.
The 17 page document deals largely with Canadian airspace. For
pilots in the U.S. the following preliminary restrictions were
published Friday:
All aircraft flight operations are prohibited from the surface
to but not including 18,000 MSL, within (the bounded area) except
as specified below.
- All aircraft operating with this TFR are limited to aircraft
arriving or departing local airfields. Aircraft may not
loiter.
- All aircraft entering or exiting the TFR must be on an active
IFR or VFR flight plan and must be assigned a discrete beacon code
by an Air Traffic Control (ATC) facility and be squawking that code
prior to departing within or entering the TFR.
- Approved emergency/life saving flight (air ambulance/law
enforcement/firefighting), military operations and other approved
operations must call a phone number provided in the published NOTAM
prior to operating within the TFR.
- Aircraft must remain in two-way communications with ATC at all
times within the TFR.
All waivers are temporarily suspended during the time of this
NOTAM except for ELO, GOV and SPO waivers.
The following operations are not authorized within this TFR:
flight training, practice instrument approaches, aerobatic flight,
glider operations, parachute operations, ultralight, hang gliding,
balloon operations, agriculture/crop dusting, animal population
control flight operations, banner towing operations, model aircraft
operations, model rocketry, and Unmanned Aircraft Systems
(UAS).