Sun, Jan 11, 2004
TFRs and Pilots Relaxed
Pilots in Washington State and Oregon can now enjoy a slight
sigh of relief, now that some of the region's more intrusive TFR's
have been relaxed. Imposed after the September 11th terrorist
attacks, the flight restrictions affected a wide area covering:
- The Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Naval Station
Bremerton.
- The Naval Submarine Base Bangor.
- A weapons depot at Indian Island near Port Townsend.
- The aircraft carrier base at Everett (WA)
- The chemical weapons depot at Umatilla (OR)
The Pacific Northwest sites were among 11 restricted areas
nationwide that were shrunk this week to ease restrictions on
general aviation pilots. The recent changes are partly attributed
to action taken by state legislators concerned about he TFR's
drastic toll on aviation operations.
In a Dec. 16 letter to
Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, Washington Sens. Patty Murray
and Maria Cantwell said the FAA restrictions -- imposed at
Rumsfeld's request -- "cause operational, access and efficiency
challenges for civilian pilots." For example, "pilots can no longer
use the Columbia River as a navigation reference" without deviating
from normal flight paths, the lawmakers said. The restrictions also
made it harder to fly in and out of four airports in the Seattle
area and closed a seaplane base in Poulsbo, they said.
While the change come as great news to those pilots who have
long complained on the intrusiveness of the restrictions many
industry leaders are cautioning more changes are needed. "This is a
good first step, but it's only a first step," said Phil Boyer,
president of the AOPA. "All four of the Puget Sound (flight
restrictions) have created navigational nightmares for pilots in
the area." AOPA is also warning pilots to keep vigilant for these
remaining restrictions and plan their flights accordingly. "While
the restricted areas have been reduced in size, they were not
eliminated, "and pilots still have to beware," Boyer added
More News
Hold Procedure A predetermined maneuver which keeps aircraft within a specified airspace while awaiting further clearance from air traffic control. Also used during ground operatio>[...]
Altitude Readout An aircraft’s altitude, transmitted via the Mode C transponder feature, that is visually displayed in 100-foot increments on a radar scope having readout cap>[...]
Aero Linx: European Hang Gliding and Paragliding Union (EHPU) The general aim of the EHPU is to promote and protect hang gliding and paragliding in Europe. In order to achieve this>[...]
Also: Skydio Chief, Uncle Sam Sues, Dash 7 magniX, OR UAS Accelerator US Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall was given a turn around the patch in the 'X-62A Variable In-flight>[...]
"The need for innovation at speed and scale is greater than ever. The X-62A VISTA is a crucial platform in our efforts to develop, test and integrate AI, as well as to establish AI>[...]