Smaller Airfields Speak Out Against FAA Proposal

A proposal by the FAA to drop the altitude where Class B airspace starts near ATL is drawing complaints from residents near Covington Municipal Airport (9A1), DeKalb-Peachtree (PDK) and Fulton County (FTY) airports in GA.  Concerns stem from increased noise due to lower jet aircraft and safety concerns with smaller aircraft being confined to a narrower band of low altitudes.

Although the airspace around ATL has not been changed since 1975, increasing traffic has become cumbersome for ATC.  Controllers complain that it is difficult to route inbound aircraft that enter Class B airspace so that they do not exit Class B during issued holds and other air traffic operations.

When a fifth runway opened in May 2006 to increase capacity, a proposal to change the airspace came soon after.  The new rules would include lowering the floor on Class B up to by 4,000 feet in some areas to give ATC more options for routing planes.

"Traffic has increased and the Class B airspace has become too small to contain the aircraft during high traffic volume," a 2008 FAA presentation about ATL airspace states. "Therefore the Class B has become inefficient for the user and the controller."

New restrictions on airspace would be especially tough on Covington as the city recently spent more than $8.8 million to expand its airport. A committee charged with reviewing the FAA proposals said the lowered airspace could adversely impact its future as an effective satellite and reliever airport. They recommended keeping the floor above Covington at 8,000 feet, and implementing other measures to reduce negative effects on other airports.

ATL Sectional

Covington City Manager Steve Horton recently discussed the impact at 9A1, saying "With the 8,000 foot limit, (commercial aircraft) can fly much higher over Covington, which means, in our mind, less noise," said Horton. "If you push that down to 4,000, that means more noise and more traffic congestion. That means all the larger aircraft will be flying closer to the ground, which tends to mean more noise and it forces general aviation to stay below that limit."

Horton does understand the FAA's concerns and conceded, "Even though we feel noise and congestion may be increased, those aspects that we worry about may not be as serious as the issues the air traffic controllers are dealing with. We're all about trying to keep people from being hurt."

Locals will have a chance to debate the changes directly with the FAA at a series of public meetings on February 25.  Presentations on the proposed rules will be shown at 3, 5, and 7pm at Covington City Hall. 

The FAA is also accepting comments by mail through April 3. Comments should be sent to Mark Ward, Manager, Operations Support Group, Eastern Service Area, Air Traffic Organization, Federal Aviation Administration, P.O. Box 20636, Atlanta, GA 30320.

FMI: www.faa.gov