[JYO] First break for VFR pilots - Some of the GA 41,000 will be freed Monday

First break for VFR pilots

Some of the GA 41,000 will be freed Monday
Updated: 10/12/2001 10:30:19 PM ET — The FAA tonight announced that some 
enhanced Class B (ECB) airspace areas will be opened to limited general 
aviation (Part 91) VFR operations beginning on Monday. 

“The first of the GA 41,000 can escape!” said AOPA President Phil Boyer. “
City by city, airplane by airplane, we’re taking whatever we can get, and 
then pushing for more.” 

FAA’s action is in large part a credit to the efforts by AOPA members, Boyer 
said. Pilots’ calls to Congress have helped to keep FAA and DOT focused on 
restoring VFR flight privileges. And after reopening Reagan National Airport, 
FAA did pledge that restoring Class B operations would be the next priority. 

FAA is expected to issue a notam Saturday afternoon (that would become 
effective Monday) that would permit VFR operations in the enhanced Class B 
areas in Houston, Texas; Kansas City, Missouri; Memphis, Tennessee; New 
Orleans, Louisiana; St. Louis, Missouri. An additional ten ECBs are expected 
to be opened within the next few days (see listing below). This phased-in 
approach follows AOPA’s suggestions that operations be permitted first in 
those areas with less critical national infrastructure. 

AOPA expects that the notam will: 

- Limit VFR flight in enhanced Class B to aircraft weighing 6,000 pounds or 
less. That would be consistent with existing rules on
training flights in ECB. 
- Require that aircraft exit and enter the ECB via the most direct route 
possible. 
- Require aircraft to have an operating transponder with encoding altimeter 
(Mode C). Waivers may be granted for non-transponder equipped aircraft.
- Require all flights in ECB to monitor the “guard” frequency of 121.5. 
Pilots must check the latest notams and verify airspace  status prior to 
flight. 

FAA will issue additional notams that will permit similar VFR operations in 
ECB at Dallas, Texas; Cleveland, Ohio; Honolulu, Hawaii; Minneapolis, 
Minnesota; Phoenix, Arizona, on Tuesday, and then Seattle, Washington; 
Cincinnati, Ohio; Charlotte, North Carolina; Salt Lake City, Utah; Tampa, 
Florida, on Wednesday . 

Certain specialty operations, such as banner towing, news and traffic 
reporting, blimps and airships, and sightseeing are still prohibited — at the 
moment — from operating in ECB. However, AOPA has learned that the FAA plans 
to issue a special rule to permit these operations in ECB with added security 
measures and protected parking as part of the new requirements. 

Meanwhile, plans to open the remaining 15 ECB areas are under way, but no 
timelines have been established yet. 

“We won’t rest until the last VFR aircraft is flying,” said Boyer. “We 
know 
some things will change, but our goal is to restore all general aviation 
operations to where we were before the attack while maintaining reasonable 
levels of security.” 

Friday afternoon, senior AOPA staff attended a meeting on groundside security 
that may eventually play a role in the release of the second group of ECB 
areas. Andrew V. Cebula, Senior Vice President of Government and Technical 
Affairs, discussed interventions that would enable VFR operations in those 
areas with FAA security officials. 

Using the <A 
HREF="http://www.aopa.org/whatsnew/newsitems/2001/011011security.html";>recommendations
 developed by AOPA</A>, Cebula told the FAA that "while 
pilots are open to new security requirements, they must be practical and 
operationally feasible." 

AOPA understands that security at the airports inside these ECB areas will be 
key to the return to VFR operations. 

"This is a great step forward,” said Boyer. “And it proves what we said at 
the beginning; the return of flight privileges will be a step-by-step 
process. But we will get everyone flying again.” [See also <A 
HREF="http://www.faa.gov/apa/pr/pr.cfm?id=1428";>FAA's news release</A>
.]

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