Generally all good news.

For Immediate Release
September 2, 2009
Contact: Laura Brown; Arlene Salac or Jim Peters
Phone: (202) 267-3883 or (718) 553-3015

FAA Announces Plan to Enhance Safety for New York Airspace


WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is planning to modify the airspace over the Hudson River by revising procedures to create safe, dedicated operating corridors for all the aircraft that fly at lower altitudes around Manhattan.

“The New York Airspace Task Force chartered on August 14 developed a comprehensive series of recommendations that we plan to implement as quickly as possible,” said FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt. “These steps will significantly enhance safety in this busy area and create crystal-clear rules for all of the pilots who operate there.”

The safety enhancements would restructure the airspace, mandate pilot operating rules, create a new entry point into the Hudson River airspace from Teterboro, standardize New York area charts and develop new training for pilots, air traffic controllers and businesses that operate helicopters and aircraft in the area.

One of the most significant changes, if adopted, would divide the airspace into altitude corridors that separate aircraft flying over the river from those operating to and from local heliports or seaplane bases.

Specifically, this new exclusionary zone would be comprised of three components:

It would establish a uniform “floor” for the Class B airspace over the Hudson River at 1,300 feet, which would also serve as the “ceiling” for the exclusionary zone.
Between 1,300-2,000 feet, it would require aircraft to operate in the Class B airspace under visual flight rules but under positive air traffic control, and to communicate on the appropriate air traffic frequency.
Between 1,000-1,300 feet, it would require aircraft using VFR to use a common radio frequency for the Hudson River. Aircraft operating below 1,000 feet would use the same radio frequency.
New pilot operating practices would require pilots to use specific radio frequencies for the Hudson River and the East River, would set speeds at 140 knots or less, and would require pilots to turn on anti-collision devices, position or navigation equipment and landing lights. They would also require pilots to announce when they enter the area and to report their aircraft description, location, direction and altitude.

Existing common practices that take pilots along the west shore of the river when they are southbound and along the east shore when they are northbound would become mandatory. In addition, pilots would be required to have charts available and to be familiar with the airspace rules.

The FAA also intends to propose standardized procedures for fixed-wing aircraft leaving Teterboro to enter the Class B airspace over the Hudson River or the exclusionary zone. If an aircraft plans to enter the Class B airspace, Teterboro controllers would request approval from Newark before the aircraft takes off and be authorized to climb the aircraft to 1,500 feet. Aircraft that want to enter the VFR exclusionary zone would be directed by a special route over the George Washington Bridge.

The FAA expects to complete and publish any changes in time to have them in effect by November 19, so that they can be incorporated on new, standardized aeronautical charts that will replace existing charts. The charts will highlight the Class B VFR corridor, encouraging more pilots to exercise the option to fly over the Hudson River under air traffic control, instead of entering the congested exclusionary zone.

Finally, the FAA intends to develop training programs specifically tailored for pilots, air traffic controllers and fixed-base operators to increase awareness of the options available in the Hudson River airspace, and better develop plans that enhance safety for the intended flight.

“We have reinforced how important it is to follow the recommended procedures and maintain professional conduct until we put the new mandatory measures in place,’’ said Administrator Babbitt. “These new safety steps incorporate the collective experience of pilots who fly in that airspace as well as our own air traffic controllers and the National Air Traffic Controllers Association. We all want the skies over New York to be as safe as they can be.”

The FAA chartered the New York Airspace Task Force on August 14 and proposed actions based on the group's August 28 report. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) issued independent recommendations on August 27 that were not used in the development of the task force's safety enhancements. The FAA's proposed actions meet or exceed the NTSB's recommendations.

###

AOPA ASF President Bruce Landsberg moderated a raucus public meeting 15 September to discuss the FAA working group's suggestions for the Hudson Corridor.

Most of the discussion was specific to the area, but one element of interest nationwide is the suggestion that the area be established as SFRA - Special Flight Rules Area -- requiring special training for flight.

A second suggestion that might have national implications is a proposed requirement that pilot be required to carry the Terminal Chart or Helicopter Chart when flying in the exclusion zone.

The exclusion zone was established in 1971. The recent tragedy was the first midair in the zone in forty five years.

Today, pilots, including students, are required to have area specific training to fly near Washington DC. This single accident will likely trigger New York specific training. The danger is that every time a politician screams about air safety in his district, a new SFRA and training will be required.

Review if you will the number of regulations we have to train our students. Tell me, truthfully, is it valuable to teach students about the frequency of battery replacement in an ELT? (This equipment is required as the result of a 1972 accident involving two congressmen.)

Knee-jerk regulation may result in other silly procedures. I know you all combat sloppy radio procedure at non-towered fields. The Hudson Corridor has its own CTAF with the same problems. The FAA working group described its hard work to develop procedures and mandatory reporting checkpoints that would work in both daylight and night-time. Five minutes later thay descibed mandatory CTAF transmission that include aircraft type, color, altitude, postion and direction. What value is it to know that traffic is a Eurocopter 120 or 130, or Agusta 139? Then they described mandatory color description. The group went wild. It was unclear that a description of green trim on a Cessna would help pilots discriminate the aircraft from one with blue trim. And at night?

The pilots all realized that there needs to be some procedure change, even if it's eyewash. The politicians are demanding it. The alternative is that the Hudson corridor will be eliminated altogether. If the whole Hudson is Class B, many pilots will be discouraged from one of the most scenic flights in the world. And taxpayers will probably have to support another twenty controllers to monitor the river (two positions 24x7x365).

It was fun to shout and clap at the meeting, but the real forum is the public comment on the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that will start today (16 September). The comment period will be short, so make sure you get in on the discussion. What isn't in writing will be ignored.

Robert
Frequent flyer on the Hudson Corridor
most recent flight 15 September 2009

Docket Operations
Federal Aviation Administration
Fax 202 493-2251

RE: [Docket No. FAA–2009–0837; Airspace Docket No. 09–AWA–2; Notice No. 09–11]

Dear Sir/Madam:
I am a Commercial Pilot based at Morristown NJ. I last flew the Hudson Corridor yesterday, 15 September 2009. I agree that additional measures can be taken to improve the safety of the Hudson Corridor. The proposed rule includes specific points that will decrease the safety of the airspace.

Communications:

The Hudson CTAF 123.05 is currently used by almost all pilots on the river. Making communication mandatory and eliminating slang will improve safety. So will elimination of tour operator business on the frequency, including fuel requests and passenger counts. The other requirements of the proposed rule will add to radio congestion and will not contribute to safety.

Aircraft Type

The proposed rule requires all aircraft to report type. Type is defined in FAR 1.1, and includes aircraft make and model. This is additional radio chatter and does not contribute to safety. It is of no interest to other pilots whether a helicopter is a Bell, Sikorsky, or Eurocopter. Describing the model as a 130 or 212 does not contribute to safety on the river.

The current practice, which is sufficient and superior, is to identify aircraft category or class, as defined in FAR 1.1. The description would be helicopter, airplane, or airship.

Color

Representatives of the rulemaking task force described at a public meeting held 15 September in Newark, New Jersey that the proposed rule was designed to work in both daylight and nighttime hours. A requirement to report color is extraneous. The predominant color for airplanes is white. They vary only in the color of stripes and trim. To require pilots to differentiate themselves by green stripes or blue stripes is specious. The color is irrelevant at night.

SFRA

Institution of a Special Flight Rules Area would require special training for every pilot in Corridor. As an FAA flight training provider, I see this will stimulate business in the short run, but will eventually constitute one more regulatory and training burden to pilots in the area. Insofar as there has been only one midair over the Hudson in 45 years, it is unclear that this increase in regulation is necessary.

The SFRA and training requirement will join the list of burdens already piled on the private pilot, such as the requirement to memorize the permitted life of a battery in an Emergency Locator Transmitter. This requirement became obligatory after the loss of Congressman Wade Boggs in 1972.

Robert Hadow
Chief Pilot

http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2009/E9-22344.htm

Please read and comment