Here We Go Again....
At the request of the
U.S. Secret Service, the FAA will implement airspace
restrictions in Georgia from June 6-10, 2004, before and during the
G8 Summit.
The G8 Summit will be held at Sea Island, GA from June 8-10,
2004. Before and during the summit, the President of the
United States and a number of world leaders will arrive in the area
for the summit meetings. Because the event has been designated a
National Special Security Event, the United States Secret Service
is the lead agency in charge of security design, planning and
implementation.
To ensure the airspace is secure during this event, airspace
restrictions will be in place around Sea Island and Savannah, GA.
The restrictions are designed to provide a safe and secure
environment for the summit, but also to ensure fair and equitable
access to all airspace users to the greatest extent possible.
The restrictions will allow commercial flight operations to
continue and are designed to minimize the impact on private
pilots.
Two Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) areas are part of the
summit airspace security measures. Each includes a 10-nautical-mile
inner ring with a special set of restrictions, and a 30-or
40-nautical-mile outer ring with another set of restrictions.
Hunter Army Airfield near Savannah is at the center of the
30-nautical-mile restricted area, and McKinnon Airport on Saint
Simons Island is at the center of the 40-nautical-mile ring.
The only two airports that will officially close during the
summit are McKinnon Airport and Jekyll Island Airport.
Brunswick/Golden Isles Airport and Savannah/Hilton Head
International Airport will allow only approved commercial passenger
and cargo flights.
The only aircraft
permitted to operate, overfly and land or depart within the 10-mile
ring are: law enforcement and military aircraft supporting the U.S.
Secret Service; emergency services; and regularly scheduled
commercial passenger and cargo flights that meet or exceed federal
security standards and are arriving to or departing from an airport
with an approved federal security program.
In the airspace between the 10-mile ring and the 30- or 40-mile
rings, the only general aviation aircraft that will be authorized
to fly are those departing or landing at an airport in that outer
ring.
All aircraft that receive authorization to fly within the TFRs
will be required to operate on an active Instrument or Visual
Flight Rules flight plan that is filed directly with an FAA
Automated Flight Service Station, must use a discrete transponder
code assigned by FAA Air Traffic Control (ATC) and must remain in
continuous two-way communication with ATC.
Operations that are prohibited within the TFRs are: flight
training, practice instrument approaches, aerobatic flight,
gliders, parachute operations, ultralights, hang gliders, hot air
balloons, agriculture/crop dusting, animal population control
flight operations, banner towing operations, seaplanes, utility
line/pipe inspection flights, media aircraft, and commercial cargo
carrier operations that fail to meet federal security
standards.