Covington Municipal Removed From Class B Airspace In Latest Plan

The FAA has made some adjustments to it's proposed changes for Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, which will likely be good news for pilots operating in and out of Covington Municipal Airport (9A1) south of the city.

The changes remove the Class B designation from the airspace over the small airport, meaning pilots can operate from the airport without contacting ATC. There were concerns that pilots would start avoiding the airport if the restrictions were put in place.

The FAA is still looking at Class B restrictions in other areas around Hartsfield. After a 90 minute public meeting in Chamblee, GA Monday, FAA district manager for Georgia Brian Lentini said “Everything is open to analysis. We are not just doing this for show.”

The FAA is proposing to increase the Class B restrictions to accommodate traffic operating from Hartsfield's fifth runway, which opened in 2006. The proposal initially called for the Class B airspace to extend to a 35 mile radius around the airport. The latest proposal pulls that ring back to 30 miles, leaving 9A1 outside the Class B airspace. The Atlanta Journal Constitution reports that Dekalb-Peachtree (KPDK) aiport officials said that would still force business jets and other airplanes to fly longer at lower altitudes approaching their airport, increasing noise in the congested area north of Atlanta. KPDK is the state's second busiest airport. They also raised safety concerns.

The FAA plans another full day of public meetings Thursday in south Fulton County in Georgia.

FMI: www.faa.gov