Sun, Jan 11, 2004
TFRs and Pilots Relaxed
Pilots in Washington State and Oregon can now enjoy a slight
sigh of relief, now that some of the region's more intrusive TFR's
have been relaxed. Imposed after the September 11th terrorist
attacks, the flight restrictions affected a wide area covering:
- The Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Naval Station
Bremerton.
- The Naval Submarine Base Bangor.
- A weapons depot at Indian Island near Port Townsend.
- The aircraft carrier base at Everett (WA)
- The chemical weapons depot at Umatilla (OR)
The Pacific Northwest sites were among 11 restricted areas
nationwide that were shrunk this week to ease restrictions on
general aviation pilots. The recent changes are partly attributed
to action taken by state legislators concerned about he TFR's
drastic toll on aviation operations.
In a Dec. 16 letter to
Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, Washington Sens. Patty Murray
and Maria Cantwell said the FAA restrictions -- imposed at
Rumsfeld's request -- "cause operational, access and efficiency
challenges for civilian pilots." For example, "pilots can no longer
use the Columbia River as a navigation reference" without deviating
from normal flight paths, the lawmakers said. The restrictions also
made it harder to fly in and out of four airports in the Seattle
area and closed a seaplane base in Poulsbo, they said.
While the change come as great news to those pilots who have
long complained on the intrusiveness of the restrictions many
industry leaders are cautioning more changes are needed. "This is a
good first step, but it's only a first step," said Phil Boyer,
president of the AOPA. "All four of the Puget Sound (flight
restrictions) have created navigational nightmares for pilots in
the area." AOPA is also warning pilots to keep vigilant for these
remaining restrictions and plan their flights accordingly. "While
the restricted areas have been reduced in size, they were not
eliminated, "and pilots still have to beware," Boyer added
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