Smaller Airfields Speak Out Against FAA Proposal
A proposal by the FAA to drop the
altitude where Class B airspace starts near ATL is drawing
complaints from residents near Covington Municipal Airport (9A1),
DeKalb-Peachtree (PDK) and Fulton County (FTY) airports in
GA. Concerns stem from increased noise due to lower jet
aircraft and safety concerns with smaller aircraft being confined
to a narrower band of low altitudes.
Although the airspace around ATL has not been changed since
1975, increasing traffic has become cumbersome for ATC.
Controllers complain that it is difficult to route inbound aircraft
that enter Class B airspace so that they do not exit Class B during
issued holds and other air traffic operations.
When a fifth runway opened in May 2006 to increase capacity, a
proposal to change the airspace came soon after. The new
rules would include lowering the floor on Class B up to by 4,000
feet in some areas to give ATC more options for routing planes.
"Traffic has increased and the Class B airspace has become too
small to contain the aircraft during high traffic volume," a 2008
FAA presentation about ATL airspace states. "Therefore the Class B
has become inefficient for the user and the controller."
New restrictions on airspace would be especially tough on
Covington as the city recently spent more than $8.8 million to
expand its airport. A committee charged with reviewing the FAA
proposals said the lowered airspace could adversely impact its
future as an effective satellite and reliever airport. They
recommended keeping the floor above Covington at 8,000 feet, and
implementing other measures to reduce negative effects on other
airports.
ATL Sectional
Covington City Manager Steve Horton recently discussed the
impact at 9A1, saying "With the 8,000 foot limit, (commercial
aircraft) can fly much higher over Covington, which means, in our
mind, less noise," said Horton. "If you push that down to 4,000,
that means more noise and more traffic congestion. That means all
the larger aircraft will be flying closer to the ground, which
tends to mean more noise and it forces general aviation to stay
below that limit."
Horton does understand the FAA's concerns and conceded, "Even
though we feel noise and congestion may be increased, those aspects
that we worry about may not be as serious as the issues the air
traffic controllers are dealing with. We're all about trying to
keep people from being hurt."
Locals will have a chance to debate the changes directly with
the FAA at a series of public meetings on February 25.
Presentations on the proposed rules will be shown at 3, 5, and 7pm
at Covington City Hall.
The FAA is also accepting comments by mail through April 3.
Comments should be sent to Mark Ward, Manager, Operations Support
Group, Eastern Service Area, Air Traffic Organization, Federal
Aviation Administration, P.O. Box 20636, Atlanta, GA 30320.