COMMERCIAL | ATC
By Keith M. Cianfrani
Clear as Mud?
Earlier this year I attended a FAASTeam seminar regarding the new airspace requirements in the New York exclusion areas.
It was held at Flying W Airport (N14)
in Lumberton, N.J. There were approximately 200 pilots in attendance, mostly
fixed-wing, with a hand full of helicopter
pilots who fly in the New York area.
The presenter reviewed the changes
but when faced with questions about the
new rules and some of the new problems that could be present, he really did
not have a command knowledge of the
subject. This created much confusion on
just how the airspace is to be managed. In
some cases it raises more questions and
creates more confusion.
What I did get out of it is there is much
more to know than just altitude restrictions. These new requirements, which
went into effect in November 2009, stem
from14 CFR part 71 and 93. This Special
Flight Rules Area (SFRA) is designed to
enhance flight safety. Let’s look at the specifics of flying through that area.
When flying south in the corridor, the
entrance point is at the “Alpine Tower”
in New Jersey, just north of the George
Washington bridge (GWB) and it ends
at the Verrazano-Narrows bridge (VB).
It is the opposite when flying north. The
mandatory reporting points are Goldman
Sacks, The Intrepid, GWB, Alpine Tower,
Verrazano-Narrows bridge, and the Stat-
ue of Liberty. Standardized language is
also a requirement. Acronyms are used
instead of the phonetic alphabet. The
use of the term “The Lady” is no longer
used for describing the Statue of Liberty.
If you have a GPS, it would be a good idea
to program the coordinates of Alpine
Tower. Maximum speed is 140 knots and
position lights are required to be on. All
aircraft are required to self-announce on
123.05 for Hudson River Exclusion with
type aircraft, position, direction of flight,
and altitude. The transponder should be
set at 1200. The FAA also recommends
reviewing the airspace changes on its
website and even test to review these
changes.
