By Jim Timm
DECEMBER 2013
Fall is here and flying has been great! With the fly in’s and other flying events taking place, it’s difficult to decide which to take in with everything that's happening. It was good to have had the opportunity to visit with many of you that stopped by the APA and RAF display at the recent Copperstate Fly In at Casa Grande. I would guess that we must be coming out of the recession because there was an excellent turnout of aircraft for the event. Everyone I spoke with indicated flying in to the event was not a problem, in spite of the fact they didn’t have a temporary FAA tower operating. Everyone seemed to follow the recommended procedures that had been published and it all went well. The weather for the event was excellent and there were no accidents reported. According to the preliminary reports that I have received, the attendance was up a bit from last year and the event didn’t run into the red financially.
Some time back we covered the developing interest in the use of UAVs’, or Drones. The general interest in them appears to be increasing at an alarming rate with possible applications ranging from commercial to law enforcement. Along with this increased commercial and law enforcement interest, there are growing privacy concerns and flight safety concerns. On the privacy side of the issue, I found it interesting and a bit amusing that the little town of Deer Trail, Colorado considered an ordinance that would authorize licensed bounty hunters to shoot down unmanned aircraft violating its “sovereign airspace.” According to the proposed ordinance, prospective bounty hunters could get a one-year drone-hunting license for $25 and there was also a proposed bounty schedule for turning in downed UAV parts and the ordinance even spelled out the rules of engagement. It didn’t take the FAA long to point out to them that the FAA controls the airspace over Deer Creek and shooting down UAVs’ could be against the law. The last thing I saw was that the town had sold over 1000 Drone Hunting Licenses. If they were serious or not, it was a financial success for the town. Besides, how many people can boast of having a UAV hunting license! On a much more serious note however, many of us in the aviation community are very concerned about who will be in control of these UAVs’, where they will be allowed to fly, and what measures will be taken to prevent collision with manned aircraft. Presently smaller UAVs, are being tested and flown in the R2310 Restricted Area located north of Florence. It probably would be prudent to not fly very close to the boundaries of the area and certainly don't fly thru it. The FAA has been charged with identifying six test locations in the US for evaluating the safe integration of UAVs’ into the national airspace system. At least two sites are being proposed for Arizona. Time is running out and I question if they will meet this date, based on their past performance and the cutbacks they have been having. When asked about the December deadline, the response I got was. “the whole process has become very political” and no further comment. So I guess we will have to wait and see what happens.
Last month we announced that a block of northern Arizona airspace would be transferred to the PHX TRACON on December 12, 2013. Because there has been a very significant cutback in the training staff, sufficient training has not occurred to safely handle the transfer. Therefore the date of the airspace transfer has been moved to February 6, 2014. When the transfer occurs, this will permit tower to tower operations for IFR and Flight Following from the Flagstaff area down into the Phoenix area. This new block of airspace will be divided into three sectors with a new frequency assigned to each.
For some time APA has been pushing to get a radar antenna sited in the southern part of the Phoenix valley that would permit the TRACON to be able to have radar surveillance south to connect with the Tucson (TIA) TRACON and thus permit tower to tower operations from Phoenix to Tucson without having to contact Albuquerque Center. By a chance of events, this may be possible sooner than thought. Presently, Williams Gateway Airport (IWA) is moving forward with the expansion and relocation of their air carrier facilities. This expansion project will require the relocation of the air traffic control (ATC) radar antenna that is presently located on IWA. If it must be relocated, APA and others are requesting that it be relocated off the airport to a location that could potentially provide not only the ATC surveillance required for IWA but also possibly radar coverage south to permit linking up with the TIA TRACON. There is also hope that the new radar site could also cover the traffic using the Casa Grande (CGZ) ILS and bring an added level of safety to that operation. A site relocation committee within the FAA is presently reviewing possible locations. Perhaps there will be a more definitive answer in my next report as to where that radar site will be. This last link would tie the northern and southern halves of the airspace in the state together and thus permitting tower to tower operations from Flagstaff thru Tucson,
MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS
There has been a continuing question if the Luke Air Force Base Aux 1 ILS can be used for official FAA pilot exam check rides. The question got elevated through the region and finally to Oklahoma City and the answer was NO. The reason; because there is not an FAA approved approach plate published for the LUF Aux. 1 ILS. However, I was told the approach could be used and counted for practice approaches. I am waiting for a copy of the official memo which should be arriving shortly. The Air Force is still satisfied with our use of the ILS and it hasn’t interfered with their operations.
Luke AFB announced they are planning on having an air show in April. As soon as we get the specific date we will let you know so you can get it on your calendar. Apparently some of the military demonstration teams have gotten some funding for 2014 and the Blue Angles is one of them and Luke got on their schedule.
Be advised that for the next 6 months there will be training going on in the PHX TRACON to have all the controllers qualified to operate in all the various sectors of the TRACON airspace. Presently it appears that the staff may be divided into two groups. a northern and a southern group and the controllers are only trained and qualified for the sectors in their portion of the airspace. It is hoped that this training will permit more efficient staffing.
A request was made to get the word out that; “you must include your call sign on all responses to air traffic control. Apparently our communications have gotten a bit too casual and at some of the busier airports, causing a problem on occasion.
In the way of airport information; Starting in January, Chandler (CHD) is anticipating a significant increase in student training. A major flight school there is anticipating doubling their staffing and number of students. Also in January, Glendale Airport (GEU) is planning on a rehab. of the parking ramp, and modifying the ramp lighting to permit more flexible parking. I hope they can get rid of all the lamp poles on the ramp and the hazard they present. The GEU runway resurfacing project that was scheduled for this winter has been moved out to the spring time frame. The bad news from GEU is that the restaurant is now closed because of an illness encountered by the operator.
Aviation safety needs to be a concern for all of us. From the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) records, there were six accidents reported in the last reporting period. Of the reported accidents, one resulted in a serious injury, one resulted in several minor injuries and the other accidents did not result in any injuries. We need to take a careful look at what has happened in these accidents, take note, and do what we can to prevent something similar from happening to one of us. See my December Aviation Accident Report for the details of these accidents.
We are continuing to work with airports around the state providing a general aviation user perspective in the process of updating their Airport Master Plans. We are presently working on the up dating of the Nogales International Airport, the Gila Bend Municipal Airport and the Bagdad Airport Master plans and an update of the Phoenix Sky Harbor FAA Part 150 Noise Study.
THINGS TO DO - PLACES TO GO FOR BREAKFAST:
The first Saturday of the month, is a fly in breakfast at Coolidge Municipal Airport (P08).
Time: 8:00 to 11:00 am.
The last Saturday of the month there is a fly in breakfast at Casa Grande Municipal Airport (CGZ)
(Both of these fly in breakfasts are put on by a service group in their respective communities to raise funds for community service projects.)
The third Saturday of the month there is a fly in breakfast at Benson (E95) @ Southwest Aviation
(Rumor has it that there may be special fuel prices for breakfast attendees.)
Check the APA Calendar for our Getaway Flights program for weekend places to fly.