Member Alert: The FAA has issued notams restricting large areas of airspace near Washington, D.C., and Chicago from May 18 through 21. Pilots should carefully review the notams before flying in the vicinity of the TFRs.

Airports and State Advocacy

GPS routing increases airspace efficiency

By AOPA ePublishing staff

Pilots flying aircraft equipped with IFR-certified GPS receivers can enjoy hassle-free routing around, or even through, many congested areas in the United States.

Area navigation (RNAV) routes, also called T-routes, are based on GPS navigation. The routes can offer lower altitude minimums for Victor airways that are limited by ground-based navigation systems, which is beneficial for general aviation pilots flying IFR. The lower altitudes could allow IFR pilots to fly below freezing levels.

The latest area to receive a T-route is Houston. Pilots can begin filing T-254 on March 12. The route runs from Lake Charles, La., to Austin, passing to the north of Houston’s airspace.

The FAA also is planning to establish T-265 along the western side of the Chicago Class B airspace. The route would allow pilots flying north and south to fly around the airspace over land. Pilots can learn more about the proposed T-route and how to submit comments in this Federal Register notice. The comment deadline is Feb. 9.

AOPA has been working with the FAA for almost a decade to chart and implement T-routes. The association will continue to advocate for additional routes that would benefit pilots as the transition to satellite navigation continues.

T-routes already are making travel more efficient in Charlotte, N.C.; Cincinnati; Jacksonville, Fla.; Outer Banks, N.C.; Los Angeles; Augusta, Ga.; St. Louis, Mo.; San Francisco/Sacramento; and Portland, Ore. A new route is currently in the works in southwestern Oregon.

January 7, 2009