Regional Affairs
Military should release unused restricted airspace
If the military isn’t using its special-use airspace, AOPA is quick to request that it be returned to civilian use. Thanks to member input, AOPA researched R-6413 located in eastern Utah and discovered that the airspace has remained unused for the majority of two decades. The airspace, associated with a missile launch test site that apparently is not used, is a 30-mile-long, eight-mile-wide corridor encompassing part of a Victor airway. AOPA has requested that the Air Force reevaluate the need for R-6413 and release it to the National Airspace System (NAS) if it is not needed. If the military determines that it will use the airspace, AOPA has asked that an environmental study be conducted to see how it impacts the NAS. The restricted area was created before requirements for environmental studies were implemented.
June 13, 2008
