Regional Affairs
UAV operations set to start near Grand Forks
Customs and Border Patrol will use a Predator B unmanned aircraft to monitor illicit activity along the Canadian border beginning as soon as the week of Dec. 15.
The Predator, which is being relocated from Arizona to the North Dakota Grand Forks Air Force Base, will be required to operate within the confines of a temporary flight restriction (TFR) as a result of its limited ability to safely interact with other aircraft. The TFR is expected to reach from the top of the Grand Forks Air Force Base Class D airspace up to FL180 and extend in a half-moon shape from the western side of the Class D. The TFR will allow the Predator to transition through lower altitudes before conducting missions at FL180 or above, minimizing the impact on general aviation VFR and IFR flights.
AOPA will send an ePilot special notice to pilots in the Grand Forks area providing them with a plain language interpretation of the TFR when it is first set to activate. Future activations of the TFR will be available on AOPA’s Security Notams and TFR Locator Web page.
December 10, 2008
