Unknown even to the FAA regional office, tower controllers at Los Angeles International Airport have quietly extended the hours during which general aviation traffic can use the VFR transition route that crosses the eastern ends of LAX's runways.
"AOPA is pleased to hear that the 'mini-route's' hours have been extended," said AOPA Vice President of Airspace, Regulatory, and Certification Policy Melissa Bailey. "The expanded hours are a needed step toward restoring lost privileges."
For the past several weeks, pilots have been able to use the corridor 0830-1230 (local). And the manager of the LAX tower facility has committed to open the route for eight hours per day after Labor Day.
AOPA and local users worked closely with the FAA last summer to establish the "mini-route," after the FAA closed the north-south shoreline VFR transition route due to near-midair collisions between air carriers departing LAX and GA aircraft using the corridor. The FAA acknowledged the near-midairs were not the fault of the GA pilots, but the safety-of-flight issues made closing the route necessary until an alternative could be found.
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