Prohibited area to be established over submarine base
Replaces TFR in Puget Sound
The U.S. Navy's submarine base in Bangor, Washington, will become the site of a new prohibited area - P-51.
"We're disappointed that the FAA and defense officials could not be persuaded to create a less-restrictive national security area for this final site," said AOPA President Phil Boyer. "AOPA fought hard on this issue, working closely with Washington's representatives in Congress and managing to turn three other restricted areas into NSAs."
The new prohibited airspace will offer some relief to pilots who want to overfly the area. P-51 will cover the same footprint as the current temporary flight restriction (TFR) but will extend only to 2,500 feet msl, compared to the 4,900-foot ceiling now in place.
AOPA worked closely with Rep. Rick Larsen (D-2nd District), Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), and Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), to address the impact of TFRs imposed in the Puget Sound area following the terror attacks of September 11, 2001. Those advocacy efforts paid off when three other TFRs were turned into NSAs last December. Pilots are asked to voluntarily avoid flying through NSAs under normal circumstances, and notams can be issued to prohibit flight through a given NSA when necessary.
The new prohibited airspace, set to take effect on December 22 of this year, will require minor modifications to the ILS approach to Bremerton's Runway 19.
May 25, 2005
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