FAA notes flight procedures for Denver airshow
The Rocky Mountain Air and Ground Festival returns Aug. 4 to Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport in Denver after a three-year hiatus, and the FAA has established special procedures that will be in effect Aug. 3 and 4 for arrivals, departures, and operations during the show.
The FAA reminded pilots that the airport is located in close proximity to Denver International Airport’s Class B airspace. The procedures established for the airshow “do not authorize operations in Class B airspace without specific ATC clearance.”
In addition to VFR arrival and departure procedures, the notice to airmen that will be in effect for the show includes the location of designated non-movement areas on the airport (those not controlled by the tower); times of scheduled airport closings on both Aug. 3 and 4; and the details of authorizations, subject to restriction, to deviate from ATC transponder and altitude reporting requirements in some portions of the Denver Class B airspace’s Mode C veil area.
“The above exemption does not authorize entry into Denver Class B airspace, nor does it authorize deviation from Mode C requirement to operate within Denver Class B airspace,” it notes.
AOPA strongly recommends that pilots review the notam before operating in the airspace, and check frequently for changes to effective times or dimensions of the notam airspace before and during flight.
Pilots should be aware that the floor of Denver’s Class B airspace begins at 8,000 feet msl directly east of Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport, and pilots do not have a Class B clearance unless the controller explicitly issues it to them.
For further information, contact Denver Terminal Radar Approach Control (tracon) at 303-342-1590.
