Airspace restrictions planned for State of the Union address
The FAA has announced additional flight restrictions that will be in effect in the Washington, D.C., area February 4 between 8 and 11 p.m. Eastern time for President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address.
A flight advisory has been issued that details restrictions that will modify or suspend some operations usually applicable to flights in the Washington, D.C., Special Flight Rules Area (SFRA) and its Flight Restricted Zone (FRZ).
Operations to be suspended while the notam is in effect include the provisions of FAR 93.345 that authorize egress procedures for the following general aviation fields: Barnes Airport in Lisbon, Maryland; Flying M Farms in Dickerson, Maryland; Mountain Road Airport in Lakeshore, Maryland; Robinson Airport in Benedict, Maryland; Skyview Airport in Manassas, Virginia; Maples Field in Catlett, Virginia; and Goose Hunt Farm in Leesburg, Virginia.
Provisions that authorize VFR traffic pattern operations at SFRA airports are suspended during the time of the notam.
The provisions of FDC NOTAM 9/1815, which authorize ingress/egress procedures for Leesburg Executive Airport in Virginia, and of FDC NOTAM 9/1811, regarding UAS operations in the SFRA, also are suspended while the notam is in effect.
In the FRZ, provisions that authorize operations at the Maryland Three airports—College Park Airport, Potomac Airfield, and Washington Executive Airport/Hyde Field—will be suspended during the time of the notam.
Aircraft receiving authorization to operate within the SFRA/FRZ will be required to be on an active IFR flight plan, squawk a discrete transponder code assigned by air traffic control, and remain in continuous two-way communication with ATC.
According to the flight advisory, operations that will be prohibited anywhere in the SFRA/FRZ during the notam’s active period include “model aircraft, unmanned aircraft (UAS), aerobatic maneuvers, glider operations, parachute operations, ultralights, lighter than air/balloon/moored balloon, agricultural/crop dusting/spraying, animal population control, banner towing, utility/pipeline patrols, aircraft/helicopters operating from a ship or private/corporate yacht, model rockets, or maintenance flights,” as well as flight training and practice approaches, including Defense Department, law enforcement, and air ambulance operations.
