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News and Updates – FAA Announces Super Bowl LIV Safety Plan

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The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)is working with federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, the aviation community and the National Football League to ensure safe, secure, and efficient operations before, during and after Super Bowl LIV, on Feb 2, 2020, at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, FL.

The agency expects more than 2,500 additional take-offs and landings and nearly 1,300 additional aircraft parked at South Florida airports during Super Bowl week. Special procedures, includingTemporary Flight Restrictions(TFR) and aNo Drone Zonewill limit flights around Hard Rock Stadium before, during and after the game.

The game day TFR will go into effect at approximately5:30 p.m. EST. It will cover a 30-nautical mile (34.5 miles) ring, centered over the stadium and from the ground up to 18,000 feet in altitude, before expiring at approximately11:59 p.m. EST. Drones are also prohibited inside the TFR. The FAA has establishedadditional TFRs torestrict drone flightsfor roughly onenautical mile around the Miami Beach Convention Center andBayfront Park up to an altitude of 2,000 feetfrom January 25 to February 1during daytime hours.

Pilots must be aware of thelatest TFRs and checkNotices to Airmen (NOTAM)before flying. Pilots and drone operators who enter the TFRs without permission could face civil penalties that exceed $30,000 and potential criminal prosecution for flying drones in the TFR. The FAA encourages drone operators to check allnoticesto determine where drones may fly.

The TFR will not affect regularly scheduled commercial flights at Miami International Airport (MIA) andFort LauderdaleHollywood International Airport (FLL). Emergency, medical, public safety and military operations may fly in the TFR while it is in place, in coordination with air traffic control.

The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) enforces TFRs in real time, but the FAA may also take enforcement action against drone or aircraft pilots who violates the TFR.

News and Updates – FAA Issues Record of Decision for Denver Metroplex Project

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WASHINGTONThe Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has issued a Finding of No Significant Impact/Record of Decision for the Denver Metroplex project. The Finding of No Significant Impact/ Record of Decision, as well as the Final Environmental Assessment, are available on theDenver Metroplex website.

The decision enables the agency to move forward with the project, which will use cutting-edge satellite navigation to move air traffic more safely and efficiently through the area. Satellite-based routes will allow for more direct and efficient routing of aircraft into and out of Denver and surrounding airports, enhancing aviation safety and efficiency, and potentially reducing flight delays.

Prior to making the decision, the FAA conducted thorough environmental reviews, including 24 public workshops and approximately 78 stakeholder briefings in the Denver metro area. The agency also held two public comment periods totaling 75 days and evaluated and responded to more than 975 comments.

The FAA plans to implement the procedures on March 26, 2020.

The FAAs environmental review for the project indicates some people will experience slight noise decreases, some will see no changes, and some will experience small noise increases. Additionally, some people might see aircraft where they did not previously fly after the Denver Metroplex procedures are implemented.

Some flight track dispersion will continue to occur after the new procedures are implemented because the Metroplex project includes a number of existing procedures. In addition, air traffic controllers will need to occasionally vector aircraft for safety or efficiency reasons or to reroute them around weather systems.

The Denver Metroplex website includes Google Earth features that enable people to view current and projected flight paths associated with the project.

News and Updates – Vapes on a Plane?

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The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is working with other federal agencies and organizations to remind airline passengers that electronic smoking devices like vaporizers (vapes) and e-cigarettes are considered hazardous materials when transported on aircraft.

Electronic smoking devices contain lithium batteries that pose a fire risk. Passengers are allowed to bring the devices on board but they must be appropriately packed. Vapes, e-cigarettes and spare lithium batteries must be placed in carry-on luggage only. Vapes and e-cigarettes should be carefully protected to prevent the device from accidentally turning on. Place the vapes or e- cigarettes in a protective case or remove the battery and place each battery in its own case or plastic bag to prevent a short circuit.

Just as passengers are not allowed to smoke cigarettes on an aircraft, they should never use their vapes or e-cigarettes on an aircraft. Its not only dangerous, its a federal offense.

The FAA encourages manufacturers, retailers and consumers of vapes and e-cigarettes to learn and promote the rules on flying with these products by sharing messaging from a new Vapes On A Plane Marketing Kit.

More information about packing safely for air travel can be found on the Pack Safe web page.

News and Updates – FAA Opens One-of-a-Kind Fire Research Facility in Atlantic City

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Atlantic City, N.J.– The FAA completed construction and opened a new indoor fire research facility in December to conduct performance tests of potential replacement fire extinguishing agents.

The work conducted in this new $5 million, 2,500 square-foot facility will support research on fluorine-free firefighting foams.

The fully enclosed fire-test facility will eliminate weather related variables in testing and enhance data collection capabilities. It will also contain and collect the byproducts of fire testing chemicals and prevent any contamination of the surrounding area and ground water, allowing for more frequent and efficient testing.

Construction of the new facility started in November 2018 and FAA researchers began testing this month.

The FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018 directed the Agency to stop requiring the use of fluorinated chemicals in aircraft firefighting foams within three years. Fluorine-free foams on the market today do not match the performance of their fluorinated counterparts.

The current firefighting foam is a highly effective combatant to jet fuel fires, but it has also generated concerns over potential environmental and health impacts. Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a potentially hazardous group of chemicals found in current firefighting foams used at airports.

News and Updates – South Florida is a “No Drone Zone” During Super Bowl LIV

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MiamiHard Rock Stadium near Miami is a No Drone Zone for Super Bowl LIV on Feb. 2, 2020. Drones also are prohibited around the Miami Beach Convention Center for the NFL Super Bowl Experience and Bayfront Park for Super Bowl Live during the days leading up to the event.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will establish a Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) on game day that will prohibit drones within a 30-nautical-mile radius of the stadium up to 18,000 feet in altitude. The TFR will be in place from 5:30 p.m. to 11:59 p.m. EST. Drones are also prohibited for one nautical mile around Hard Rock Stadium on February 2 from 9 a.m. until the TFR for the game takes effect. Further details are available in the drone TFRs.

The FAA will restrict drone flights for roughly one nautical mile around the Miami Convention Center and Bayfront Park up to an altitude of 2,000 feet from January 25 to February 1 during daytime hours. Pilots and drone operators who enter the TFRs without permission could face civil penalties that exceed $30,000 and potential criminal prosecution for flying drones in the TFR.

Detailed information for general aviation and drone pilots is available on the FAA’s Super Bowl LIV web page.

Drone pilots should check the FAAs B4UFly app to determine when and where they may fly. To highlight the No Drone Zone, watch the FAAs videos in English and Spanish encouraging fans to enjoy the game and leave their drones at home.