Business aviation traffic historically increases during the wintertime season throughout the Northeast Corridor (NEC) enveloping the Mid-Atlantic region and along the East Coast of the U.S. Flight crews are advised to pay close attention to recent changes in this busy airspace.
One recent development is the FAA’s relocation of several air traffic controllers from New York Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON N90) to Philadelphia TRACON. However, Heidi Williams, NBAA senior director of Air Traffic Services and infrastructure, expects minimal impacts to business aviation.
“We recognize the move is about ensuring the long term health of the ATC positions that work the region’s airports, including a number of busy GA satellite airports,” said Williams. “These professionals are doing everything in their power to keep traffic flowing and seamless. They’re still working the same airspace, so the physical location of the facility is largely irrelevant.”
There are many ways business aviation flight crews can assist in this process. A key strategy is to remain flexible and open to potential route changes, while having alternatives prepared in case congestion bumps them from their originally filed flight plan. Dean Snell, NBAA Air Traffic Services manager, recommended utilizing CDRs, or coded departure routes, between city pairs to avoid constraints.
“CDRs have always been a good tool for alternate routes to utilize when volume constraints are in the system, especially out of New York,” he added. “Keep them in your back pocket as you file. If you’re within 45 minutes of departure, be ready to advise clearance or the tower you’re willing to take a non-standard route if needed. It’s usually best to let the FAA handle the reroute instead of filing a new flight plan once you are in that 45-minute window.”
“File early,” agreed Williams. “Get your intentions into the system, but don’t change your flight plan at the first hint of a traffic management initiative (TMI) or delay. That’s seldom the best option, as you’re just moving your flight onto whatever next route you choose and that can become the crowded route.”
“CDRs have always been a good tool for alternate routes to utilize when volume constraints are in the system, especially out of New York.”
DEAN SNELL, NBAA Air Traffic Services Manager
The end of summertime also typically brings a decrease in convective activity, further reducing the need for TMIs or severe weather avoidance plan (SWAP) re-routes. “That really helps us, as Teterboro (TEB) and Morristown (MMU) often really pick up after Labor Day,” Snell noted. “Summer vacation is over, and business operations rise sharply as we transition to ‘snowbird’ season, Thanksgiving and onward.”
Speaking of TEB, flight crews operating from that busy New Jersey airport need also to be aware of the new WENTZ 1 area navigation standard instrument departure (RNAV SID) from Runway 24. WENTZ superseded the RUDDY 6 SID and is meant to reduce pilot deviations and intrusions into nearby Newark Liberty International Airport’s (EWR) airspace.
“WENTZ has a hard altitude restriction of 1,500 feet until authorized to climb by ATC,” Williams emphasized, “and no left-hand turnouts are permitted. Be sure to brief your flight crews. This is intended to simplify the departure and reduce the issues we saw with RUDDY 6.”
Review NBAA’s airspace and air traffic resources at nbaa.org/airspace.
International Business Aviation Council Ltd.