About wildland firefighting airspace

Here is a nice video about wildland firefighting airspace from the National Wildfire Coordinating Group. I'd like to thank my friends from Section B-10 of the NJ Forest Fire Service for bringing this to my attention. I enjoyed the video and hope that you do as well. A direct link to the video may be found here.

Requesting TFRs, part 2 of 2

 Tyler: Can you give me an idea of the factors that might determine when it is necessary to have a TFR over a fire?

Ben:

• Numbers of aircraft
• Military airspace
• MTR (military training routes)
• Local air traffic
• Navigation aids
• High probability of aircraft transiting the area etc…
• Regrettably most IC’s will order a TFR on any fire; I don’t believe this to be a good idea. We impact the National Airspace System to the point where in any given year we have been 40 percent of all the TFR’s in the nation. Quite an impact. Here are some numbers (as of 10/1/09 at 3 PM EDT):

|-------+------+--------+-------+---------------|
| Year  | Fire | Other  | Total | Percent Fire  |
|-------+------+--------+-------+---------------|
| 2009  | 433  |  3549  | 3982  |     10.9%     |
|-------+------+--------+-------+---------------|
| 2008  | 631  |  3367  | 3998  |     15.8%     |
|-------+------+--------+-------+---------------|
| 2007  | 865  |  2440  | 3305  |     26.2%     |
|-------+------+--------+-------+---------------|
| 2006  | 929  |  2797  | 3726  |     24.9%     |
|-------+------+--------+-------+---------------|
| 2005  | 493  |  2048  | 2541  |     19.4%     |
|-------+------+--------+-------+---------------|
| 2004  | 500  |  2031  | 2531  |     19.8%     |
|-------+------+--------+-------+---------------|
| 2003  | 781  |  1372  | 2153  |     36.3%     |
|-------+------+--------+-------+---------------|
| 2002  | 927  |  1508  | 2435  |     38.1%     |
|-------+------+--------+-------+---------------|

Tyler: Navigational aids (naivaids) may mean lots of air traffic flying to the navaid. I understand that military aircrafts travel at very high speeds, so they need areas in which to maneuver. Fires might be located near a large airport. Can you elaborate a little on these types of situations.

Ben: We have excellent communication with the Military and dispatch should and will deconflict the mtr (military training route), i.e. tell them what we have and they will most often work with us. TFR's are issued up and around Navaids, but take an airport like Denver and you have a large fire (as we did) on the arrival gate and the FAA and ATC fought the TFR. The column was so large a lot of the airliners did not appreciate going thru it though, so we ended up getting it.

Tyler: In an "ideal situation", will dispatch call the ATC at a nearby airport, for example a fire near Boise, to give them a heads up that a fire TFR is being requested?

Ben: Boise ID, Missoula MT , Grand Junction CO and other airports that are used to fire pick that up right away as allot of the fire aircraft orginate from them. Towers in the area would get the notam and notify pilots either via ATIS if it is their vicinity.

I'd like to thank Ben for taking the time for our e-mail correspondence, and making this two-part article possible. Thank-you Ben. I will be writing about fire traffic areas in my next couple of posts.

Requesting Fire TFRs part 1 of 2

Wildland fires are of different size, in easily accessible terrain, near residences, and very remote and difficult to access terrain. Some fires can be contained during the initial attack phase with or without air support. Other fires go beyond initial attack to extended attack. What determines if a temporary flight restriction (TFR) will be requested?

A friend who flys S-2's for CAL Fire told me that TFRs may "not be needed for initial attack but when the ATGS (Air Tactical Group Supervisor) feels it's going to become a big fire, he might send a request through the local CAL fire dispatch to the FAA for a TFR and ask local airports to include this information in the Automated Terminal Information System (ATIS)."

The ATIS is an automated continuous message broadcast by larger airports communicating what is known as "noncontrol" information such as ceiling and visibility, wind, runways in use, altimeter setting, etc.

This e-mail correspondence with my friend from CAL Fire left me wanting to learn more about fire TFRs. Among other things, I was left with the question of exactly how the process of requesting fire TFRs works (e.g. fires on USFS or BLM lands), and what some of the problems are. Wanting to learn more about the process of requesting fire TFRs, I reached out to Ben Hinkle of the BLM aviation office. We have exchanged several e-mails, and I have learned a lot from him.

Tyler: what process is the process of requesting a TFR once someone in charge of a wildland fire decides to request a TFR. He said:

Ben: "The incident commander (IC) will place an order through Dispatch for the TFR. As an ATGS may or may not be on scene, or any other aircraft for that matter. The ATGS also recommends TFR’s as well as the dimensions. Dispatch depending on their local and protocol will request a TFR through the NOTAM entry system (NES). Dispatch offices have various levels that feed up in their bureaucracy. There is a form that would be used to request whoever in their food chain will enter the request into the NES." [The NES is a password protected internet based system used by authorized persons to request the NOTAM.]

Tyler: Having read NOTAMs online, I know that longitudes and latitudes are needed when a TFR is requested. In the case of a circular TFR, only one point will be needed. If the TFR is a polygon, four points will be needed. Who supplies these points, someone on the fire or the dispatcher?

Ben: "Most every engine and fire fighter carries a GPS these days. Most likely they will know. Also aircraft will back it up. Dispatch would then plot it using various means to come up with the shape of the TFR. Lat Longs for TFR's must be in minutes seconds vs minutes tenths as faa charts are in minutes seconds. Aircraft contracts require GPS to be in minutes tenths (DOI and USFS). Just another monkey in the peanuts!"

Tyler : How long it takes from the time a TFR is requested to the time it is established:

Ben "We REQUEST a notam and it may or may not be issued. TFR’s are Flight Data Center NOTAMS (FDC) and are regulations that are the law when issued. Quite impressive when you think something like one of our TFR’s as a regulation can be issued with an hour. Depending on the protocol in the region the TFR was requested this may take only an hour or 24 hours."

Tyler: I had some correspondence with a friend who is a former air tanker pilot. He was telling me that that "sometimes the location of the fire in a high density air traffic area may dictate that a TFR be requested, even if the fire is small and will probably be put out." Can you comment on this?

Ben: "Well it may dictate that we try to establish it, but the FAA has refused to issue TFR’s in such areas in the past. FAR 91.137 A 2 says the ATC (air traffic controller) can route an aircraft through a fire TFR. We request the TFR and the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) will issue it or not."

He sent me a copy of FAR (Federal Aviation Regulation) 91.137 A 2

Any of these conditions can allow a non particpating aircraft to fly thru a
fire TFR.

• Aircraft is participating in relief activities under the direction of the official in charge of on-scene emergency response activities
• Operating under ATC approved IFR (instrument flight rules) flight plan
• Carrying law enforcement officials
• Accredited media under a flight plan approved by the FSS (flight service station) or ATC facility specified in the NOTAM, and at an altitude above those being utilized by relief aircraft, unless authorized by disaster officials; or…
• Operations directly to/from airport within the TFR, 
• or as required to maintain VFR due to weather or terrain,
• and with the approval of the specified FSS or ATC facility,
• and the operation does not hamper or endanger relief efforts,
• and the operation is not to observe the incident!

Stay tuned for part 2 on October 7.

Map of fire TFR: from the Station Fire

The National Interagency Airspace Information website has a very good website where you can search for information on all TFRs by state, type (fire, laser, nuclear, presidential, and stadium). The also have links for recent, and pending TFRs as well as canceled TFRs. In addition, there is an interactive map where you can plot TFRs with options for different kinds of maps.

A note on laser TFRs (bounded by skinny bright purple circles on charts available through airspace.nifc), laser light shows require TFRs because they interfere with a pilots vision. Not good for anyone, especially someone piloting an aircraft. To the best of my knowledge there are no laser light TFRs shown on the above image. The purple lines and shapes of various widths on the above image are not laser light TFRs, but depict different kinds of airspace.

When you search for TFRs, for example by state, you are presented with a screen showing the actual NOTAM text for each TFR in that state with options to print that portion of the sectional (aeronautical chart) with the TFR plotted on the map. You can also search by type and see only the fire TFRs.

The image above shows the TFR for the Station Fire that I printed about three weeks ago. Actually, I was able to print the map to a pdf file and then used a graphics conversion program to save it is a jpeg file for posting here. The green circles on the map are stadium/sports TFRs. The area within the red polygon was the Station Fire TFR. As I mentioned in my last post, aeronautical charts take some getting used go and I am only beginning to get use to them myself. But they do mean something to pilots.

Here is a copy of the actual NOTAM, note that the number of NOTAM (9/7722) matches the number on the image (9/7792):

NOTAM : 9/7792

FDC 9/7792 ZLA CA.. FLIGHT RESTRICTIONS NORTH OF LA CANADA, CA. EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE. PURSUANT TO 14 CFR SECTION 91.137(A)(2) TEMPORARY FLIGHT RESTRICTIONS ARE IN EFFECT WITHIN AN AREA BOUNDED BY 343137N/1181838W OR THE VAN NUYS /VNY/ VOR/DME 011 DEGREE RADIAL AT 20.2 NAUTICAL MILES THEN TO 342548N/1175006W OR THE PALMDALE /PMD/ VORTAC 122 DEGREE RADIAL AT 16.5 NAUTICAL MILES THEN TO 340811N/1175831W OR THE POMONA /POM/ VORTAC 275 DEGREE RADIAL AT 9.9 NAUTICAL MILES THEN TO 341228N/1181301W OR THE VAN NUYS /VNY/ VOR/DME 079 DEGREE RADIAL AT 13.7 NAUTICAL MILES THEN TO 342013N/1183014W OR THE VAN NUYS /VNY/ VOR/DME 340 DEGREE RADIAL AT 6.8 NAUTICAL MILES BACK TO THE ORIGINAL POINT AT AND BELOW 9000 FEET MSL TO PROVIDE A SAFE ENVIRONMENT FOR FIRE FIGHTING. THE ANGELES NATIONAL FOREST TELEPHONE 661-723-3620 OR FREQ 135.350/STATION FIRE IS IN CHARGE OF THE OPERATION. LOS ANGELES /ZLA/ ARTCC TELEPHONE 661-265-8205 IS THE FAA COORDINATION FACILITY.

In the interest of full disclosure, I should say that I got the text of the NOTAM from the FAA website very shortly after the NOTAM expired. I showed this text and the above image to a couple of my airtanker pilot friends who said that while they would have preferred to look at the actual aeronautical chart to be certain, that the text seems to be very close to the mapped NOTAM.

Intro to airspace

A couple of months ago, I went out and purchased aeronautical charts from one of my local general aviation airports and have been spending time learning how to read these charts. I have been aided by my air tanker pilot friends along with some resources on the internet that I was referred to. While it is getting easier for me to read charts and have a very basic understanding of the complexities of air space, I am not exactly in a position where I feel comfortable trying to write this up for you.

Rather, there are a few of documents that I will refer you to. If you can only read one, read the first one on the list, Airspace for Everyone.

1. Airspace for Everyone. This brochure is from the the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association's Air Safety Foundation. It is written for pilots and might be a little technical for some, but it contains good information with pictures and it isn't too long. There is a good section on NOTAMs and temporary flight restrictions towards the end of the document.

2. VFR aeronautical chart introduction. This document is a short introduction to aeronautical charts, I have used this in combination with the next item on the list as I have learned to read aeronautical charts.

3. Airspace flash cards. This is another document from the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association's Air Safety Foundation. This was link was sent to me by one of my airtanker pilot friends and I use it all the time. I sit down with my aeronautical charts and these flashcards and the charts begin to make a little more sense.

What are NOTAMs and TFRs?

What exactly are Notices to Airmen?

Notices to Airmen have

Information that might affect the safety of a flight, such as a runway closure, Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR), NAVAID outage, lighting system change, etc., is available from your flight station briefer. ... Checking for Temporary Flight Restrictions (TFRs) is absolutely essential; they are published as NOTAMs." (Gardener, Bob.1985-2007. The Complete Private Pilot, Tenth Edition (The Complete Pilot Series). Newcastle WA: Aviation Supplies and Academics (pp. 4-19 to 4-20)).

I have been doing some reading on the side about flying under visual flight rules (VFR) so I will describe the terminology used in the preceding paragraph in this context. A NAVAID is short for navigation aids used by pilots, including radio aids to navigation. Lighting system change refers to changes or outages in runway lighting. Before taking off, a pilot flying under VFR will get a briefing on weather conditions and NOTAMs (including TFRs) from a flight service officer at their local flight service station. Pilots may also access a preflight weather briefing online.

NOTAMs have information that the Federal Aviation Administration has determined that pilots need to know for their safety, the safety of other aircraft, and the safety of those on the ground. Before any pilot (air tanker, commercial, private) takes off, they must get NOTAMs covering their planned route as well as primary and back-up airports from their local flight service officer.

NOTAMS can be informational or restrictive. Informational or advisory NOTAMs include: runway restrictions, changes in hours of air traffic control towers, navigational aid outage, taxiway closures, workers and equipment on the runways, and animals on or near the runway.

Temporary flight restrictions (TFRs) are examples of regulatory (legal) NOTAMs. Examples of TFRs include travel by the President; gatherings such as the recent G20 in Pittsburgh PA; major sporting events and aerial demonstrations and hazards including fires, toxic gas spills, and sites of aircraft accidents.

For a more detailed discussion on NOTAMs and TFRs -- including a listing of each of all the different types of NOTAMS with a further breakdown of the different categories of TFRs see chapter 6 of the Interagency Airspace Coordination Guide. Individual chapters from this guide as well as the entire guide may be found here.

I have also found Bob Gardner's explanation of NOTAMs in The Complete Pilot to be very easy to understand. In fact, I find myself referring to this book more and more as I continue to write about fixed-wing aircraft. I picked up a copy at my local bookstore, and I am very glad that I did.

For our purposes, I will single out what are sometimes referred to hazard TFRs, and in particular fire TFRs. Stay tuned for an example of what a fire TFR looks like on an aeronautical chart.

Upcoming: Temporary Flight Restrictions and Fire Traffic Areas

As I was watching some live news helo feed of the Station Fire on the internet in late August and early September I realized, with the help of some of my air tanker pilot friends, that there is a lot that goes on behind the scenes to keep air tankers and helicopters safe as they work wildland fires. In addition there are issues that are directly correlated with making effective retardant or water/foam drops: proper drop height and speed, retardant coverage levels, and the like. Finally, there are factors that come into to play to determine how much weight (including retardant and water) that an aircraft can safely carry. I thought that I'd spend some time writing about these issues, and others that I may not have thought of yet. I have written about some already: such as fire traffic areas, making effective retardant drops, and retardant coverage levels. I may have mentioned some only in passing, so to speak. All bear repeating and further elaboration.

I was going to start by writing about something known as fire traffic areas (FTAs) in the air space immediately above and surrounding wildland fires. Briefly,

"The FTA was developed by aerial firefighting personnel to provide a standardized initial attack airspace structure to enhance air traffic separation over wildfire (or all risk) incidents. ... The structure emphasizes established communications, received and understood clearances, and compliance with the clearances. The intent is that an aircraft will NOT enter the FTA until it receives a clearance. Interagency Airspace Coordination Guide (2003), Chapter 7, Airspace Deconfliction, pages 7-6 to 7-7)"

As I was thinking about writing about FTAs, I decided that I should start with writing about Notices to Airmen (NOTAMs) and Temporary Flight Restrictions (TFRs). I am going to write at least four articles on TFRs beginning in a day or two. Then I will write about FTAs. After I finish with TFRs and FTAs I will write about the other issues that I mentioned in the first paragraph.

In my first article on TFRs, I will talk about the different kinds of Notices to Airmen (NOTAM), of which a Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) is just one type of NOTAM. Stay tuned.

I found the above image, from the Florida Div. of Forestry, on the Interagency Airspace Coodination website, along with a couple of other airspace safety posters.