I’d like an explanation on JAX Center’s problems as well. I fly a corporate King Air–though based in Minnesota, we have business in Panama City, Fla. Lately, on departure from Panama City, we’ve had ground holds–ground control explains “JAX Center is overloaded due to traffic saturation–we can only allow one IFR departure every 5 minutes.” That often leads to a 30 minute delay before departure.
I understand–Florida is a narrow peninsula–and many airliners are not approved or equipped for over-water flight out of gliding distance from land–(we hear Center ask if the airlines can accept an over-water routing)–but there MUST be a better way to manage the flow. In almost 60 years of flying, this is the first time I’ve heard the excuse that CENTER can’t handle the flow–I’ve heard DEPARTURE control limit departures, but not CENTER.