Reuters is reporting that Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy is calling for more restrictions on Army helicopter operations at Reagan National Airport after two airliners were ordered to go around last Thursday to keep separation from a Blackhawk enroute to the Pentagon. "No more helicopter rides for VIPs or unnecessary training in a congested DCA airspace full of civilians. Take a taxi or Uber - besides most VIPs have black car service," Duffy said Friday. But the Army said it followed the rules on Thursday in what appeared to be a routine deconfliction for an unforeseen change in its operation.
Precisely! It’s time to close DCA and move the airline traffic to Dulles. Dulles has plenty of room to handle the added traffic, and the politicians don’t need their own personal airport.
These people are genius. Imagine that. Stop all flights within a defined area will eliminate all chance of accidents with said subject. Why was this not thought of sooner. I’ll tell you why. To appease the ruling class. There is no other reason. They don’t care about anyone other than themselves. Lives lost, who cares. Don’t make me late for cocktails.
The damnable thing is that the Army STILL does not care about civilian air traffic.
Doing a “scenic route” lap around the Pentagon and causing flights to go around?
Either the Army fully join and follow civilian ATC or they should be banned as an obvious danger to it.
“The FAA is continuing its analysis of airports that have high volumes of mixed traffic. That includes an assessment of the eight cities where we have charted helicopter routes. These cities are Boston, New York, the Baltimore-Washington area, Detroit, Chicago, Dallas, Houston and Los Angeles, some of which have multiple airports. The FAA is also assessing the U.S. Gulf Coast, including offshore helicopter operations. The FAA will have corrective action plans for any risks that are identified.”
The Potomac accident is merely the Canary in the coal mine. The military also needs to adhere to civilian rules when not in R or MOA airspace. 250 knots max is a must below 10,000’ for all aircraft. There is no training benefit to flying from the Grayling gunnery, R-4201,range to Alpena CRTC at 2,500’ and 400 knots. There is no training benefit to doing a 400 kt low pass or overhead arrival in the airport traffic pattern. If you don’t believe it is a problem come to northern Michigan in the summer time.
“250 knots max is a must below 10,000’ for all aircraft”…
Please read 14 CFR § 91.117 (d) Aircraft speed. As student pilots in the USAF back in 1973, we flew our T-38s in the traffic pattern at 280 KIAS. That was a Dash-1 (Flight Manual) requirement. Now they do it at 300 KIAS.
The simplest solution to this worsening problem is probably what they will get around to doing before too long: Rename “Washington National Airport” to “District of Columbia Airbase”. It would be a military facility, serving Pentagon brass and politicians. They could even keep the existing identifier.
Mere mortals could drive to BWI or take the Metrorail to IAD. And let’s face it, the DC SFRA has already made the airspace GA-non-grata for the proletariat pilot.
