FAA’s ATL Class B Airspace

Proposal

Prepared by Mike Van Wie

For the Airport Advisory Board
January 11, 2010
What is Class B Airspace?
• Surrounds the nation's busiest airports
• Surface to 10,000 feet MSL; circular
diameter of 40 nautical miles
• Pilots must obtain a clearance from ATC
before entering Class B airspace;
maintain radio contact with ATC
• Aircraft must be equipped with an
altitude-encoding transponder
What is Class B Airspace?

• Upside down
Wedding Cake?
What is Class B Airspace?
• Pretty Simple
Concept
ALT’s Class B Airspace
Where did the simplicity go?
Airspace Change Procedures
Required by various Federal Regulations

• Process
– FAA asks local aviation officials (GDOT) to form an Ad Hoc
Committee of local users to discuss
– Ad Hoc Committee meets and provides comments
• FAA reviews comments
– FAA holds public meetings (why we are here) to solicit public
comments
• FAA reviews public comments
– FAA publishes proposed rule making action in Federal Register –
Again solicits comments
– FAA publishes final rule and adopts change
ATL Airspace Proposal
• History
– At the FAA’s request GDOT created Ad
Hoc Committee Jan. 09
– Ad Hoc Committee met 3 times
• Jan 09 – Mar 09
– Ad Hoc Committee provided comments
• PDK comments attached
– FAA announced Public Meetings
• Federal Register announcement attached
 Jets at 12,000
Atlanta Props at
West
Operation
Jets at 12,000
11,000
Arrival Arrival Routes Jets at 13,000
Jets at
Routes 14,000
Props at
9,000

RNAV Routes

RNAV /
Non RNAV
Routes

Jets at
Jets at 14,000
12,000 Props
Props at
at 8,000
11,000
Comparison
Change This To This
Important Differences
• Admin note:
– Take out last page of
handout.
• Existing
– Outer ring 35 miles • Proposed
– 12 Mile line – Outer ring 30 miles
– Altitude directly above – 15 mile line
PDK – 8,000 ft – Altitude directly above
– Altitude immediately PDK – 5,000 ft
south of PDK – 6,000 ft – Altitude immediately
south of PDK – 5,000 ft
– Altitude immediately – Altitude immediately
north of PDK – 8,000 ft. north of PDK – 7,000 ft.

Bottom Line – Reduces the airspace

available to all aircraft in and out of
What does this mean?
• Previously unpopulated airspace above PDK now
populated
• Visual Flight Rules aircraft
– Aircraft compressed into less airspace
– Same number of aircraft operating in less airspace equates to a
reduced level of safety
• Instrument Flight Rules aircraft
– On the ground delays for departing Instrument Flight rules aircraft
– Lower initial altitude for departing flights equals more noise
– Earlier descent of inbound aircraft equals more noise
– All factors mean more fuel consumption – more emissions
Environmental Process
• The FAA intends to categorically exclude (CATEX)
the proposal from a thorough environmental review
– FAA reasoning
• FAA is only changing the airspace to capture aircraft that are
already there – airspace doesn’t make noise, only airplanes do
• Airspace changes at 3,000 ft and above are typically CATEX
• This reasoning ignores the environmental
consequences, both noise and increased emissions,
at satellite airports like PDK.
Confused?
What to do??
• Show up!!!
– Chamblee Civic
Center
– March 1, 2010
– Presentations
• 3:00, 5:00, 7:00 PM
– Provide FAA 3 copies
of written comments
– Additional copies to
• Your Commissioner
• Your Congressman
??? Questions???
Talking Points
• Previously unpopulated airspace above PDK now populated
• Visual Flight Rules aircraft
– Aircraft compressed into less airspace
– Same number of aircraft operating in less airspace equates to a
reduced level of safety
• Instrument Flight Rules aircraft
– On the ground delays for departing Instrument Flight rules aircraft
– Lower initial altitude for departing flights equals more noise
– Earlier descent of inbound aircraft equals more noise
– All factors mean more fuel consumption – more pollution
• Environmental