FAA Issues Domestic Notice on Eclipse’s Impact on Operations

The FAA has released a list of 458 airports in the pathway of the 2024 total solar eclipse.

[Courtesy: FAA]
Gemini Sparkle

Key Takeaways:

  • The FAA has issued a Domestic Notice to pilots and aircraft operators regarding potential traffic and safety impacts from the April 8 total solar eclipse.
  • Pilots should expect significant delays (IFR ground/airborne holds) and severely limited or possibly prohibited VFR services within 50 nautical miles of the eclipse path between April 7-10 UTC.
  • The notice provides a list of 458 affected airports, along with NASA-generated maps and links to further information on the event.
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The FAA has posted a comprehensive Domestic Notice on its website concerning the total solar eclipse on April 8.

The notice is to inform pilots and aircraft operators of possible impacts to traffic and safety along the path within 50 nautical miles of the center of the eclipse between the hours of 10:00 UTC April 7 to 04:00 UTC April 10.

The notice includes a general section advising of possible delays issued in the form of ground holds such as Expect Departure Clearance Time (EDCT) for IFR departures and arrivals, airborne holds and reroutes. The FAA also warns that VFR flight following services, practice approaches and touch-and-go operations involving airspace in the path of the eclipse may be “extremely limited and possibly prohibited” for the duration of the time period.

[Courtesy: NASA]

The Domestic Notice also includes a list—with contact information—of 458 airports in the pathway. The airports are listed by the eight Air Route Traffic Control Centers (ARTCCs) they fall into. There are also NASA-generated maps showing the eclipse pathway and the times when the eclipse will be in totality along the route and a link to the NASA website page that contains full information on the event.


Editor’s Note: This article first appeared on AVweb.

Mark Phelps

Mark Phelps is a senior editor at AVweb. He is an instrument rated private pilot and former owner of a Grumman American AA1B and a V-tail Bonanza.

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