Mindboggling Complexity of Airspace
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| Salt Lake City Terminal Area Chart |
In summer 2024 we had hiked for several days in Teton National Park and were ready for the return flight from Rexburg, ID to Dallas.
In earlier years the return route had taken us east across Wyoming, then southeasterly via Colorado, Kansas, and Oklahoma back to Dallas. Unfortunately, that route was blocked every afternoon by massive thunderstorms.
A safe and interesting alternate route emerged: We would go south across Utah, stop at the Canyonlands airport in Moab for fuel, then proceed southeasterly via Albuquerque, NM to Dallas.
Starting from Rexburg, it seemed easiest to fly south across Salt Lake City at a low altitude. That thought evaporated when we looked at the Terminal Area Chart for Salt Lake City, see above.
Indeed: The Federal Aviation Administration has managed to overload that chart. A number of magenta boxes specify special rules, the class B airspace has been divided into numerous parts, various preferred routes of commercial aircraft are drawn in, etc. In short, a nightmare.
There are VFR transition routes, but the one going south mysteriously terminates at the city of West Jordan.
In short, it would have been a stressful transit.
An Alternative
A different choice avoided those complex rules entirely by staying east of the mountains bordering Salt Lake City. That part is high country, with some mountains reaching 10,000 ft MSL.
With trial and error, we created an interesting route that required flight never exceeding 10,000 ft. Below is the section of the route, shown in green, near Salt Lake City.
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| Southbound route avoids Salt Lake City |
It turned out to be a delightful flight.
A few pilots had the same idea of Salt-Lake-City-avoidance. We could see them due to ADS-B and hence could easily maneuver around them.
The moisture-laden air limited visibility, but we enjoyed the views nevertheless. Here are two photos.
The first one shows the east side of the mountains bordering Salt Lake City, with many ski runs.
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| Mountains east of Salt Lake City, UT |
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| Terrain north of Heber City, UT |
The Lesson
The rules for VFR flight have become quite complicated for a few areas of the US. Salt Lake City is one example, and Los Angeles another.
Transitioning these areas is stressful. If at all possible, you may want to avoid them and instead choose an alternate route that may require some planning but doesn't involve complicated navigation rules. If you get to enjoy special views, that's just a delightful added benefit.
Coda
We add some pictures that are to entice you to fly to Teton National Park.
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| Teton Wilderness Area along route to Teton NP |
As you cross the Togwotee Pass, you suddenly face the Tetons.
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| Teton Mountains |
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| Glacier valley of Teton NP |
You may want to hike in Teton NP, either down low or high up. Here is one scenic lake way up.
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| Amphitheater Lake of Teton NP at 9,698 ft |
In short, it's a wonderland.
Yes, flying VFR near large cities has become very restrictive. Do you remember the day you and I flew into Washington National (KDCA) in a C172? Never again. Up until Sep11, 2001 I could start just West of Washington, call the approach controller and fly VFR directly over dulles (KIAD), over KDCA at 3000', over DC, and on to the Eastern Shore. Now I have to fly 60 miles out my way. Compared to the East coast, you have it pretty good in the middle of the country. Nice picrures!
ReplyDeleteYes, airspace is becoming more complex around busy areas. Some charts have become truly baffling, like the Salt Lake City case. On the other hand, thanks to ADS-B pilots now have wealth of information in the cockpit that supports sophisticated decision making.
DeleteThank you, Klaus, for this very nice illustrated commentary. Looking at the charts you folks have to decipher, I am happy to never to be more than a passenger! Great photos too.
ReplyDeleteUnderstand your feelings. Well, I met a family on the very same trip in Teton NP. They attempted to fly back home commercially the same day covered in the post, but got stuck at an intermediate airport due to weather. That is, the plane took off, and an hour later returned since thunderstorms blanketed the route. In our case, we chose a very different route that worked out.
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