ENGLEWOOD, Colorado — Officials with the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) say they are concerned about the sudden prohibition of touch-and-goes, restrictions on parallel departures, and limitations on pattern work at Centennial Airport (KAPA) near Denver.
According to an email sent to airport tenants by the Arapahoe County Public Airport Authority, air traffic controllers were ordered by the FAA to “immediately cease simultaneous parallel departure operations at Centennial until approved mitigations can be identified to reduce the associated safety risk to an acceptable level.”
AOPA contacted the FAA, which has concerns, including that departing IFR traffic is conflicting with VFR traffic departing from the parallel runway.
“While we appreciate the FAA’s role in ensuring safe operations, the sudden decision to ban touch-and-goes and other pattern work without notifying pilots is concerning and appears to be unprecedented,” said AOPA Northwest Mountain Regional Manager Brad Schuster. “After nearly a week, the FAA has yet to issue a NOTAM or update the airport’s ATIS with this critical information at one of the nation’s busiest general aviation airports.”
Schuster also pointed out that FAA grant assurances require airports to promptly notify pilots of any condition affecting aeronautical use of the airport.
“Although grant assurances are intended for adherence by airport sponsors, in this case, since the edict came from the FAA, the agency should also abide by those standards,” said Schuster. “While aviation safety will always be paramount, with the FAA taking such drastic action without any discernible stakeholder engagement, it has led to some serious unintended consequences.”
“Residents near other airports along the Colorado Front Range will without a doubt see even more training traffic as a result of this recent FAA action, which will likely inflame tensions in these communities,” added Schuster.
Centennial Airport is one of the busiest general aviation airports in the country, with more than 300,000 operations each year.
“Flight schools, instructors, pilots, airport businesses, and other airport users are all being affected by the limitations, and we understand the uncertainty and frustration this creates,” the airport authority wrote. “Our goal is to find a workable path forward as quickly as possible while also addressing the FAA’s identified safety concerns and ensuring that any future operating procedures provide an appropriate level of safety.”
“We look forward to working with the FAA, the airport authority, local pilots, and airport businesses to address these concerns, while also helping identify ways to mitigate the impact of these restrictions on operators,” said Schuster.
For more information: AOPA.org, CentennialAirport.com
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