Date:  Monday, November 02, 2009

Contact: Nisha Marvel, WSDOT Aviation Communications, 360-651-6310

Message from the FAA Safety Team, Northwest Mountain Region

The 2010 Winter Olympic & Paralympic Games will be held during the period January 29, 2010 through March 24, 2010. Security associated with the Olympic Games includes some very restricted airspace in Canada and a US Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) that extends into northwestern Washington State.

Three comprehensive Airspace Symposiums are scheduled in the Pacific Northwest to explain the airspace restrictions and how pilots can operate around and within the TFR. The participants in the comprehensive symposiums will be: Nav Canada, FAA Special Operations Security, NORAD, FSS, Seattle Center, Seattle Approach Control, Whidbey Island Approach Control, Customs and Border Protection and TSA. Additionally, ten (10) other reduced-scale briefings will be held at numerous locations around the Puget Sound area in the month of November 2009.

The comprehensive briefings will cover the entire Canadian airspace restriction, the US TFR and how pilots can operate from the “fringe airports”, the flight plan requirements, equipment requirements, etc. The North American Air Defense Command (NORAD) will give a comprehensive briefing on the procedures to follow if a pilot strays into the TFR and they end up with a Canadian or US fighter, or other law enforcement aircraft, on their wing. Panelists from Seattle Center, Approach Control, and Whidbey NAS will be available to answer specific questions that pertain to their airspace. Customs and Border Protection and the Transportation Security Administration will be there to answer questions in their area of expertise.

The security of the airspace is a major concern to everyone involved with the Olympic Games. Each briefing will take approximately two hours to complete. The comprehensive briefings will give pilots the best opportunity to learn how they can continue to fly their aircraft while the TFR is in effect.

The airspace symposiums will be held on the following dates and times:

Comprehensive briefings (Nav Canada, FAA, NORAD, FSS, SEA Center &
Approach Control, Whidbey Approach Control, TSA, Customs & Border
Protection):
11/10/2009, Seattle, WA, Museum of Flight, 1830-2100 hours PST
12/2/2009, Bellingham, WA, WWU Campus, Building 50, room 204, 1830-2100 hours
PST
12/3/2009, Seattle, WA, Museum of Flight, 1830-2100 hours PST


Reduced-scale briefings (FAASTeam, Seattle Approach Control, Western
Air Defense):
11/12/09: Port Angeles Airport Terminal Briefing Room 1830 – 2030 PST
11/13/09: Bremerton National Airport, Avian Flight Center 1830 – 2030
PST
11/16/09: Port Townsend, Port Townsend Aircraft Services 1830 – 2030
PST
11/17/09: Harvey Field Snohomish WA 1900-2100 PST
11/17/09: Friday Harbor Westwind Aviation 1830-2030 PST
11/18/09: Orcas Island, Airport Conference Room, 1830-2030 PST
11/18/09: Olympia, Jorgensen Aviation 1830-2030 PST
11/19/09: Puyallup, Clover Park Technical College, Aviation Training
Center, 1830-2030 PST
11/20/09: Chehalis, Central Aircraft Repair, 1830-2030 PST
11/24/09: Everett Community College Aviation Trades Building C-80, Paine
Field, 1830-2030 PST

Driving instructions and exact locations to each event will be posted on www.FAASafety.gov

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