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On April 8 a rare total solar eclipse will be passing over 14 U.S. states and across two time zones, here is why operators flying in those areas should know.
The upcoming solar eclipse over much of the central and Northeastern U.S. brings with it a unique set of challenges to those flying in the area. The solar eclipse will be seen over San Antonio, Texas at about 1:33 p.m. CDT; Austin, Texas three minutes later; and over the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex at 1:40 p.m. CDT. The eclipse will be seen over Indianapolis, Indiana at 3:06 p.m. EDT before it passes over Toledo and Cleveland, Ohio; Erie, Pennsylvania; Buffalo, New York before crossing Newfoundland and Labrador and on into the North Atlantic. The solar eclipse will pass over the continental U.S. in less than one hour and will only be visible for about three minutes in any location. NBAA Air Traffic Services is cautioning operators to be prepared for any arrival, routing or departure delays along the eclipse path.
"More than 450 public-use airports lie within 50 nautical miles on either side of the eclipse track," NBAA ATS Specialist Mike Schwab said. "Weather permitting, it's possible those airports will see at least some increase in traffic, and some could experience substantial increases."
"With numerous general aviation ‘fly the eclipse' events planned across the eclipse path, we also expect much heavier-than-usual VFR traffic at lower altitudes," Schwab said. "That may impact availability of flight following and other air traffic control services. Ground operations and parking space may also be affected."
Operators should be prepared for holds and reroutes if they are crossing over the path of the eclipse. There could be possible traffic management initiatives and operators can expect departure clearance times at major airports. The FAA has cautioned operators over possible special security provisions and TFRs in some areas.
Schwab is encouraging operators to remain diligent while prepping for flights during the eclipse, including a thorough review of NOTAMs and consulting with flight planning providers and NBAA ATS before traveling on April 8 near the solar eclipse path.
"The good news from an operational perspective is that this won't last long at all," he said. "Even though the eclipse's impact on business aviation operators should be fairly minimal, we should all be prepared for the unexpected."