FAA’s Potomac Tracon has been implementing 57 new operational procedures and 14 complex airspace changes as it rolls out NextGen in the Washington, D.C. area, FAA air traffic controller and Potomac Tracon safety representative for the National Air Traffic Controllers Association Brandon Miller told attendees at last week’s Greater Washington Business Aviation Association Safety Standdown. The changes are designed to optimize some of the most complex airspace in the nation that includes a half-dozen area airports, a flight-free zone, special-flight-rules area and layers of traffic bound to the Northeast, Miller said.
The new departure and arrival procedures are designed to provide more direct routing, he said, adding that two procedures at Washington National Airport alone are believed to produce $10 million in annual savings. Miller cautioned about proper filing requirements to take advantage of Rnav procedures, as well as pitfalls of the “climb via” terminology the FAA implemented a year ago.
He also noted that, as the airspace becomes busier, controllers have to implement certain procedures that can cause delays. For example, controllers halt departures at Washington Dulles International Airport during IFR departures at nearby Leesburg Executive Airport (KJYO), which, in turn, can result in lengthy holds on departures at KJYO. GWBAA officials offered to work with controllers on potential procedures that could alleviate those delays.
