COVIT-19 Ban VFR only IFR

brien23

brien23

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Brien
I am sure if they the FAA wanted to stop pilots that just want to fly around for pleasure could ban all VFR flights and only allow IFR fligh.
 
brien23 said:
I am sure if they the FAA wanted to stop pilots that just want to fly around for pleasure could ban all VFR flights and only allow IFR fligh.
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If the FAA were going to limit flight activities, it would be based on purpose, not flight rules...ie essential versus non-essential. I don’t see that happening as a blanket ban. Right now local governments can limit what happens at public airports, so it’s possibly limited already.

That said, it is possible the FAA may consider purpose of flight in offering relief from existing rules.

If they just banned VFR, it would ground 99% of helicopter operations, the majority of which are likely considered essential activities. Plenty of non essential (ie pleasure flights) are operated IFR.
 
Our local airport is designated as an essential activity, so flights and fueling continue. Just no instruction right now, understandably. A lot of us will be effectively grounded in the next couple of months due to expiring flight review currency if we do not get relief.
 
I would find the opposite more likely, a shutdown or near shutdown of IFR traffic due to ATC staffing if it got to that point. A few weeks ago I fully expected something along those lines as tower after tower was closing and there was so much talk of shutting down air travel. At the point we are at now, I'm not really expecting much more from the FAA and federal government. Your local governments might have more to say about non-essential travel, but I don't foresee any further restrictions at the higher level.
 
GA needs to be on guard all it takes is some news person to do a story on rich people in their personal jet cessna 150 flying around for pleasure while all the other people are stuck at home. You want a story like that to go viral and the FAA will probably be blasted by Senators trying to get a sound bite for allowing this to happen.
 
RyanShort1 said:
Pipeline patrol is infrastructure and definitely VFR... If that happens, someone in the FAA has goofed.
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If people can't stay home a lot of private flying will probably suffer that will spill over to those who have a valid reason to fly, the over reach of the Government will hurt everyone, and when it's over we will never be the same again.
 
brien23 said:
If people can't stay home a lot of private flying will probably suffer that will spill over to those who have a valid reason to fly, the over reach of the Government will hurt everyone, and when it's over we will never be the same again.
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There are a lot of things that won't be the same again. It's pointless to play Top Gun in your 172 when you can't hang out at the bar afterwards and sing karaoke.
 
Cheer up, Brien, everything will be okay. It’s all out of our control...
 
Ryanb said:
Cheer up, Brien, everything will be okay. It’s all out of our control...
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I hope so, flight instruction over the past few years has been at best on life support we just got back to aircraft and instructors being booked all day things were real good. Now this one can only hope everything will be okay, I hope so.
 
chemgeek said:
Our local airport is designated as an essential activity, so flights and fueling continue. Just no instruction right now, understandably. A lot of us will be effectively grounded in the next couple of months due to expiring flight review currency if we do not get relief.
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How do you figure that we will be grounded due to lack of flight review currency? For taking passengers, yes. For flying solo, no. Heck, how do you regain currency? 3 T&Gs flying solo.
 
I assumed he meant flying past your BFR date.
 
Ghery said:
How do you figure that we will be grounded due to lack of flight review currency? For taking passengers, yes. For flying solo, no. Heck, how do you regain currency? 3 T&Gs flying solo.
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AOPA is apparently working to get currency extended. They already got 3 months on medicals that fall during the current time.
 
It is amazing how people have to be entertained. I can sit on my porch and determine there is far to many people ignoring stay at home recommendations. May be when the prime minister of England dies next week and your local hospital are at capacity people will figure it out.
 
Clip4 said:
It is amazing how people have to be entertained. I can sit on my porch and determine there is far to many people ignoring stay at home recommendations. May be when the prime minister of England dies next week and your local hospital are at capacity people will figure it out.
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There's nothing about a proficiency flight around your local area that is problematic from the perspective of personal spacing and isolation.
 
I flew today. Never came anywhere near another person, in the air, or on the ground. 1 take off, 1 landing, avioded flying over populated areas, and avoided unnecessary radio calls.

Then, I get home and learn that some ultralight 100 or so miles south crashed and the pilot was killed. Slow news day, big news. Deepest sympathy for the pilot's family. But, we'll see how this goes in the 6 o'clock news......
 
Brad Z said:
If the FAA were going to limit flight activities, it would be based on purpose, not flight rules...ie essential versus non-essential. I don’t see that happening as a blanket ban. Right now local governments can limit what happens at public airports, so it’s possibly limited already.

That said, it is possible the FAA may consider purpose of flight in offering relief from existing rules.

If they just banned VFR, it would ground 99% of helicopter operations, the majority of which are likely considered essential activities. Plenty of non essential (ie pleasure flights) are operated IFR.
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There you go applying logic and common sense... :)
 
I flew today also, moving my plane from my IAs airport to mine. Short flight but underneath the first layer of Atlanta Bravo. Did not see a single plane (visually, not on the iPad) or hear a single call on an overused CTAF...
 
Since the governor instituted a stay home order,have chosen not to fly.
 
Flew for a few hours last Saturday. The school I rent from is quite busy.
 
Here, in NZ, we have total flight ban for GA :( Only essential flights are allowed, Flightradar looks really spooky.
 
Got 4.0 on the Hobbs and six landings on Saturday. Did not see another person closer than 100 yards the whole time. Cost me a whopping $116.
 
smv said:
Got 4.0 on the Hobbs and six landings on Saturday. Did not see another person closer than 100 yards the whole time. Cost me a whopping $116.
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i flew about 3 hours or so sat. Direct out of pocket $27... i love my autogas stc and 5gph :)
 
Huckster79 said:
i flew about 3 hours or so sat. Direct out of pocket $27... i love my autogas stc and 5gph :)
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Nice... I am flying a Sierra pulled along by an IO-360 so I averaged around 8.5ga/hr (that included 6 takeoffs and climbs to ~3k AGL). It only takes AVGAS so I had to pay $3.45/ga to fill it back up when I was done.
:rolleyes:
 
denverpilot said:
There’s no such thing as a BFR. :) :) :)

Even the FIRC has to repeat and repeat and repeat this. So I’m just passing along the pain. LOL.
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Fortunately, the FAA has not succeeded in repealing the first amendment, so they have no control over what we say as long as it's not on FAA frequencies! :)
 
smv said:
Nice... I am flying a Sierra pulled along by an IO-360 so I averaged around 8.5ga/hr (that included 6 takeoffs and climbs to ~3k AGL). It only takes AVGAS so I had to pay $3.45/ga to fill it back up when I was done.
:rolleyes:
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still a hellova bargain
 
brien23 said:
If people can't stay home a lot of private flying will probably suffer that will spill over to those who have a valid reason to fly, the over reach of the Government will hurt everyone, and when it's over we will never be the same again.
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If the government can't quite bringing on more arbitrary restrictions, they will likely be more and more ignored, and if they hit critical stuff like pipeline infrastructure, then there will be serious legal pushback that isn't happening as of yet.
 
Clip4 said:
It is amazing how people have to be entertained. I can sit on my porch and determine there is far to many people ignoring stay at home recommendations. May be when the prime minister of England dies next week and your local hospital are at capacity people will figure it out.
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Aah yes. It is amazing how people have to overeat. Back when we had a restaurant industry, I could sit at the bar and determine there were far too many people ignoring government dietary recommendations. Maybe when 2.8 million people die every year from complications of obesity people will figure it out.

Nah, I’d rather be judgey of others from the air.
 
With in the last month I have visited an AME and received my Third Class Medical, done my biennial flight review, flown my 172 over to the shop for the annual and shook hands with the A&P [washed my hands after the greeting and used hand sanitizer]. And on top of that continue to work towards my instrument rating. There are three cases of Covid-19 in our county of 27K people. Working hard at my "essential" job and using some common sense. Life goes on.
 
There's precedence. Back after 9/11 and in certain TFRs, the FAA has designated things that were and weren't appropriate activities.
 
Last Saturday I decided to hit some podunk airport on the Canada border, as I was passing over UND buzzing area after a while I thought I lost comm. keyed in with grand forks to ask if they can hear me... they could. The frequency has never been that quite in that area
 
People are still flying here...in fewer numbers. The only problem I see is if you carry a passenger...fly by yourself and prevent the spread of germs. I was told our local fly in bbq joint was doing take out and folks were eating on picnic tables outside...maybe not the best plan, but I heard lots of traffic going there on my handheld Saturday and Sunday. Social distancing not a big issue with me...if you are grouchy and pi$$ed off most of the time...distancing comes naturally :).
 
Possum said:
With in the last month I have visited an AME and received my Third Class Medical, done my biennial flight review, flown my 172 over to the shop for the annual and shook hands with the A&P [washed my hands after the greeting and used hand sanitizer]. And on top of that continue to work towards my instrument rating. There are three cases of Covid-19 in our county of 27K people. Working hard at my "essential" job and using some common sense. Life goes on.
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I support solitary flying, but it is hard to show support for those not actually trying to keep the minimum 6 foot distancing requirements. The virus can spread through droplets that are ejected from the mouth when speaking. We all know “those” people who end up spitting on other when they talk. Even if you are not one of those people, saliva still comes out.
Go fly, but please stay away for other people. We can hear each other from 10 feet away. Shaking hands is not necessary.
 
There’s still quite a bit of GA going on here, but it’s definitely slowed down in the last month.

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