Marble Canyon AZ (L41) procedure

Pilawt

Pilawt

Final Approach
Gone West
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Pilawt
I'd like to make a trip up to Marble Canyon next week. The airport lies within the Grand Canyon SFRA, and all else being equal, I'd kinda like to stay legal. :cool:

FAR 93.309 says in relevant part,

Except in an emergency, no person may operate an aircraft in the Special Flight Rules Area unless the operation is conducted in accordance with the following procedures.
[...]
(f) Is conducted within 3 nautical miles of Grand Canyon Bar Ten Airstrip, Pearce Ferry Airstrip, Cliff Dwellers Airstrip, Marble Canyon Airstrip, or Tuweep Airstrip at an altitude less than 3,000 feet above airport elevation, for the purpose of landing at or taking off from that facility.​

There is similar language on the chart itself. Now this is all well and good, and I've seen articles and YouTube videos by pilots who arrive at L41 by spiraling down, within 3 nm of the airport, from above the top of the SFRA.

The problem with that is that the top of that sector of the SFRA is 7,999' MSL, and the language of the FAR exempts only 3,000' above the 3,603' MSL field elevation. So is someone who spirals down from overhead (or climbs out within 3 nm on departure) in violation of the SFRA between 7,999' and 6,603' MSL?

The airport is slightly less than three nm from the boundaries of the SFRA to the northwest and southeast, but right at the boundaries are sheer canyon walls that go right up to the top of that 3,000'-above-field-elevation limit. I don't think buzzing the canyon rims is what they had in mind when the SFRA rules were drawn up.

The yellow circle on the attached chart screenshot is a 3nm radius from L41.


I read lots of goofy statutes in 40+ years as a lawyer, but this one appears to make it impossible to safely comply. Am I reading it wrong? Why does it only exempt 3,000' above the airport?
 
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I’m not sure, but the intent is to keep pilots within the airport environment when below the corridor altitude. I don’t have a legal answer for you though. Was down that way not long ago. Didn’t land at Marble Canyon but did land at Monument Valley and camped overnight. Beautiful area to fly. Personally I wouldn’t worry about that 2,000’ difference that appears to be unaccounted for. Monitor the corridor frequency on the way in and announce your intentions.

If you stop at PGA you can talk to the locals at the FBO for clarification. Super friendly reception there. And they will drive you to town to eat lunch if you wish.
 
FAR 93.309 gives me pause: "Except in an emergency, no person may operate an aircraft in the Special Flight Rules Area unless [...]".

There's also 93.307:

Except in an emergency, or if otherwise necessary for safety of flight, or unless otherwise authorized by the responsible Flight Standards Office for a purpose listed in § 93.309, no person may operate an aircraft in the Special Flight Rules Area at an altitude lower than the following:
(a) Minimum sector altitudes -
[...]
(2) Transient and general aviation operations -
(i) Marble Canyon Sector. Lees Ferry to Boundary Ridge: 8,000 feet MSL.​
 
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That runway is extremely rough washboard - or it was in Sept 2018. We came out of Page, overflew horseshoe bend, then over Vermilion cliffs and circled to land. Did reverse coming out. Be wary of DA.IMG_0693.jpg IMG_0705.jpg Outstanding scenery our entire trip - best yet in my 172.
 
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Interesting. Overall I think @woodchucker is correct in terms of intent. This note makes sense for the airports that are just outside the SFRA, like Grand Canyon Bar Ten or Cliff Dwellers. I suspect it is just an oversight in the construction of the regulation. Perhaps suggest a rule change? How does one do that?

I enjoyed flying in there. Too bad the old rustic lodge burnt down in 2013. Enjoy your flight there — and “don’t be a toad”.
 
SFAR 50-2 as referenced on the Grand Canyon VFR chart might give you an "out":
Section 5. Minimum flight altitudes. Except in an emergency or if otherwise necessary for safety of flight, or unless otherwise authorized by the Flight Standards District Office for a purpose listed in Section 3(b), no person may operate an aircraft in the Special Flight Rules Area at an altitude lower than the following:
(a) Eastern section from Lees Ferry to North Canyon: 5,000 feet MSL.
(b) Eastern section from North Canyon to Boundary Ridge: 6,000 feet MSL.

However 93.307 might allow an exception to its restrictions for the purpose of 93.309 assuming the airport landings are "FSDO approved" by regulation:
93.307 Minimum flight altitudes.
Except in an emergency, or if otherwise necessary for safety of flight, or unless otherwise authorized by the responsible Flight Standards Office for a purpose listed in § 93.309, no person may operate an aircraft in the Special Flight Rules Area at an altitude lower than the following:

Barring that, you could enter 90 degrees perpendicular to the runway from outside the SFRA until within 3 miles of the airport.
 
We made the trip to Marble Canyon last Tuesday. It is an absolutely spectacular place.

The forecast was perfect - clear, calm aloft and on the ground. So Mrs. P and I launched for a sightseeing trip of some of northern Arizona’s most celebrated holes in the ground — Grand Canyon, Marble Canyon, Lake Powell, and Meteor Crater.

We had to leave early (0800 local) because on weekdays the café at Marble Canyon closes at 11am and doesn’t reopen until dinner at 5 pm (weekends it’s open all day). Glad we did; the food was reasonably priced and very good.

The paved runway is advertised as 3,700’ x 35’, but the southernmost third of it is rough enough to be uncomfortable, so I planned to arrive well down the runway. The pavement is straight — kinda — and level — sorta. There are no runway numbers displayed, and the centerline stripe looks like it was done by hand early in the morning after a late-night party.

Mrs. P has been flying with me for 48 years and generally doesn’t get too excited about the airports we fly into, but this one got a huge “Oh, WOW!” from her.

The trip up from GYR at 11,500’, via the Zuni Point Corridor over the Canyon, was smooth and pleasant all the way.

The SFRA issue was handled easily. We approached from the southeast at a right angle to the runway, so when we entered the SFRA we were already within 3 nm of the airport and less than 3,000' above field elevation (see video below). Departure was the same in reverse. We had close-up views of the canyon rim, but on this calm day it was fine. If there were stronger winds it might not be so pleasant.

L41 terrain.jpg

Even with a slow airplane we packed in a lot of sightseeing in 4.2 hours of flying. A good day.

 
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Great job Jeff. Makes me want to fly my Tiger down from North Idaho!
 
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