Flight rules intended to secure airspace during President Barack Obama's visit next week will mean sharp limits and checkpoints for small planes, including the use of the Palmer Municipal Airport as a "gateway airport."
The restrictions for Anchorage were announced in a series of "notices to airmen." The security rules do not specifically ground floatplanes, one of the main concerns of air taxis and private pilots. An advisory last week had floatplanes on the list of craft that might be prohibited.
But during windows in which extra security checks are in place, floatplanes within a restricted 10-mile zone around Stevens Anchorage International Airport will only be able to depart from one spot: the Lake Hood floatplane base. And they won't be able to land there, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.
"With appropriate clearance, they can leave during the restriction, but ... they can't come back," said Kerry Long, FAA regional administrator for Alaska.
The Federal Aviation Administration on Wednesday afternoon posted temporary flight restrictions for Anchorage airspace for various periods of time from Monday, Aug. 31, to Wednesday, Sept. 2.
The restrictions, when in force, also prevent anyone from flying drones within 30 miles of Stevens Airport. The Secret Service could shut down the airspace if someone tries to get a drone video of the president's motorcade.
The FAA had previously warned that pilots who violate the airspace security rules can face deadly force. The military could scramble fighter jets and helicopters to intercept wayward planes, an FAA spokesman said.
The restrictions for Anchorage airspace begin Monday at 1 p.m. and go in and out of effect over the next two days, depending on the president's location in Alaska. He also is scheduled to visit Seward, Dillingham and Kotzebue. Temporary flight restrictions for those areas have not yet been published.
Military planes, air ambulances and scheduled commercial and cargo aircraft are not covered by the extra rules, which mainly affect small aircraft and charter planes.
Monday will be challenging for many pilots trying to fly into or out of Anchorage, said Jane Dale, executive director of Alaska Air Carriers Association. She said the rules are difficult to decipher and she had been fielding calls from worried pilots. But there are long stretches during the middle of the day Tuesday and for most of Wednesday with no special flight restrictions in effect, she said.
Long, of the FAA, said in an interview Wednesday evening just before he boarded a flight that security checks for small aircraft and charter planes will be available in four locations: Stevens Airport, Palmer Municipal Airport, Merrill Field and Lake Hood.
Screenings by the Transportation Security Administration of pilots, passengers, crews, planes and baggage will occur at those locations, starting before restrictions kick in. Screenings won't be offered during times when the extra security rules are lifted, or in the middle of the night.
The first window in which the special security checks are required starts Monday at 1 p.m. and lasts until 11 a.m. Tuesday. During that time, planes that have been cleared will be able to leave Lake Hood, as well as the other special checkpoints.
Incoming planes under the restrictions will need to stop in Palmer for a check before proceeding to Anchorage. That excludes floatplanes, which will have to wait until midday Tuesday to return. Long said the restrictions are a compromise.
A second window for special checks begins at 6:15 p.m. Tuesday and runs through Wednesday at 10:30 a.m., under the FAA announcements.
Pilots can call the TSA at 907-771-2950 starting Friday to register for screening and must do so at least 24 hours before they plan to fly.
The final notice to airmen runs from 10:15 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. on Wednesday and does not include the option for special screening. Small planes in the inner 10-mile zone will not be able to fly during that stretch.
During the times of flight restrictions, in an area 10 to 30 miles out from the Anchorage airport, planes may be able to fly without special screening, but will have to be in contact with air traffic control. Those operating in the 10-mile inner zone also must stay in constant communication with air traffic control.
Pilots and others in Alaska's aviation community have been concerned in part because the president's visit coincides with the start of moose and waterfowl hunting seasons. The Lake Hood floatplane base, within the 10-mile inner zone of security, is the busiest in the world.
"There are substantial periods of time when there is no restrictions on flight, when you can fly anywhere and do anything. That's when the Secret Service has decided it doesn't pose a threat" to the president, Long said.