FAA Issues Domestic Notice On Eclipse’s Impact On Operations

The FAA has posted a comprehensive Domestic Notice on its website concerning the total solar eclipse on April 8. The notice is to inform pilots and aircraft operators of possible impacts to traffic and safety along the path within 50 nautical miles of the center of the eclipse between the hours of 10:00 UTC April 7 to 04:00 UTC April 10.

The notice includes a General section advising of possible delays issued in the form of ground holds such as Expect Departure Clearance Time (EDCT) for IFR departures and arrivals, airborne holds and reroutes. The FAA also warns that VFR flight following services, practice approaches and touch-and-go operations involving airspace in the path of the eclipse may be “extremely limited and possibly prohibited” for the duration of the time period.

The Domestic Notice also includes a list—with contact information—of 458 airports in the pathway. The airports are listed by the eight Air Route Traffic Control Centers (ARTCCs) they fall into. There are also NASA-generated maps showing the eclipse pathway and the times when the eclipse will be in totality along the route and a link to the NASA website page that contains full information on the event.