Flight Training Corner:

APA Practice Areas and Noise Abatement Procedures

By Jared Johnson

A large amount of flight training activity originates from Centennial Airport, making the airport and surrounding areas potentially hazardous for pilots who fail to be diligent in their traffic avoidance procedures. Areas that often go un-considered in a pilot's pre-flight planning are the practice areas that are used by flight schools based at Centennial.

PRACTICE AREA COMMUNICATION
Flight schools from Centennial Airport use two practice areas; one south west, and one south east. Pilots are strongly encouraged to make practice area calls on 122.75, the common air-to-air frequency. Pilots should make a call prior to entering the practice area, and additional calls every ten minutes advising other pilots of their location, altitude, and intentions.

PRACTICE AREA DIMENSIONS AND REPORTING POINTS
The south west practice area is outlined by Chatfield reservoir, highway 85 (Santa Fe Dr.), Sedalia, and the foothills to the west. Titan Rd, the east-west road south of Chatfield reservoir, is another common reporting point. The south east practice area is much larger, and is outlined by the Pinery, Franktown, Castlewood Canyon, Kelly Air Park, and Kiowa. Other common reporting points are the town of Elizabeth and 'Three Towers' (an area east of the Pinery).

TRAFFIC AVOIDANCE
Keep in mind that many pilots will not announce their position, and it remains every pilot's responsibility to stay diligent for other traffic. Also realize that non-participating pilots use the common air-to-air frequency not only to announce their intentions in other areas, but also for frequent and sometimes unnecessary conversations. It is our responsibility as pilots to be patient when using this congested frequency.

NOISE ABATEMENT AND ALTITUDE SELECTION
It is absolutely essential that every pilot operating in the Centennial Area uses appropriate noise abatement practices. According to an April 2009 report published by Todd Green, Centennial Airport's Noise and Environmental Specialist, Centennial Airport and its associated operations received 2,240 noise complaints from the beginning of 2009 through April. This works out to between eighteen and nineteen complaints per day. Many of these complaints came from households outside of the immediate airport vicinity, refuting the common assumption that noise complaints come only as a result of aircraft that are taking off and landing. According to 14 CFR 91.119, no pilot may operate an aircraft below 500 feet over a non-congested area or 1000 feet over a congested area. A congested area, in the eyes of the FAA, is defined by the number of complaints that come from a given area or individual. A single phone call to the local FSDO turns one person's house into a congested area, and enforcement action has, in the past, been taken against pilots who operated aircraft below 1000 feet in what the pilot considered a sparsely populated area. The following is an FAA Chief Counsel Opinion taken from Federal Aviation Regulations Explained (Jeppesen, 2005). 'Congested area' is determined on a case by case basis. Examples of what was determined by the [NTSB to be congested areas] are 1. an area consisting of 10 houses and a school; 2. a university campus; 3. a beach area along a highway; 4. over a camp where there were numerous people on the dock and children playing on the shore." Most examiners and FAA inspectors in the Denver Area will take no issue with performing ground reference maneuvers at or above 1000 feet and a prudent pilot will also follow this basic rule.

COURTESY
Please take the time to inform other pilots of the Centennial Airport practice areas. If pilots make a serious effort to stay at or near their announced position the skies will be safer for everyone. And if pilots consider the surrounding community when selecting altitudes, Centennial Airport will take less criticism from the community.