Airspace News – Proposed Changes – Chart Changes Pg. 3

“Supporting Airports, Strengthening Communities”

This Page starts with April 1, 2026 - For Prior Events See Page 2

Updates & Proposed Changes

PROPOSED TAC CHANGE

CLASS C CONFLICT with CHINO Traffic Pattern

The Los Angeles Terminal Area Chart (TAC) is updated every 56 days.

How to REPORT CHART ISSUES:   "Aeronautical Inquiries"  

Use this link:  http://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/flight_info/aeronav/aero_data/aeronautical_inquiries

VFR CHART CHANGE NOTICES:

The Western Service Center Operations Support Group provided the attached “CHARTING NOTICE – 56-Day Visual Charts” from the FAA web site; https://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/flight_info/aeronav/safety_alerts/

The notice states; "Like other FAA Supplement, Enroute and Terminal products, each new visual navigation chart title panel will indicate the applicable AIRAC effective date range and no longer include an edition number.”

As the IFR charts on 56-day publishing schedule do not have an edition number, the new 56-day visual charts will be identified in the same way using effective dates.

Aeronautical Charting Meeting  (Charting Group)

Aeronautical Charting Meeting for U.S. Federal Aviation Administration: information has recently been updated and is now available.

  • New submission deadline for ACM 26-01 Closed
  • New submission deadline for ACM 26-02 August 21, 2026
  • Submitted new Recommendation Documents

Aeronautical Charting Meeting – (Charting Group)

FLIGHT in the INLAND EMPIRE - PRECAUTION!

Pilots should be aware that this is a busy flight area.  Besides the VFR traffic (often with some legacy aircraft), and IFR traffic there is a multitude of IFR training flights flown in the area located around the Paradise VORTAC (PDZ).  Extreme caution should be exercised. Be on the ook out for jet arrivals into SBD,

 

AIRSPACE NEWS & PROPOSALS & CHART NEWS

04/18/2026   NOTAM MODERNIZATION - "...the FAA did install its new NOTAM system on April 18, 2026. - The changeover took place between midnight and 4 a.m. EDT on that date, when the FAA shut down the existing U.S. NOTAM System (USNS) and replaced it with the new NOTAM Management Service (NMS)." General Aviation News

"During the transition window, all active NOTAMs before the cutover remained available through normal distribution channels, and the FAA recommended using the FAA’s FNS NOTAM search to ensure pilots received the most timely and accurate information." General Aviation News -  "After the switch, NOTAMs from the FNS page and third-party providers flowed through the NMS, but operators were told they would not notice any differences in the display format." NBAA

"The new system, which had been tested since September 2025, was developed to address the January 2023 outage that grounded flights for 90 minutes and to provide greater redundancy, resilience, and near-real-time data exchange." - SAOPA  "While the April 18 changeover was a major infrastructure upgrade, more visible improvements — such as easier-to-read layouts — were planned for later." - General Aviation News

Both a NOTAM MODERNZATION WEBINAR (HERE) and THE NMS Portal (HERE) are accessible from our menu under AIRSPACE.  See Notams > Notam Resources.

04/11/2026   Joby and ASI partner to integrate eVTOLs into the US National Airspace System - From UNMANNED AIRSPACE - "Joby Aviation and Air Space Intelligence (ASI) have announced a partnership to accelerate the integration of advanced air mobility (AAM) into the U.S. National Airspace System. - “Building on ASI’s Flyways AI Platform – an open AI-powered airspace intelligence platform that uses high-fidelity 4D modeling to optimize flight operations – Joby and ASI plan to work together to advance how scaled eVTOL operations can be safely integrated into dynamic, increasingly complex and high-traffic airspace. Joint demonstrations, including live operational exercises, are expected later this year,” said Joby in a press release.

“With the FAA’s Brand New Air Traffic Control System (BNATCS) set to form the foundation for the next generation of air traffic management, the partnership will also explore how more automated, software-defined approaches to airspace coordination can enable increasingly autonomous flight operations,” said the company."  Continue Here.

04/10/2026   Mastering the Mission: Navigating Increasingly Complex International Airspace - From Business Aviation Insider - "How to keep pace with constant change in global operations. - According to Matt Borie, chief intelligence officer at Osprey Flight Solutions, multiple national and international civil aviation governing bodies and civilian flight operators have begun reevaluating their current overflight policies. “In addition, civil aviation entities are required to conduct risk assessments of their flight routes on a continuous basis for compliance, actuarial and insurance purposes,” Borie said."  Get the International Rundown Here.

04/08/2026  NY/NJ Port Authority selected to test next-generation electric aircraft - From TransportationToday - "The Port Authority will be one of eight projects nationwide to participate in the FAA’s Advanced Air Mobility and Electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing Integration Pilot Program (eIPP), a first-of-its-kind federal initiative to accelerate the safe integration of next-generation electric aircraft into the national airspace system." Continue Here.

04/08/2026   7 NBAA Tips for Navigating Challenging Florida Airspace - From Business Insider - “Florida airspace is like a funnel. We have a lot of traffic coming from the north and west, and at the same time, numerous departures from South Florida and the Caribbean – all that converges in the middle of the state.” - Janice Planten NBAA Air Traffic Services Director - Get the Tips Here.

04/06/2026   Pentagon Mulls Anti-Drone Lasers in Downtown Washington - From AvBrief.com - "The New York Times says the Pentagon is considering using its controversial LOCUST laser weapon to shoot down drones at Fort Lesley J. MacNair, a military base in southeast Washington where Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio both live. The base is about two miles across the Potomac River from Reagan National Airport, well within the range of the laser weapon. Use of LOCUST on the southern border near El Paso has caused airport closures and intense disagreement between the military and the FAA. So far, the only casualties have been a mylar party balloon and a $30 million drone owned by Customs and Border Protection. Both were mistaken for drones allegedly used by drug cartels at the border." More Here.

03/31/2026   EASA: Narrow Mideast Corridors Increase Operational Risk - From AvWeb - "European regulators say conflict-related airspace restrictions are increasing congestion and risks. - The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has begun warning that Iran conflict-related airspace restrictions and advisories in the Middle East are creating added operational risk by pushing more traffic into a smaller number of usable routes. As fewer corridors between Europe and Asia are available, there is also less flexibility for reroutes and more pressure on traffic flows.

That concern comes as EASA and other agencies advise operators not to fly in the airspace of Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and large portions of Saudi Arabia and Oman, with limited exceptions in specified higher-altitude segments of Saudi and Omani airspace. - EASA has said the region remains exposed to “spill-over risks, misidentification, miscalculation and failure of interception procedures,...”   Continue Here.

03/25/2026   Amazon Breaks From Commercial Drone Industry on Safety - From FLYING - "Company’s Prime Air unit withdraws from the Commercial Drone Alliance. - Amazon’s Prime Air drone delivery business has withdrawn from arguably the country’s largest and most influential drone advocacy group over a “fundamental and irreconcilable disagreement” on safety, it wrote in a letter viewed by FLYING. - First reported by Reuters, the letter marks Prime Air’s formal departure from the Commercial Drone Alliance (CDA) due to clashing perspectives on the FAA’s consequential Part 108 proposal, which contains provisions for beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) operations. - The proposal generated thousands of comments, many criticizing the FAA for going too far—and some for not going far enough."  Complete Article Here

03/25/2026   Chart Error Pauses New VFR Routes at Seattle’s Boeing Field - From FLYING - "Pilots should continue to use 2021 procedures due to clerical mistake on updated TAC.  - If you’re flying into King County International Airport-Boeing Field (KBFI) using the published VFR procedures, take note. Officials say there’s a clerical error on the VFR Terminal Area Chart (TAC) released March 19, and pilots should continue using the routes that have been in place since 2021 until further notice."  Read More Here.

03/19/2026    Going to Sun & Fun in Lakeland, Fla?  Click here to see the NOTAM on the FAA’s website. You can also access the NOTAM at FlySNF.org/Aerospace-Expo/The-NOTAM-Is-Here. This page also includes other information about the show, including tips on flying in, information about the Pilot Welcome Center, and more.

03/19/2026   FAA Ends ‘See and Avoid’ In Mixed Helicopter Traffic Areas - From AvWeb - "The FAA has suspended visual separation for helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft in high-traffic airspace. - The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is suspending the use of visual separation between helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft in some of the nation’s busiest airspace, requiring controllers to instead use radar to maintain standard separation, the agency announced Wednesday.

The change applies to Class B and Class C airspace as well as Terminal Radar Service Areas, where helicopter traffic frequently crosses arrival and departure paths near major airports.

Under the new general notice (GENOT), controllers will no longer rely on pilots to “see and avoid” other aircraft in these environments. Instead, they will actively manage traffic using defined lateral or vertical separation standards.- Federal officials said the move follows a year-long safety review that identified an overreliance on visual separation in high-traffic areas—particularly where helicopter and airline operations intersect."  Read more about this important notice Here.

03/13/2026    Senator Raises Safety Concerns Over Anti-Drone Laser System - From AvWeb - "Recent incidents near Texas prompt questions about coordination between federal agencies and aviation safety. - Sen. Maria Cantwell, the U.S. Senate Commerce Committee’s top Democrat, said recent incidents involving a laser-based counter-drone system raised concerns about aviation safety and coordination among federal agencies. In a letter to the U.S. Department of Defense, the Federal Aviation Administration and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Cantwell wrote that the events highlighted what she described as shortcomings in interagency communication."   -  Conclusion Here.

03/12/2026   Honeywell Gains FAA Approval For New Aspen RNAV (RNP) Approach - From AvWeb - "Honeywell’s new RNAV (RNP) approach into Aspen (KASE) Runway 15 is now FAA-approved, providing lower minimums, a stabilized descent, and guided missed approach for safer operations. - Honeywell has received FAA approval for a new RNAV (RNP) approach into Aspen/Pitkin County Airport (KASE) Runway 15, one of the country’s most challenging mountain airfields. The move promises safer, more predictable access to the high-altitude airport, especially in tricky weather. - The Aspen RNAV (RNP) N Rwy 15 procedure offers lower minimums and a stabilized descent compared with the “dive and drive” approaches pilots have traditionally used to navigate the canyon. Minima are set at 537 feet height above touchdown with 1¼‑mile visibility, with a 3.5° approach angle designed to reduce pilot workload in marginal conditions."  Read About it Here.

03/11/2026   LA TAC CHART UPDATE  -  LOS ANGELES SPECIAL FLIGHT RULES AREA  -  FLIGHT FOLLOWING FREQUENCIES:  The Frequencies upon exiting the Route in order to rejoin Flight Following Service have been sought after. The lines below have added to the TAC Chart Special Flight Rules description:   (Reproduced from the March 19, 2026, LA TAC Chart)

03/11/2026   Drones Need Their Own Rules - From AvBrief - "A drone program at the New Mexico State University (NMSU) test site caught my attention. They are doing safety work: Find small drones, track them, and reduce collision risk. - The problem zone is surface to 400 feet AGL. Helicopters work there. Manned aircraft pass through on climb and descent. Now add the drone stack and more low-altitude traffic coming, including eVTOL operations. Same layer. More mixing. - See and avoid does not hold up well here. Drones are small and they blend into the ground. In the drone zone you are also watching terrain, wires, landing spots, and other traffic. It can be harder than higher airspace because everything is closer and the targets are smaller. - ATC may not see the drone at all. Most drones are not on ADS-B, so you usually do not get a target on your screen. That is why I keep pushing DFR / DFR-B."  Find out More about this very Important Safety Problem Here.

03/11/2026   RTX Seeks Larger Role in FAA’s $12.5B ATC Overhaul - from FLYING - "Company will reportedly pitch its common automation platform to consolidate existing ATC systems. - RTX, which in January received a $438 million contract to help the FAA replace hundreds of antiquated radar systems, is reportedly vying for an even larger chunk of the $12.5 billion Congress has allocated for the agency’s Brand New Air Traffic Control System (BNATCS) effort. - On Tuesday at RTX facilities in Washington, Collins Aerospace officials demonstrated a system designed to unify fragmented ATC data sources, which the company, per FlightGlobal, will pitch to the FAA as the BNATCS common automation platform (CAP). - The regulator has selected a prime integrator—Peraton, which will oversee the entire effort—and handed out contracts to RTX and others for various subtasks. But it still seeks a CAP to aggregate data from the disparate en route and terminal systems that are used to track and manage aircraft." - Continue Here.

03/10/2026   Reported today by Southern California Airspace Users Working Group (independent from SCAUWG.ORG) is that the ad-hoc committee assigned to investigate a proposal for consideration by the FAA, to better design the Ontario Class C airspace.  Chairperson Eve Lopez of CalPilot announced the committee's result that was determined to better orchestrate the airspace to accommodate safer operations at Chino and Cable airports whilst maintaining the integrity needed at Ontario.  Changes have been submitted to the FAA for consideration.  Should they be accepted a future public comment period will ensue that will detail the chosen modifications to the current design determined to be beneficial be the FAA. SCAUWG, the group, applauded Eve Lopez for her dedicated guidance.  The proposed airspace makes both boundary and shelf altitude changes and looks like this:

PROPOSED ONT CLASS C MODIFICATION