By Adam Hunt, COPA manager, Membership Services
An aerobatic Alert Area in southwestern Ontario was temporarily changed into a Restricted Area for rocket firing. Local pilots who checked the NOTAMs were puzzled as to what was happening to their normal practice area. Those who didn’t check the NOTAMs got a bit too close to the rockets or, in some cases, were violated for being in restricted airspace.
A little investigation dug up what is happening at CYA 525 (south of Hamilton, Ont.) when it becomes CYR 525 one or two days a month. The area is being used by the North American Propulsion and Aerospace Society. They are authorized by Transport Canada to use the temporary Restricted Area for the firing of rockets for sport, research and experiments.
Sport rocketry? That’s right! Some of these large, high-powered rockets are fired by the rocket world’s equivalent of Private Pilots. These are not little model rockets, but may be up to 1,000 lbs and reach Mach 2. In the same way that Private Pilots are well qualified to fly planes, these rockets are launched by people with specific qualifications and licences for this type of rocketry.
As airplane pilots we have to share the air with other users. Pilots are cautioned that these types of rockets are being used all over Canada in designated Restricted Areas, opened intermittently by NOTAM. Each of these rocket-firing areas is approved by Transport Canada and NOTAMed just when in use. Because these rockets are usually fired far away from airports, the NOTAMS are often listed under the Flight Information Region (FIR), and not under any airport headings.
When you ask for NOTAMS, ask for the FIR NOTAMS as well as departure and destination aerodromes. Also note that these NOTAMS are not reliably available anywhere on the Internet, you must call FSS to confirm whether the areas are active. When the rockets are not being launched, the restricted areas will be turned back to the other uses indicated on the aeronautical charts.
(Thanks to Hamilton COPA Flight Captain Eric Grove for the heads-up on this one.)
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