Runway Report
February 2022
What’s the Big Deal With 5G?  
by John Wellington

There has been much discussion about 5G antennae disrupting aviation safety at our nation’s airports and these signals may disrupt vital instruments on the aircraft during landing making it unsafe.  All of this is true – but the devil is in the details.

How did we get here:
· The stronger signals can interfere with certain radio altimeters used for precision approaches.
· As a result, the FAA issued an order to not allow flights to use these approaches until they researched the issue.  Overly cautious perhaps but that’s the way the FAA works.

What is the current status:
· After conducting research, the FAA now knows where these 5G antennae are located; click Here to view the map.  If there are no antennae close to an airport, the restrictions are being lifted.
· The signals only adversely affect about 11% of the current fleet of aircraft, so regardless of tower proximity, 89% of the aircraft can use their radio altimeters without any disruption.  The affected aircraft tend to be either smaller, short-haul airplanes or older aircraft, both typically have less sophisticated radio altimeters.
Bottom Line:  
No one should worry about their safety as a result of 5G interference at U.S. Airports. The FAA has a comprehensive plan for ensuring that affected airports and affected aircraft are identified and alternate solutions implemented.  Almost 90% of the flights today are not impacted by 5G interference and on the remaining flights, there are alternatives:
· Alternate approaches not requiring radio altimeters
· Retrofitting aircraft with with modern instruments

Useful information from the FAA can be found Here.
Airport Operations Update
Hudson Valley Honor Flight (HVHF) will resume flights to Washington, D.C. this spring with the May 21 flight departing from Westchester County Airport. Applications can be found at Here. Priority is given to World War II and Korean War veterans; however, all veterans who have not yet participated in an Honor Flight are encouraged to apply.

_____________________

Voluntary Restraint from Flying (VRFF) is in effect from midnight to 6:30 AM daily. The voluntary curfew minimizes noise during
sensitive hours and enables us to be a good neighbor to surrounding communities. The airport encourages all operators to put forth their best effort to participate and your cooperation is appreciated. There is a rumor that the Spirit Awards will make a comeback!
___________________

Traveling with Pets is more popular than ever before as passengers are bringing their pets onboard aircraft. Afterall, they are welcome to fly on most flights!

Please ensure that dogs remain on a leash at all times while in the terminal, FBOs and airport ramps.
Watching a NASA Launch From the 'Left' Seat in the House

by Scott Dyer
Have you thought about flying south to watch a NASA launch with your airplane? Taking the Cirrus, Bonanza or Cessna down the coast to see the launch from the air? I have, and I've been daunted by the day long trip each way to the Cape Canaveral area, perhaps joined with a delay of a day, or two, or three, or more, as the launch is on hold for weather or mechanical reasons. It just seemed too complicated unless I was otherwise going to be in Florida and could do a one day roundtrip within the state.

COVID adds another wrinkle, with the NASA passes for launch viewing being suspended indefinitely.

But...we found another solution! Wallops Island, Virgina on the Eastern Shore is home to NASA's Wallops Flight Facility where sounding rockets and International Space Station (ISS) resupply missions among other things are launched. It's a relatively short flight from HPN, maybe 90 minutes to 2 1/2 hours depending on winds and your aircraft, with good refueling at Salisbury Regional Airport (SBY) in Salisbury, Maryland or Accomack County Airport (MFV) in Melfa, Virginia. Some launches are during the daytime,
others are in the evening or at night, so you'll have to take your pick and make your plans.

If it wasn't already obvious, I'll reveal now that we took this very trip in February 2022 for the Cygnus NG-17 ISS Resupply Mission Launch. Oh, and did I forget to mention this viewing was inflight? 

GA Aircraft Ownership Zoom Series

Our GA Aircraft Ownership Zoom Series covered topics useful to pilots who own or are considering a Light GA Aircraft purchase.  

Session 4: Insurance held November 30 featured Chris Arnold, Managing Director at Sutton James. Included topics were Physical Damage, Liability Coverage, Medical Payments and more. Do you know what "$1 Million Smooth" means?
WAA Members can view the recording by clicking the image above and logging into your account.