Forge Flight Sentinel Briefing

The game is set for Sunday February 12, 2023 at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona with kickoff set for 4:30 p.m. (MST). Flight departments heading there will require some extra planning and coordination to ensure a successful delay-free trip.

Operators flying to airports in the greater Phoenix area should familiarize themselves with FAA Special Air Traffic Procedures that will be in effect for the days leading up to and after the game. Procedure information, including a list of affected airports are published on the FAA Special Events Site. These procedures will contain specific routing that must be filed by operators flying into and out of the affected airports. Failure to file these preferred routes may lead to significant delays.

Traffic management initiatives will be used when arrival rates exceed airport capacity, so pilots should be prepared for potential airborne holdings, reroutes, or Expect Departure Clearance Times (EDCTs) that may be issued for all domestic IFR arrivals into area airports.

Game Day Restrictions

A special event Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) is expected to be in place the day of the game. It is expected to prohibit general aviation operations within a 10-mile radius of the stadium beginning 2-3 hours before kickoff until 1 hour after the game. TFR information is normally disseminated via FDC NOTAM 3-5 days prior to the event. Once published, text and graphical depictions will be available at FAA TFRs.

Ramp Reservations

Due to the high volume of air traffic anticipated and to facilitate aircraft parking and staging, ramp reservations are expected to be required for arrivals and departures (including “drop and goes”) to and from area airports. Reservations can be obtained by contacting an FBO or Airport Authority for airports without an FBO. Reservation numbers should be filed in Block 18 (Remarks section) of the IFR flight plan to avoid being queried by ATC.

Honeywell’s Forge Flight Sentinel recommends submitting flight plan requests the day prior to operating. This will ensure flight plans are filed with the FAA at the earliest allowed time to help mitigate delays due to traffic management initiatives. Flight Sentinel always monitors the airspace and will proactively inform subscribers of air traffic delays, impacting TFRs, and possible alternative solutions.

More information about Flight Sentinel is available here.

Please contact Forge Flight Services at FlightServices@Honeywell.com or by phone at +1 (602) 365-7020 with any questions or operational issues.

Derek Fiedler supports RNP, Datalink, and Forge Flight Services for Honeywell Flight Technical Services. He can be reached via email at Derek.Fiedler@Honeywell.com.