wilderness area regulations

[John B]

Several times this year, while in wilderness areas, I have noticed commercial airplane flights--smaller prop planes. I can't recall that this happened much in the past. Someone mentioned to me that the regulations restricting such flights have changed recently. Does anyone know details? I guess it's another example of our wilderness experience being degraded bit by bit... Don't get me started on ATVs and snowmobiles!

[tmountainnut]

Several times this year, while in wilderness areas, I have noticed commercial airplane flights--smaller prop planes. I can't recall that this happened much in the past. Someone mentioned to me that the regulations restricting such flights have changed recently. Does anyone know details? I guess it's another example of our wilderness experience being degraded bit by bit... Don't get me started on ATVs and snowmobiles!

Apparently Bryce canyon doesn't have any restrictions on flights because helicopters would buzz the area fairly often during the day while i was trying to enjoy the under the rim trail. In the grand canyon, theres a specific no fly zone, but if you're hiking outside of the no fly zone (hermits creek/rapid trail for example) you could hear helicopters fly there too.

Those are very popular canyons. I haven't had the same annoyance in areas like canyonlands and Capitol Reef.

[Aaron Zagrodnick]

Interesting information from the FAA Aeronautical Information Manual:

b. Pilots are requested to maintain a minimum altitude of 2,000 feet above the surface of the following: National Parks, Monuments, Seashores, Lakeshores, Recreation Areas and Scenic Riverways administered by the National Park Service, National Wildlife Refuges, Big Game Refuges, Game Ranges and Wildlife Ranges administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and Wilderness and Primitive areas administered by the U.S. Forest Service.

https://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/publications/atpubs/aim/aim0704.html#aim0704.html.2

[grizzled]

Interesting information from the FAA Aeronautical Information Manual:

https://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/publications/atpubs/aim/aim0704.html#aim0704.html.2

Yep. No matter how hard we try to escape, vestiges of "civilization" will remain.

[John B]

Aaron,

Thanks for the info! Only wonder if the regulations were updated/changed recently?? Anyway, as grizzled says, seems we can't escape civilization as easily as we used to be able to....

[Aaron Zagrodnick]

Honestly not sure if anything has recently changed John, but I couldn't help but think of this thread the other night in the Popo Agie Wilderness - In addition to the normal commercial airliner traffic that's always going over the Winds we were overflown by a Cessna during dinner just a few hundred feet above, as well as a helicopter about a mile away and at a similar elevation later that night. Then the next day, a B1 bomber also flew over on the hike out. It was almost as much activity as the annual town fly-in. (And in some respects, more!)