POTTSTOWN >> One might expect to see airplanes in the air during the annual Municipal Airport Day this Saturday, but that will not be the case.
And you can thank Pope Francis for that.
Organizers of Saturday’s affair announced Tuesday that due to a No Fly Zone — known as a “Temporary Flight Restriction” — being imposed by the Federal Aviation Administration in a 30-mile zone around Philadelphia, planes will be grounded during the annual event.
Pottstown Municipal Airport is right at the edge of that zone.
The restriction lasts from 9 a.m. Saturday through 9:30 p.m. Sunday.
“These restrictions severely limit operations at all airports in the area, meaning no flight lessons, no skydiving, no balloon rides, and a long list of other prohibited aerial activities,” wrote organizer Deb Penrod.
“Almost 30 public-use airports are included in this safety net, including Pottstown Municipal Airport,” wrote Penrod.
“The TFR was fully anticipated by local pilots, although the extended duration may have been a bit surprising,” she wrote.
Rather than try to change the date, “the organizers elected to hold Municipal Airport Day on its traditional date, which has been the last Saturday in September for several years,” according to Penrod.
“There are several other aviation events at this time of year which occupy the pilots who participate, and there have also been quite a few other Pottstown-area events that tied up local volunteers and energies,” she said by way of explaining the decision.
Airplanes will still be available for up-close and personal inspections, pilots and student pilots will still be available.
“So what do you call an Airport Day with no airplanes in the air?” Penrod asked.
“Call it a good day for free hot dogs before or after you visit the many other events that day in the Pottstown area,” she said, noting that the Can-Jam at Sly Fox Brewery “will be right around the corner.”
Source: http://www.pottsmerc.com
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