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General Aviation - Airspace Waivers

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Airspace Waivers

General Information

Applicable Notices to Airmen (NOTAMs)

Sporting Event Waivers permit flight operations within the Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) areas established for National Football League, Major League Baseball, NCAA Division I Football, NASCAR Nextel Cup Series main events, and INDY Racing League main events occurring in stadiums with a seating capacity of 30,000 or more.  

The types of operations authorized are currently restricted by law, Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2004 (Section 521 of Public Law 108-199) to (a) operational purposes of an event, stadium, or other venue, including the transport of equipment or parts, team members, officials of the governing body, the immediate family members and guests of such teams and officials to and from the event, stadium, or other venue; (b) broadcast coverage for any broadcast rights holder; and (c) safety and security purposes of the event, stadium, or other venue.  These waivers grant access only to the specific event TFR and to no other areas of restricted airspace.

Sporting Event Waivers are not issued when the Homeland Security Alert System is elevated to ORANGE or RED. Any Sporting Event waivers previously issued are suspended when the Homeland Security Alert System is elevated to ORANGE or RED.

Obtaining and Processing a Waiver

Waiver request forms can be obtained through the TSA/FAA Waiver and Authorization System. Upon request TSA Office of Airspace Waivers will fax the Pilot Waiver Request Form to a pilot or company without access to the TSA/FAA Waiver and Authorization System. Operators may contact TSA at (571) 227-1322 or (571) 227-1657 to request an application via fax.

Processing the Waiver Request Form

Upon receipt of the request form by email or fax, the Office of Airspace Waivers faxes a letter to the applicant explaining the need for additional documentation to verify the contractual obligation in compliance with the Section 521 Public Law 108-199.

Applicants must provide to the Office of Airspace Waivers a letter of verification with a point of contact from the event sponsor (team), venue (stadium or raceway) or national broadcast rights holder (CBS, FOX etc), verifying the contractual obligation of the aircraft operator as required as an operational function of the event or venue.  The letter must identify the pilot’s business name as stated on the application, the pilot name and aircraft registration number along with the venue location, and event name and date. The letter may be faxed to (571) 227-1945 (Primary Fax) or (571) 227-2948 (Secondary Fax) after the application has been submitted.All pilots and crewmembers must be listed as part of the manifest on the application.  

The following information is required for all pilot and crew.

If the documentation supporting the Sporting Event waiver is consistent with the legal requirements and all pilot and crew vetting is approved, the waiver is granted.

Sporting Events Waivers are event-specific. Each approved waiver will specify the name, dates and location of the specific sporting event(s) over which the pilot will be authorized to fly.

Additional Information

FedEx Field (Washington Redskins) and RFK Stadium (Washington Nationals/DC United) General Aviation flights are NOT PERMITTED in the vicinity of these stadiums due to the restrictions as stipulated in NOTAM 3/2126.