GA and aviation closures in the time of COVID-19

[pietromarx]

So ... anyone run into any issues flying themselves within countries or across borders? I'm starting this thread because the boards have been quite quiet on the subject.

2 or 3 miles up in the air is a form of social isolation, no?

[Lou]

Good question. Planning on a trip south five weeks from now. Hopefully things will have settled down by then but would still like to hear about the experiences of others.

[ultraturtle]

GA makes sense in these times. As soon as my niece and nephews' colleges reopen, I plan to fly them there rather than subject them to the petrie dishes that are airports and commercial airliners.

[Colin]

Which colleges? The half dozen I am tracking will not open back up until the fall.

[Pehu]

Norway prohibits all VFR & school flights for one month, effective immediately:

COVID-19 VFR AND SCHOOL FLIGHT RESTRICTIONS IN NORWAY.
ACCORDING TO A NEW TEMPORARY NATIONAL REGULATION PROMULGATED
14.03.2020 BY THE NORWEGIAN CAA,15 A RESTRICTED AREA HAS BEEN
ESTABLISHED IN ALL NORWEGIAN AIRSPACE (NORWAY FIR).
ALL FLIGHTS ACCORDING TO VISUAL FLIGHT RULES (VFR) IN NORWEGIAN
AIRSPACE ARE PROHIBITED UNLESS PRE-APPROVED BY AVINOR ANS.
ALL SCHOOL FLIGHTS IN NORWEGIAN AIRSPACE ARE PROHIBITED UNLESS
PRE-APPROVED BY AVINOR ANS.
REQUESTS FOR PRE-APPROVAL OF FLIGHTS MUST BE FORWARDED TO
OPERATIVSTOTTE.NACC(AT)AVINOR.NO, NO LATER THAN 1H PRIOR TO PLANNED
DEPARTURE.
THESE RESTRICTIONS DO NOT APPLY TO MILITARY, POLICE, AMBULANCE AND
SAR FLIGHTS. OBSERVATION FLIGHTS CONDUCTED UNDER THE TREATY ON OPEN
SKIES ARE ALSO EXEMPTED.
PRE-APPROVAL WILL NORMALLY NOT BE GIVEN UNLESS THE FLIGHT HAS A
SPECIAL SOCIETAL USEFULNESS.

[Boatguy]

I had simulator time booked this week at a flight school at my home airport. They just called and cancelled it, closed for at least the week.

[ultraturtle]

Which colleges? The half dozen I am tracking will not open back up until the fall.

Flying my nephew, who is staying with us for Spring Break, to Rochester,NY tomorrow to pick up stuff he needs for school, then back home same day. They want everyone to clear out their dorms ASAP. Online classes only thru the end of the semester.

Happy to take tons of wipes, but I have a hunch that the whole FBO/courtesy car experience will be far less susceptible to the modern apocalypse/plague than major airport and major airline travel.

[pietromarx]

Norway prohibits all VFR & school flights for one month, effective immediately:

COVID-19 VFR AND SCHOOL FLIGHT RESTRICTIONS IN NORWAY.
ACCORDING TO A NEW TEMPORARY NATIONAL REGULATION PROMULGATED
14.03.2020 BY THE NORWEGIAN CAA,15 A RESTRICTED AREA HAS BEEN
ESTABLISHED IN ALL NORWEGIAN AIRSPACE (NORWAY FIR).
ALL FLIGHTS ACCORDING TO VISUAL FLIGHT RULES (VFR) IN NORWEGIAN
AIRSPACE ARE PROHIBITED UNLESS PRE-APPROVED BY AVINOR ANS.
ALL SCHOOL FLIGHTS IN NORWEGIAN AIRSPACE ARE PROHIBITED UNLESS
PRE-APPROVED BY AVINOR ANS.
REQUESTS FOR PRE-APPROVAL OF FLIGHTS MUST BE FORWARDED TO
OPERATIVSTOTTE.NACC(AT)AVINOR.NO, NO LATER THAN 1H PRIOR TO PLANNED
DEPARTURE.
THESE RESTRICTIONS DO NOT APPLY TO MILITARY, POLICE, AMBULANCE AND
SAR FLIGHTS. OBSERVATION FLIGHTS CONDUCTED UNDER THE TREATY ON OPEN
SKIES ARE ALSO EXEMPTED.
PRE-APPROVAL WILL NORMALLY NOT BE GIVEN UNLESS THE FLIGHT HAS A
SPECIAL SOCIETAL USEFULNESS.

I am sure it coming to many airspaces, though I don't particularly understand how it will have a significant effect upon the infection rate for a country. The number of VFR flights, which usually leave and return to the same airport (especially flight school flights), must be insignificant compared with the population. Maybe they're expecting controllers to be out.

[Ian Sage]

I do not know what the flight school's have officially done, but KAPA (south Denver) was very quiet this weekend. Normally this is one of the busiest airports in the country. For our part, Forced Aeromotive is "open" but we are set up to work from home and avoid driving to the hangar unless we need to ship or fab a part, receive an airplane, etc. Boeing has closed one of the local former Jeppesen offices (of three total) until the end of the week, sending all employees to work from home if capable or stay at home anyway if not capable. So far everything here has been self imposed though. No government enforced intervention yet.

[gtmize]

11 air traffic control centers have been temporarily closed after workers tested positive for coronavirus

https://www.businessinsider.com/coronav ... ing-2020-3

As long as you're VFR no biggie but for IFR?