Currently Raytheon and Boeing, both DoD contractors, lease time on the FMR UAS
airfield located on the installation range area. In addition, there is the potential for
Fort Huachuca to use the UAS airfield and RA airspace due to the need for areas to
conduct additional UAS training and testing operations. Fort Huachuca currently
supports a variety of military and federal organizations flying UASs including the Shadow
RQ‐7, Gray Eagle MQ‐1C, and the Predator. At Picacho Peak Stagefield, the military
conducts a RQ‐7 Shadow UAS Instructor Training Course.
Local jurisdictions in the JLUS Project Area do not have land use planning guidance or
regulations associated with UAS operations. Pinal County’s Comprehensive Plan and
Zoning Ordinances have nothing specific to UAS operations and the Town of Florence’s
General Plan and Zoning Ordinances also provide no UAS specific guidance or regulations.
As public and commercial use of drones continues to rise and as the military increases
UAS testing and training operations in the JLUS Project Area, there is the potential for
conflicts resulting from increased UAS activities and lack of local jurisdiction
requirements to supplement FAA and DoD regulations.
Issue:
LAS‐2
AZARNG Site: Helicopter flight areas are not protected.
Entire JLUS
Project Area Helicopter flight training corridors, training areas,
and approach and departure corridors
throughout the JLUS Project Area are not
protected from development that could impact
the safety of helicopter pilots and trainees during
flight operations, as well as the safety of land
uses and the public below. Silverbell Army
Heliport and the AZARNG have implemented a
program called, “Fly Friendly,” for which they
have identified “no‐fly zones” throughout their
training areas. Although not required, these
AZARNG self‐imposed restrictions are intended to
minimize impacts over certain land uses, avoid
complaints, and reduce hazards to aircraft.
Compatibility Assessment
The TFTA is a 3,600 square mile area in Pinal and Pima Counties that the AZARNG uses to
perform helicopter training and student pilot operations. Figure 3‐14 in Chapter 3 of this
Background Report illustrates the extent of the TFTA boundaries. The military conducts
overflights in the TFTA at varying altitudes from below 300 feet up to 10,000 feet, with
most operations occurring below 2,000 feet. The airspace over the TFTA is for the most
part, unprotected and shared with other users including military, commercial and private
aircraft operators. Arizona Army National Guard pilots must monitor local air traffic and
Background Report
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