As of Wednesday, August 16, 2017, here is the status of SUN as it relates to predicted airport activity, available aircraft parking, and community accommodations:
UPDATE: August 21, 2017
The big day. Airport activity is expected to be very busy in the afternoon. A large push of departures is expected early afternoon. Airspace capacity is expected to be strained with the addition of numerous arrivals coming back into SUN to pick up passengers dropped off earlier last week and this weekend. Expect air traffic delays.
Aircraft Parking Update
Section 1 (apron area south of Atlantic) still has some limited parking available. Please contact Atlantic Aviation for further availability and details. 208-788-9511.
Airport Closure Update
Based on available information regarding weekend and Monday, August 21, air traffic demand, Airport Management has amended the NOTAM for AIRPORT CLOSURE from 10:30 am local (1630Z) to 12:00 pm local (1800Z) with the exception of air carriers and life flight aircraft. The closure is now for arrivals only. The airport will be open for departures. Airport Management will continue to assess the situation and information as it becomes available and will adjust the closure as deemed necessary. Thank you for your understanding.
UPDATE: August 20, 2017
Aircraft Parking Availability
Section 2 (apron area north of Atlantic Aviation and the lower small aircraft tiedowns are full. A NOTAM has been issued closing the apron to overnight parking. Coordinate with Atlantic at 208-788-9511 to check any last minute availability. Prior Permission will be required for additional itinerant parking in Section 2 and the lower tiedowns. The taxilanes in Section 2 remain available for access to the lower tiedowns and T Hangars.
Section 1 (apron area south of Atlantic) is expected to fill up sometime today, Sunday. Drop and goes will be accommodated by Atlantic on Section 1. Airport Management will be monitoring the demand throughout the day. As with Section 2, a NOTAM will be issued closing Section 1 to overnight parking when capacity is reached with Prior Permission Required from Atlantic should any spots open up.
Section 4 (far north apron) will be closed to overnight parking starting Sunday around noon. This area will used as a Medivac/Life Flight staging area for Idaho Army National Guard helicopters and other potential life flight operations through the afternoon of Monday, August 21.
Airport Viewing Area – NOT AVAILABLE
As a reminder, and per the August 19 update below, the airport WILL NOT have an airport viewing area available for last minute drop ins on Monday.
Airport Closure Update
Based on available information regarding weekend and Monday, August 21, air traffic demand, Airport Management has issued a NOTAM for AIRPORT CLOSURE from 10:30 am local (1630Z) to 12:00 pm local (1800Z) with the exception of air carriers and life flight aircraft. Airport Management will continue to assess the situation and information as it becomes available and will adjust the closure as deemed necessary. Thank you for your understanding.
UPDATE: August 19, 2017
Airport Viewing Area – NOT AVAILABLE
We are receiving several phone calls from aviators stating a desire to fly into the airport “for an hour” and watch the eclipse from the “airport viewing area.” SUN does not have an airport viewing area. As discussed below, our airport is located in a very constrained environment with very limited aircraft parking space. We expect aircraft parking to be full before Monday morning. You are not guaranteed parking on the airport and last minute drop-ins to watch the event from the airport are discouraged.
Aircraft Parking Availability
New information seems to indicate aircraft parking may reach capacity by Saturday afternoon, August 19. Airport Management will continue to assess the situation. Reminder, aircraft parking is on a first come, first service basis. Should parking reach capacity, a NOTAM for overnight parking closures with PPR will be issued. Drop and goes will still be accommodated.
Closure Update
Based on available information regarding weekend and Monday, August 21, air traffic demand, Airport Management has issued a NOTAM for AIRPORT CLOSURE from 10:30 am local (1630Z) to 12:00 pm local (1800Z) with the exception of air carriers and life flight aircraft. Airport Management will continue to assess the situation and information as it becomes available and will adjust the closure as deemed necessary. Thank you for your understanding.
Predicted Airport Activity
We are expecting higher than normal air traffic Thursday, August 18, through Tuesday, August 22. At this time, we do not have a solid picture of fleet mix but we expect high levels of both IFR and VFR traffic. Based on available information, it appears times of especially high demand can be expected the afternoon of Sunday, August 20, the morning and afternoon of Monday, August 21, and the morning and afternoon of Tuesday, August 22.
IFR
Please remember, the typical SUN airspace flow is one way in/one way out which can cause airspace capacity issues, therefore, delays are expected during times of high traffic volume such as what is expected for this event. If planning IFR to SUN, filing a flight plan as soon as possible will help provide FAA Salt Lake Center some predictability for your operations.
Demand exceeding our airspace capacity of approximately 11 arrivals per hour is already predicted Sunday afternoon and Monday morning. Should this excessive demand occur, expect holding delays or diversions.
Expect FAA Salt Lake Center to implement an arrival route structure to facilitate flow into SUN. Arrival routes to SUN will be implemented as part of an overall system approach to the high volume of traffic for the event.
Below is a set of described arrival routes that are intended to help Salt Lake City ARTCC sequence arrivals for SUN. Air Traffic Control may still dynamically adjust these routes given the conditions of the day(s), but this structure will help create an arrival sequence that will smooth out the traffic pattern at SUN.
From the Northwest: MENIN-HLE-SUN
From the Southwest: LLC-PARZZ-MENIN-HLE-KSUN
From the South, either: ELY-TWF-MENIN-HLE-KSUN or: PICHO-PATIO-TWF-MENIN-HLE-KSUN
From the East: PIH-MENIN-HLE-KSUN
Upon departure, if able, requesting a VFR climb for departures rather than an IFR departure will greatly assist the flow of traffic at the airport.
VFR
For those flying VFR, any advanced notice to Airport Management or our FBO, Atlantic Aviation, would be appreciated.
Due to the unknown yet expected dynamic air traffic situation expected from this event at SUN, it is also requested that any unnecessary locals flights, such as touch and goes, are avoided if able. Thank you.
Airport Closure
Expect a NOTAM for airport closure a short duration (+/- ½ hour) before and after the time of maximum eclipse in Hailey, Idaho (location of SUN) – scheduled around 11:30 am on Monday, August 21. This closure is considered necessary to help facilitate more orderly air traffic activity around the actual event time.
Aircraft Parking Availability
To be expected with the increased air traffic is increased demand for aircraft parking and tie-downs. Due to our constrained operating environment, we are extremely limited in the amount of apron space we have available for aircraft parking. PLEASE BE ADVISED THAT OUR AIRCRAFT PARKING AVAILABILITY IS ON A FIRST COME, FIRST SERVE BASIS. Our FBO, Atlantic Aviation, is managing our aircraft parking. PLEASE CONTACT ATLANTIC AVIATION AT 208-788-9511.
Should demand exceed our available aircraft parking, expect a NOTAM closing the airport to aircraft parking except for drop and goes and air carrier and life flight activity.
SUN Voluntary Noise Abatement Program
When flying to SUN please be aware of our Voluntary Noise Abatement Program. Due to our constrained environment and residential development adjacent to much of the airport, we have a voluntary curfew with preferred hours between 11 pm and 7 am local to correspond with the hours of operation of our Air Traffic Control Tower (7 am to 11 pm local) and Aircraft Rescue Firefighting (ARFF) availability. Additional information about our Voluntary Noise Abatement Program can be found on the following webpage: https://iflysun.com/voluntary-noise-abatement/ Your compliance with our Voluntary Noise Abatement Program is greatly appreciated by our community.
Emergency Aircraft Support
The Idaho Army National Guard at the direction of the Governor’s Office is staging two light helicopters at SUN. These helicopters will be available to Local Emergency Management Response officials as deemed necessary.
Airlines
All airlines are booked solid August 18 through August 23.
Community Accommodations
Lastly, please be advised that there are NO RENTAL CAR RESERVATIONS AVAILABLE – ALL ARE SOLD OUT. Additionally, hotel accommodations are also sold out in the community. Please be aware of this with last minute travel plans to SUN and our community.
Additional Non-SUN Related General Aviation Information
If you are planning to fly into the backcountry, Idaho Transportation Department (ITD) – Division of Aeronautics, advised of the following in regards to the state-managed airstrips:
- Download the Idaho Airports app from the app store.
- Review airport information such as standard operating procedures (SOP)
- Expect busy airspace, airports and ramp areas.
- Use flight plans or proper flight following procedures. Check weather, airport NOTAMS and TFR’s.
- August is wildfire season in Idaho. Chances are good that the air will be smoky, TFR’s will be present, and firefighting aircraft will be active.
- Cell phones may not be operable due to large amounts of visitors accessing the system. Make backup plans for flight plans and other communication needs.
- Airport camping facilities are available on a first-come first-served basis. (see camping rules below)
- Reservations for tiedowns and airport camping areas are not being accepted.
- We expect large crowds. Pilots may find very few available tiedowns or parking spaces.
- Have a Plan B. Maintain a flexible schedule and full fuel tanks.
- Most lodging and public campgrounds are booked and dispersed camping may not be allowed.
For more information in regards to the eclipse visit the State-managed Airports & the Eclipse website.
