The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) recently added two mountain passes to visual aviation charts of Northern Alaska.
The agency added the Carter and Naqsralugiaq passes to the more than 60 Alaskan mountain passes on the Sectional Aeronautical Charts. This will provide pilots with more accurate information while crossing major mountainous areas.
The FAA collaborated with the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) and Alaskan aviation groups for two years to identify mountain passes used by local pilots and incorporate the information.
“Adding these Brooks Range mountain passes is beneficial, especially to pilots not familiar with these areas,” Tom George, AOPA’s Alaska regional manager, said. “This is part of a larger joint industry/FAA effort to improve aviation safety by providing additional information on visual charts related to mountain passes. While currently focusing on Alaska, these processes will eventually extend to other mountainous parts of the country.”
When navigating through mountain passes, pilots must avoid clouds and icing conditions because they are forced to fly through the terrain instead of above it. Pilots can select the most favorable route when they know the location and elevation of key mountain passes.
The FAA-AOPA workgroup plans to release more updates and changes to improve situational awareness are under development.