November 2022 MCQSC Update: Status of Proposed DCA Approach Procedure

At the Oct. 2022 meeting of the Reagan National Airport (DCA) Community Noise Working Group (CWG), the FAA presented modifications to the proposal that Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, DC communities have asked the FAA to implement for flights approaching DCA from the north (Recommendation 22).

Until the October meeting, the FAA had provided no substantive updates about the status of Recommendation 22, which the CWG originally submitted to the FAA on July 22, 2021.  Unofficially, we were hearing that the FAA was experiencing significant personnel turnover and that the proposal was possibly delayed another 18 months to mid-2024.  

At the October 27 meeting, however, we learned that FAA procedure designers have recently conducted a detailed technical review of Recommendation 22.  In the course of that review, the agency determined that it needs to modify the proposed approach procedure changes slightly to ensure that they meet FAA technical criteria, some of which have changed since the proposal was made. The FAA posted its presentation of the Proposed Southflow GPS Arrival Procedure on the CWG website.   

The flight procedures that the FAA is proposing would still shift the beginning of the approach to waypoint DARIC, which will move across the river to the CIA in Langley, VA.  It will also lead to a significant reduction in use of the harmful LDA-Z approach procedure which flies inland over our communities during inclement weather.

The next step for MD, DC and VA representatives on the CWG is to confirm that the FAA proposal is still an improvement for noise-impacted communities.  This will be done with the assistance of our consultant, Vianair (formerly ABCx2).   

The FAA stated at the Oct. meeting that if communities are satisfied with the modified proposal, they should get back to the Agency ASAP so it can move to the next stage, which is environmental review.  If it all goes smoothly, the FAA said the proposed procedures could be back on track for implementation in 2023.