Narrative:

This is regarding restr areas 2906, 2907, and 2910. To get from the ocean to the bombing range, an altitude reservation was created. We already had such altitude reservation's in place with block altitudes of 13000-14000 ft and FL270-FL280. In the past, we were required to miss these altitude reservation's by 5 mi, as stated in the 7110.65 and the 7610.4. However, this mission required a block of airspace from 16000 ft to FL200. This block is directly in front of an extremely busy departure and arrival corridor to and from orlando. The old altitude reservation's already in place allowed the users to either get above it (departures) or stay on top and descend into orlando without any delays. This new altitude reservation, in some cases, keeps departures at 15000 ft for more than 60 mi. It also requires the arrival to all orlando and daytona area airports to descend much earlier in order to get underneath. Needless to say, a major impact on the users and controllers. In 7610.4, it says that altitude reservation's should not include FL180, yet this altitude reservation has FL180. This new altitude reservation was put into place without any controller or operational manager's input or knowledge. There were also insufficient briefings on the mission and 'no' flow was implemented or planned until after the first line supervisors and controllers in the areas saw that this was not going to work. In the past, we were required to miss altitude reservation's by 5 mi because the fighters could go up to the boundary of the airspace. On sep/wed/03 it was first briefed that all we had to do was miss the airspace, meaning we could go all the way to the boundary. I challenged that decision and it was decided by management that we had to miss the airspace by 3 mi. I asked to see that in writing, so they decided to change it to 2 1/2 mi. Management decided to use the 7110.65 paragraph 5-10. That's all fine and dandy except that sealord, which we have direct communications with, are not talking to the aircraft inside the altitude reservation. They are radar monitoring the aircraft, but the aircraft are talking to an awac's airplane offshore. We have no way of communicating with this aircraft. This is unsafe and the following are several reported deviations from these aircraft in the altitude reservation. On sep/mon/03, F14's came to within 1 mi of the boundary and stayed along the boundary the entire way across the corridor. No pointout was made or even attempted by sealord. The aircraft were at FL195. This was reported to management and their response was, 'was a loss of separation to any of the users made?' on sep/mon/03, an F14 went through the corridor 1 1/2 mi from the boundary at FL180. This was also reported to management. Once again, no pointout was attempted from the military. Several other targets were witnessed less than 2 mi from the boundary and reported to management. When sealord was asked about the targets, they would either say they are trying to contact them to turn them or that the aircraft were VFR. Obviously, the aircraft can't be VFR FL180 and above. If the military is making no attempt to point the aircraft out to the appropriate sectors, then they must feel that the aircraft can still legally go to the boundary without any coordination. If the military is treating the altitude reservation like they have in the past, then they can go to the boundary and, therefore, management's interpretation of the 7110.65 is incorrect and we must still miss the altitude reservation by 5 mi. If in fact we needed to miss it by 5 mi, then there were countless deviations within ZJX.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ZJX CTLR DESCRIBES ZJX-MIL ALT RESERVATION PROCS FOR W158 AND QUESTIONS REQUIRED SEPARATION STANDARDS.

Narrative: THIS IS REGARDING RESTR AREAS 2906, 2907, AND 2910. TO GET FROM THE OCEAN TO THE BOMBING RANGE, AN ALT RESERVATION WAS CREATED. WE ALREADY HAD SUCH ALT RESERVATION'S IN PLACE WITH BLOCK ALTS OF 13000-14000 FT AND FL270-FL280. IN THE PAST, WE WERE REQUIRED TO MISS THESE ALT RESERVATION'S BY 5 MI, AS STATED IN THE 7110.65 AND THE 7610.4. HOWEVER, THIS MISSION REQUIRED A BLOCK OF AIRSPACE FROM 16000 FT TO FL200. THIS BLOCK IS DIRECTLY IN FRONT OF AN EXTREMELY BUSY DEP AND ARR CORRIDOR TO AND FROM ORLANDO. THE OLD ALT RESERVATION'S ALREADY IN PLACE ALLOWED THE USERS TO EITHER GET ABOVE IT (DEPS) OR STAY ON TOP AND DSND INTO ORLANDO WITHOUT ANY DELAYS. THIS NEW ALT RESERVATION, IN SOME CASES, KEEPS DEPS AT 15000 FT FOR MORE THAN 60 MI. IT ALSO REQUIRES THE ARR TO ALL ORLANDO AND DAYTONA AREA ARPTS TO DSND MUCH EARLIER IN ORDER TO GET UNDERNEATH. NEEDLESS TO SAY, A MAJOR IMPACT ON THE USERS AND CTLRS. IN 7610.4, IT SAYS THAT ALT RESERVATION'S SHOULD NOT INCLUDE FL180, YET THIS ALT RESERVATION HAS FL180. THIS NEW ALT RESERVATION WAS PUT INTO PLACE WITHOUT ANY CTLR OR OPERATIONAL MGR'S INPUT OR KNOWLEDGE. THERE WERE ALSO INSUFFICIENT BRIEFINGS ON THE MISSION AND 'NO' FLOW WAS IMPLEMENTED OR PLANNED UNTIL AFTER THE FIRST LINE SUPVRS AND CTLRS IN THE AREAS SAW THAT THIS WAS NOT GOING TO WORK. IN THE PAST, WE WERE REQUIRED TO MISS ALT RESERVATION'S BY 5 MI BECAUSE THE FIGHTERS COULD GO UP TO THE BOUNDARY OF THE AIRSPACE. ON SEP/WED/03 IT WAS FIRST BRIEFED THAT ALL WE HAD TO DO WAS MISS THE AIRSPACE, MEANING WE COULD GO ALL THE WAY TO THE BOUNDARY. I CHALLENGED THAT DECISION AND IT WAS DECIDED BY MGMNT THAT WE HAD TO MISS THE AIRSPACE BY 3 MI. I ASKED TO SEE THAT IN WRITING, SO THEY DECIDED TO CHANGE IT TO 2 1/2 MI. MGMNT DECIDED TO USE THE 7110.65 PARAGRAPH 5-10. THAT'S ALL FINE AND DANDY EXCEPT THAT SEALORD, WHICH WE HAVE DIRECT COMS WITH, ARE NOT TALKING TO THE ACFT INSIDE THE ALT RESERVATION. THEY ARE RADAR MONITORING THE ACFT, BUT THE ACFT ARE TALKING TO AN AWAC'S AIRPLANE OFFSHORE. WE HAVE NO WAY OF COMMUNICATING WITH THIS ACFT. THIS IS UNSAFE AND THE FOLLOWING ARE SEVERAL RPTED DEVS FROM THESE ACFT IN THE ALT RESERVATION. ON SEP/MON/03, F14'S CAME TO WITHIN 1 MI OF THE BOUNDARY AND STAYED ALONG THE BOUNDARY THE ENTIRE WAY ACROSS THE CORRIDOR. NO POINTOUT WAS MADE OR EVEN ATTEMPTED BY SEALORD. THE ACFT WERE AT FL195. THIS WAS RPTED TO MGMNT AND THEIR RESPONSE WAS, 'WAS A LOSS OF SEPARATION TO ANY OF THE USERS MADE?' ON SEP/MON/03, AN F14 WENT THROUGH THE CORRIDOR 1 1/2 MI FROM THE BOUNDARY AT FL180. THIS WAS ALSO RPTED TO MGMNT. ONCE AGAIN, NO POINTOUT WAS ATTEMPTED FROM THE MIL. SEVERAL OTHER TARGETS WERE WITNESSED LESS THAN 2 MI FROM THE BOUNDARY AND RPTED TO MGMNT. WHEN SEALORD WAS ASKED ABOUT THE TARGETS, THEY WOULD EITHER SAY THEY ARE TRYING TO CONTACT THEM TO TURN THEM OR THAT THE ACFT WERE VFR. OBVIOUSLY, THE ACFT CAN'T BE VFR FL180 AND ABOVE. IF THE MIL IS MAKING NO ATTEMPT TO POINT THE ACFT OUT TO THE APPROPRIATE SECTORS, THEN THEY MUST FEEL THAT THE ACFT CAN STILL LEGALLY GO TO THE BOUNDARY WITHOUT ANY COORD. IF THE MIL IS TREATING THE ALT RESERVATION LIKE THEY HAVE IN THE PAST, THEN THEY CAN GO TO THE BOUNDARY AND, THEREFORE, MGMNT'S INTERP OF THE 7110.65 IS INCORRECT AND WE MUST STILL MISS THE ALT RESERVATION BY 5 MI. IF IN FACT WE NEEDED TO MISS IT BY 5 MI, THEN THERE WERE COUNTLESS DEVS WITHIN ZJX.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.