DFW L-17 changes

TangoWhiskey

Touchdown! Greaser!
Joined
Feb 23, 2005
Messages
14,210
Location
Midlothian, TX
Display Name

Display name:
3Green
Here's an album with comments on the pictures illustrating a question a DFW aviator named Jeff posed on a Facebook group for North Texas Aviators:

Jeff said:
Anyone heard anything about reconfiguration of the IFR Low Enroute charts? The chart that covers DFW (L-17) used to have everything printed for the DFW area, but on the new chart as of two days ago, the DFW area is almost blank. Looks like they want us to buy the area chart, but I haven't been able to find any notices or announcements explaining the change.

The first three pictures progressively zoom in on the old view; the next 4 progressively zoom in on the new view.

https://flic.kr/s/aHskDRRbtd

For those that don't want to look through the album, here's the two main shots that matter:

OLD:
28512986896_e458af4d21_z.jpg


NEW:
27928222884_6d45b26283_z.jpg


One guy suggested this possibility:

Brian said:
I don't have an official answer, but a logical guess would be that inside the metroplex and D10 TRACON's airspace (Regional Approach) you are on a SID or STAR or vector. The Ft Worth Center computer won't let anyone file/fly below FL180 over the metroplex if they are not landing in the metroplex. So this would help de-clutter the chart.

I can't find any official communication about the change. Any ideas? ForeFlight will auto-zoom into the area chart, but if you're still using paper, you definitely need the Area Chart now, too... the L-17 doesn't have the data.
 
Interesting.... no idea as to the why, except Brian's idea sorta has some logic to it.

In the Texas area, it looks like DFW is the only airport that has this. IAH hasn't changed...

Still poking around the charts to see if this is in other spaces.
 
I was looking around a little and couldn't find anything. It'll be interesting to see if the charts actually changed, or is Foreflight "editing" what they display.
 
We got an answer from @RussR who works in one of the FAA departments that deals with chart creation/maintenance...

Russ Roslewski said:
Here's the answer I was able to get. Charting is in the process of implementing more automation and going to a database-driven chart (as opposed to a manual process). As a result, they are going through some "clean-up" of the enroute charts.

You will notice on the DFW chart, NONE of the fixes that were previously there were used for transition through the airspace (in other words, mostly they weren't on airways). So they were seen as not necessary for an "enroute" chart. DFW, by design, doesn't have a bunch of airways running through the area.

Now look at LAX. Lot of airways and fixes on the airways, so they're all depicted, and it looks more cluttered. But it's really showing the same "level" of detail as at DFW. Same thing at ORD. There are probably some extraneous fixes at both locations that have been removed or will eventually be removed in further revisions as the new process is implemented. But it won't be as noticeable as at DFW just due to the design of the airspace.

Note that removal of the fix from the Low Enroute chart doesn't (necessarily) mean the fix itself no longer exists, it is just being depicted elsewhere in what has been determined to be a more appropriate location.
 
Back
Top