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Rangeley commission asks FAA to update departure procedure after decommissioned NDB
Summary
Commission members and pilots discussed recent instrument-departure confusion at Rangeley Airport, confirmed trees obstructing approaches were cleared, and agreed to ask the Federal Aviation Administration to replace the decommissioned RQM waypoint with the ZEMC flyover point on published departure text.
Rangeley Airport Commission members and area pilots discussed confusion over instrument departure procedures at the airport and agreed to request the Federal Aviation Administration to update published departure text to reflect a decommissioned navigation aid.
Commission members said trees that had been causing obstructions to instrument approaches were cleared and that the FAA had been notified. A pilot reported that a recent pilot report showed an aircraft had followed an outdated departure procedure; the commission agreed staff or consultants would contact the FAA to request a formal update to the departure procedure.
Mark, a pilot who identified himself as a new attendee at the commission meeting, told members he had reviewed navigation databases and believes the decommissioned RQM NDB sits at the same coordinates as the ZEMC RNAV flyover waypoint. “I looked at the database. That's exactly the ZEMC,” Mark said, adding that replacing RQM with ZEMC in the published procedure would likely be a straightforward change for the FAA and would restore a published departure fix pilots could rely on.
Commission members clarified that the airport still has departure options under visual flight rules and that some operators (for example, part 135 operators) are limited from using unpublished procedures under their certificates. A participant noted that without a clearly published procedure, some commercial or insurance-constrained operators may not be able to use the airport for departures that require a published procedure.
The commission did not take a formal vote on the change. Members said they would contact the FAA and submit the standard FAA form requesting the procedural revision and that the airport consultant would assist if needed. The commission also noted the FAA’s published plate available on Jan. 23 still referenced RQM, and agreed that notifying the FAA about the decommissioned NDB and requesting ZEMC be listed is an appropriate next step.
The discussion also touched on missed-approach routing and terrain-clearance constraints that currently require higher climb profiles out of Rangeley; members said the FAA’s review should address those operational notes when updating procedure text.
Commissioners and pilots said they will follow up with the FAA and provide the commission with any response when received.
