deconflict any known flight issues. Within the TFTA are multiple locations used as landing
zones required as part of the training of helicopter pilots. The AZARNG uses the TFTA for
both daytime and nighttime helicopter training and flies more than 300 days of the year.
Most of the helicopter training activities originate from SBAH and operate between the
Heliport and Picacho Peak Stagefield to the northwest. The satellite location at Picacho
Peak Stagefield is critical to the AZARNG flying mission and provides a location for low
level closed pattern flights and opportunities for emergency procedure training.
The TFTA is made up of 12 separate training areas all of which have AZARNG protocols
for helicopters arriving, departing and operating in the flying areas. Throughout the
training areas are flight routes and operating corridors used to manage much of the
military flight activity in the region. There are several operational landing zones located
in the TFTA, mostly within 10 miles of SBAH to minimize fuel costs, some with informal
agreements with landowners, but no long‐term formalized agreements to ensure future
military use is assured.
The AZARNG has self‐identified no fly areas within the TFTA as part of their “Fly Friendly”
initiative. The areas where the military avoids overflight when possible includes
populated areas and neighborhoods, wildlife areas, and ranches where the noise of
low‐level helicopters could impact sensitive receptors on the ground. One of the
downsides to these overflight restrictions is it can limit the ability of the military to
conduct training that requires uninterrupted use of airspace. It can result in non‐
contiguous airspace that requires pilots to change direction or elevation, impacting the
quality of the training mission.
A major benefit that supports the quality of the TFTA as a training area is that the
underlying lands are currently relatively rural and undeveloped. This has provided a
location where the risks from helicopter flight hazards and impacts are reduced for both
the military pilots and civilian users / property owners on the ground. It has also allowed
the AZARNG to conduct some helicopter flying operations that could not be conducted
overly more densely populated areas. Other locations that allow this type of helicopter
training, such as the Barry M. Goldwater Range to the west, are difficult to access due
heavy use by other military organizations and the flying distance from SBAH and
Picacho Peak Stagefield which is nearly 100 miles to the center of the Range.
Since the area underlying the TFTA has been left undeveloped for the most part, there
have been minimal efforts to identify and implement land and airspace controls that
protect the military’s use of the region and prevent incompatible development. As
mentioned previously the airspace is mostly open to all users and there is no established
controlled airspace such as military operating areas in the TFTA. Current and future land
use has resulted in concerns with power transmissions lines, recreational use of land
(e.g., camping) and airspace (e.g., parachutists). Planned land development in
5-58
Compatibility Assessment