§ 245.21 - ESCAT air traffic priority list.

§ 245.21 ESCAT air traffic priority list.

(a) Priority One.

(1) The President of the United States, Prime Minister of Canada and respective cabinet or staff members essential to national security, and other members as approved or designated by the Secretary of Defense and Chief of the Defence Staff.

(2) Aircraft engaged in active continental defense missions, including anti-submarine aircraft, interceptors, air refueling tanker aircraft, and airborne early-warning and control aircraft (e.g., E-3, E-2, P-3).

(3) Military retaliatory aircraft, including direct tanker support aircraft, executing strategic missions.

(4) Airborne command elements which provide backup to command and control systems for the combat forces.

(5) Anchor annex flights.

(b) Priority Two.

(1) Forces being deployed or in direct support of U.S. military offensive and defensive operations including the use of activated Civil Reserve Air Fleet (CRAF) aircraft as necessary, and/or other U.S. and foreign flag civil air carrier aircraft under mission control of the U.S. military.

(2) Aircraft operating in direct and immediate support of strategic missions.

(3) Search and rescue aircraft operating in direct support of military activities.

(4) Aircraft operating in direct and immediate support of special operations missions.

(5) Federal flight operations in direct support of homeland security, e.g., Law Enforcement Agencies (LEA) and aircraft performing security for high threat targets such as Nuclear Power Plants, Dams, Chemical Plants, and other areas identified as high threat targets.

(c) Priority Three.

(1) Forces being deployed or performing pre-deployment training/workups (e.g., Navy Field Carrier Landing Practice) in support of the emergency condition.

(2) Aircraft deployed in support of CONUS installation/base defense, i.e., aircraft operating in direct/immediate security support, or deploying ground forces for perimeter defense.

(3) Search and rescue aircraft not included in Priority Two.

(4) Flight inspection aircraft flights in connection with emergency restoration of airway and airport facilities in support of immediate emergency conditions.

(5) Continental U.S. Airborne Reconnaissance for Damage Assessment (CARDA) missions in support of immediate emergency conditions.

(d) Priority Four.

(1) Dispersal of tactical military aircraft.

(2) Dispersal of U.S. civil air carrier aircraft allocated to the CRAF Program.

(3) Repositioning of FAA/DoD/DND flight inspection aircraft.

(4) Flight inspection activity in connection with airway and airport facilities.

(5) Specific military tactical pilot currency or proficiency in support of homeland defense.

(6) Military tactical aircraft post-maintenance test flights.

(7) Federal aircraft post maintenance check flights in support of homeland security.

(e) Priority Five.

(1) Air transport of military commanders, their representatives, DoD/DND-sponsored key civilian personnel, non-DoD/DND or other Federal key civilian personnel who are of importance to national security.

(2) Dispersal of non-tactical military aircraft for their protection.

(3) Aircraft contracted to and/or operated by Federal agencies

(f) Priority Six.

(1) State and local LEA directly engaged in law enforcement missions.

(2) Flight operations in accordance with approved Federal and State emergency plans.

(3) LIFEGUARD and MEDEVAC aircraft in direct support of emergency medical services.

(4) Flight operations essential to the development, production, and delivery of equipment, personnel, materials, and supplies essential to national security.

(5) Other essential CARDA missions not covered in Priority Three.

(g) Priority Seven. Other military flight operations.

(h) Priority Eight. Other flight operations not specifically listed in priorities 1 through 7.