FAA to Conduct Flight Checks Overnight at MSP Airport

On early Wednesday morning, you may look up or (hopefully not) wake up and wonder what's with all the activity in the sky. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will be conducting routine flight checks at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP).

On Tuesday, Jan.10, the FAA began conducting flight checks for MSP Runway 12L. These flights will resume around midnight on Wednesday morning for 2-3 hours with the FAA focusing on Runway 35.

These flight checks will be done using a twin turboprop aircraft and because they are irregular operations that need to be conducted when demand on the airport is light, they are done at night, according to a news release.

The FAA regularly conducts flight checks to inspect navigation equipment at airports around the country. Airport officials say the accuracy of this navigation equipment is critical to ensuring the highest level of safety for aircraft operations. The checks involve routine flight procedures as well as arcs and low passes over the runways.

Image via su neko, Flickr, used under Creative Commons