USA18 September, 20263 min read
FAA Approves Trump’s 250-Foot Arch Near Arlington National Cemetery With Eternal Flame Marking
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FAA approves a 250-foot Trump arch near Reagan National Airport, with no flight interference. Approval mandates an eternal flame on top and top lighting to aid visibility.
6 outlets told this the same way.
FAA clears arch, with conditions
The Federal Aviation Administration on Friday gave approval for President Donald Trump’s planned triumphal arch near Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, saying it will not pose a hazard to aircraft but must be marked with an "eternal flame" on top and floodlight projectors aimed at the arch. Reuters said the FAA determination requires a light on top of the structure and floodlight projectors to make it noticeable for pilots, while also noting that some aviation experts have raised safety concerns because of the arch’s proximity to Reagan Washington National Airport. CNN reported the FAA said the arch will have no "substantial adverse effect on the safe and efficient utilization of the navigable airspace," and said the arch is expected to stand at around 250 feet.
CNN also said the FAA report indicates the arch will be placed just within 4,000 feet from the airport, and that the final go-ahead is a significant but not final step in Trump’s quest to break ground. Reuters added that the FAA determination is subject to review if anyone petitions by October 18, and that the FAA previously said the arch would need red obstruction lights but said on Friday the structure no longer is required to have them.
Critics cite sightlines and risk
The FAA approval came as veterans have sued to block the arch, with Reuters saying they argued it would destroy the historic sightline between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery.
CNN said critics condemned the arch over its massive size, saying it will loom over the nearby Lincoln Memorial and that its planned location near a traffic circle and near the entrance to Arlington National Cemetery would block historically significant sight lines from the city into the cemetery.
NPR quoted U.S. Rep. Don Beyer saying, "An enormous number of airplanes come over that site, basically every 45 to 60 seconds all day long 'til 11 at night," and warned, "Just imagine the disaster that could happen with all of these airplanes coming right across a 250-foot-high arch."
NPR also reported that after several months of study the FAA released an eight-page report concluding the structure "would not be a hazard to air navigation" as long as it is continuously lit with a "non-standard eternal flame" on top and three floodlights around the base.
CNN said pilots expressed concern over the planned size of the arch given its proximity to Washington’s national airport, and described it as another obstacle pilots would have to be aware of in a corridor requiring careful navigation around restricted airspaces and complex turns.
Next steps: petitions and construction
Even with the FAA’s Friday determination, CNN said the National Capital Planning Commission has only given preliminary approval and that Tammy Stidham, Associate Regional Director of Lands and Planning National Park Service, said the administration is eyeing the commission’s November meeting to give final approval.
CNN reported that the Commission on Fine Arts previously gave its final approval, and that Interior Secretary Doug Burgum announced on X in early September that his agency would start breaking ground for the excavation work in the upcoming two weeks.
Reuters said the FAA determination clears an aviation hurdle for the arch, which Trump proposed to mark the nation's 250th anniversary, and described the project as part of a broader drive to reshape Washington’s monumental landscape.
NPR reported that the FAA said its determination will become final in late October unless an interested party files a petition by Oct. 18, and said the finding follows a preliminary report in June that said the structure would likely not be an issue as long as it has blinking red obstruction lights on top.
Reuters added that on September 4, a federal judge ordered the Trump administration to give 48 hours' notice before engaging in any activity on the arch site, except for work to identify underground cultural artifacts, and said the FAA specified pilots must fly at least 780 feet above the area around the arch and at least 488 feet above the top of the proposed structure.