B47J PLT CONTENDS THAT SURFACE CLASS E AIRSPACE AT UES IS UNSAFE FOR HELI OPS.

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NEWLY CREATED SURFACE CLASS E AIRSPACE IS UNSAFE FOR HELI OPS. AT 500 FT OR LESS RADAR COVERAGE IS NOT AVAILABLE. AT 500 FT OR LESS TWR OR ANY ATC COM IS MARGINAL OR NOT AVAILABLE. NO WX RPTING IS AVAILABLE IN THE NEWLY CREATED SURFACE CLASS E AIRSPACE; CONDITIONS VARY CONSIDERABLY FROM THOSE IN UES CLASS D AIRSPACE. HELI REQUIREMENTS WERE NEVER CONSIDERED WHEN THIS NEW SURFACE CLASS E AIRSPACE WAS CREATED. UTILITY HELI OPS ARE CONDUCTED 12 MONTHS OUT OF THE YEAR IN AND THROUGH THIS AREA. UTILITY HELI OPS ARE CONDUCTED AT LOW LEVEL AND WHEN WX IS LESS THAN 1000 FT AND 3 MILES. FOR SPECIAL VFR OPS; RELIABLE COMS AND WX RPTING ARE VERY IMPORTANT. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR STATES THAT HE OPERATES AN FAR PART 135 HELI OPERATION WHICH CONDUCTS POWER LINE PATROL AND WILDLIFE SURVEY FLT WITHIN THE AREA ENCOMPASSED BY THE SURFACE CLASS E AIRSPACE. RPTR STATES THAT THE AREA ONLY PRESENTS A PROB WHEN THE WX IS BELOW VFR AND IT BECOMES NECESSARY TO COM WITH UES TWR TO OBTAIN SPECIAL VFR CLRNC. RPTR STATED THAT HE BELIEVES UES IS LOCATED IN TERRAIN DEPRESSION WHICH CAUSES COM DISRUPTION IN THE SURFACE CLASS E AREA.