FAA report on ADIZ Operations Two Months Overdue
AOPA President Phil
Boyer is calling on members of the House aviation subcommittee to
demand that the FAA obey the law and report on operations in the
Baltimore-Washington Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ). In
letters to subcommittee chairman John Mica (R-FL) and ranking
Democrat Peter DeFazio (D-OR), Boyer called the FAA's failure to
provide the report "insulting to Congress and pilots in the
area."
When President Bush signed the FAA Reauthorization Bill into law
in December, it included a requirement that the FAA report to
Congress within 30 days on the continuing need for the ADIZ and
steps being taken to improve operational efficiency.
"It has been well over
90 days [original emphasis] since the initial reporting requirement
in the law was established, yet the FAA has not provided this
required report to Congress," wrote Boyer. "I ask that you hold the
FAA and the other agencies accountable for the actions that they
are taking in the National Capitol Area that are adversely
affecting general aviation."
Boyer noted that all general aviation flights, both VFR and IFR,
are required to follow what amounts to IFR flight plan filing and
communications procedures. The requirement to maintain two-way
radio communication with air traffic controllers has been
especially harmful to operational efficiency because it overloads
an already-busy ATC system.
In his letter, Boyer restated a quote from the National Air
Traffic Controllers Association, which he had drawn to the aviation
subcommittee's attention during testimony two weeks ago:
Simply put, the Washington ADIZ creates an unworkable situation
for both pilots and controllers. The ATC system is being asked to
perform a function for which it is not designed and for which it
lacks the capacity. It creates confusion for both pilots and
controllers, proper resources have not been allocated to provide
equipment and procedures to meet the objective, and ultimately
there is no evidence to suggest that the intended goal is
achieved.
"These requirements have overloaded the Washington-area ATC
system, and pilots continue to experience extreme difficulties in
gaining access to the 19 public-use airports in the ADIZ," Boyer
wrote. "The congressionally required report, and, most importantly,
the elements of that submission to address operational problems of
the ADIZ, are extremely important to the aviation community. Please
insist the FAA not insult your committee by this lack of response
and immediately meet the requirements of the law by reporting back
to Congress."