AOPA Takes Fight To New Level
The beauty of flying in
the western part of the US is enjoying the land's natural beauty,
uncongested skies and isolated landing areas, which allow for
spectacular flying excursions.
Unfortunately, these airfields are
being threatened and one organization is fighting for
their survival.
AOPA, in its continuing fight to protect pilots' access to
backcountry airstrips, has appealed a U.S. Forest Service decision
to ban all but emergency access to four such strips in Idaho.
The association maintains that the Forest Service does not have
the required authority to close the Dewy Moore, Mile-Hi, Simonds,
and Vines airstrips in the Frank Church-River of No Return
wilderness area.
AOPA President Phil Boyer recently met with Sen. Michael Crapo
(R-Idaho), a strong supporter of the backcountry airstrips, about
measures to keep them open.
"I thanked him for his past support in the struggle to keep
these airstrips open," said Boyer, "and suggested that now would be
a good time for the Forest Service to hear from him and the rest of
the Idaho congressional delegation."
"We do not believe the Forest Service satisfactorily considered
the comments of the aviation public before issuing [their
decision]," said AOPA Senior Vice President of Government and
Technical Affairs Andy Cebula. "Furthermore, the Forest Service has
failed to receive the approval of the Idaho Division of Aviation
before closing the airstrips, as required by federal law."
Last year,
AOPA turned to the Idaho congressional delegation to help
bring the Forest Service back to the bargaining table. But the
agency had already signed its record of decision closing the
airstrips. Officials pledged to review pilot comments but that it
could only be done through the formal appeals process.
In that decision, the Forest Service claims that the four
airstrips are unsafe. AOPA's appeal states that the agency is
neither entitled nor equipped to make that determination,
especially without consultation with either the FAA or the Idaho
State Division of Aeronautics — the agencies responsible for
establishing minimal safety requirements.
"While we recognize that these airstrips are unique and require
certain skills and proper equipment to operate from them," wrote
Cebula, "the association has found no data, including investigation
of the National Transportation Safety Board's information on
aircraft accidents, to support the claim that these airstrips are
unsafe."