Sat, Jun 21, 2003
Longstanding Texas Security TFR Eliminated, One of 14 on AOPA
Hit List
The FAA, on
Friday, eliminated the "permanent" national security-related
temporary flight restriction (TFR) around the Red River Army Depot
near Texarkana, Texas. "We're beginning to see the payoff from
months of hard behind-the-scenes work on Capitol Hill and at the
Department of Defense (DoD), TSA, and FAA," said AOPA President
Phil Boyer. "We'll keep working to remove the others."
The U.S. House of Representatives recently passed an FAA
reauthorization bill that includes AOPA-supported report language
regarding security-related TFRs. Congress says it is concerned
about the operational impact of post-9/11 DoD security TFRs and
"encourages the FAA to work with DoD representatives, and all
affected parties to evaluate the need for on-going DoD-requested
TFRs."
In addition to raising concerns about the DoD security TFRS, the
House and Senate versions of the reauthorization bill also tackle
the air defense identification zone (ADIZ) around Washington, D.C.
They both include language that would require the Department of
Transportation to justify the continuing need for the ADIZ within
30 days of the bill's enactment, and every 60 days after that.
"The Washington ADIZ has a tremendous impact on aircraft
operations throughout the Mid-Atlantic region," said Boyer. "It
forces pilots to deviate around a huge volume of airspace or
overload the area's air traffic control system. The FAA and Defense
Department need to review the ADIZ on a regular basis to see if its
national security benefits really outweigh the operational
costs."
In addition to the Red River TFR, the FAA and the Department of
Defense have in the past month and a half reviewed and eliminated
TFRs around Whiteman Air Force Base, home of the U.S. B-2 bomber
fleet, in Knob Noster, Mo., and around the crude oil loading
facility in the harbor at Valdez, Alaska. Fourteen national
security-related TFRs remain scattered across the country.
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