Fri, Mar 21, 2003
ANN has learned from numerous credible sources
that aero-hating Chicago Mayor Daley (right) has tried an end-run
around the FAA to close off a fair amount of Chicago airspace to
America's pilots and aircraft.
Earlier; the FAA had refused Daley's request to institute a
"permanent no-fly zone over the city, in response to the upgraded
security level in advance of possible U.S. military action against
Iraq."
Mind you; Daley had asked for the no-fly zone on previous
occasions, using the situation in Washington and New York City
(with its very restrictive no-fly zones) as an excuse to further
his anti-aviation agenda (and screw his citizens out of all the
benefits and cash that aviation feeds into Chicago on a daily
basis). Daley reportedly claimed that Chicago residents were not as
well protected because the city faced the kind of restrictions seen
in NYC and DC. Unfortunately; an equally aero-ignorant Illinois
governor, Rod Blagojevich, backed Daley's machination.
With the FAA and TSA refusal, Daley's scheme then
allegedly targeted the Dept. of Homeland Security's Secretary
Tom Ridge... and we now hear reports that Ridge, ever the political
animal, is listening.
This does not look good.
If that wasn't bad enough, EAA told ANN that Daley tried yet
another slick trick to seek previously unsuccessful objectives and
had also petitioned Ridge to close Meigs Field in downtown Chicago.
"Perceived terrorist threats" (or is that political gamesmanship?)
have apparently led Daley to shut down Meigs on previous
occasions... which seems to suspiciously coincide with Daley's long
burning desire to shut down Meigs and turn it into a (yet another)
park.
We
know that AOPA and EAA are on the scene in Chicago, and we expect
to have more word soon, but we advise the embattled pilots who try
to fly through or into Chicago that you may be in for some tough
times... thanks to yet another bit of political grand-standing from
Richard Daley. Remember him well come election day...
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