Organization Takes A Firm Stand Against FAA Restrictions
(Editor's Note: The following is the official statement from
the Experimental Aircraft Association regarding the organization's
-- very emphatic -- position against the creation of a permanent
Special Flight Rules Area (SFRA) over Washington, DC to replace the
existing TFRA over the nation's capital.)
EAA has left no doubts
where it stands on a proposed permanent Washington, D.C., area Air
Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ), as the organization stated in
its official comments to the Federal Aviation Administration.
The FAA proposal, which has also drawn opposition from nearly every
other national aviation organization, would convert the existing
Temporary Flight Restricted Area into a permanent Special Flight
Rules Area (SFRA), severely restricting general aviation activities
in a wide region within 50 miles of the nation's capital.
"EAA's comments, consistent with more than 16,000 others made to
the FAA thus far, strenuously assert that converting the current
ADIZ into a permanently restricted area is a very bad idea and an
even worse precedent," said Tom Poberezny, EAA president.
"Security around our nation's capital is a necessity, but this
proposal does nothing to enhance security while it eviscerates the
general aviation infrastructure in that area."
The temporary ADIZ has caused substantial harm to the region's
local airports and businesses, as well as general aviation pilots
in the region. EAA's 39 pages of comments outline these
hardships with both broad rationale and specific individual
examples. In addition to drawing opposition from national
aviation organizations, FAA's proposal is publicly opposed by
members of Congress, affected communities, and thousands of
individual EAA members and other pilots.
EAA has several specific objections to this proposal, as
outlined in its comments to FAA Docket #FAA-2004-17005-15898:
- It is the first airspace proposal whose sole focus is to
deprive Americans of their right to have access to the National
Airspace System. It specifically targets recreational and
general aviation pilots. The proposal was drawn as a response
to the 9/11/01 commercial airliner attacks on American citizens,
but deviated from that original purpose.
- It is the latest in a disturbing trend where specific agencies
and even private corporations have superseded FAA's authority and
mandate to manage airspace, without operational need or
safety-of-flight issues, and despite overwhelming public comments
opposed to the proposals.
- There is no practical administrative method for handling the
current ADIZ procedures and none outlined in the SFRA proposal,
which further burdens already-stretched controllers in the
region.
- A multitude of flight safety and economic threats in the
affected region remain under the proposal and, in a number of
cases, are worse.
EAA has also filed Freedom of Information Act requests to a
half-dozen federal agencies, requesting all information pertaining
to the research into this proposal and its creation.
"Along with our complete opposition to this proposal, EAA has
forwarded practical, common-sense recommendations that would
maintain the vital security of the National Capitol Region and
allow adjustments, when necessary, based on known national security
threats," Poberezny said. "Instead of harming the aviation
infrastructure and institutionalizing anti-aviation phobia with
this plan, FAA should review and understand the thousands of
comments, then adopt an alternative method to achieve security
goals."
The official comment period ends Wednesday, Nov. 2.
Comments can still be made through that date by any of the
following methods:
- Go to the Docket "comment submit" web
page, type in "FAA-2004-17005" in the Docket ID block
and "Washington DC ADIZ" in the Document Title block, fill out the
rest of the form, then click "continue." The next page is
where comments are actually submitted to the DOT Docket.
- Fax comments to the DOT Docket at 202-493-2251;
- Mail them to the Docket (postmark of November 2, 2005 will be
accepted):
Docket Management Facility
Department of Transportation
Nassif Building, Room PL-401
400 Seventh Street, S.W.
Washington, D.C. 20590-0001
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