Wed, May 05, 2004
Agency Affirms AOPA Argument Against Anti-Aviation
Antagonists
The aviation industry
has won a small battle against those who would see aviation
curtailed and harmed for their own selfish interests.
The FAA has turned down a petition from a Massachusetts
anti-noise group to require aircraft owners to put two-foot-high N
numbers under their wings. As AOPA had argued in its comments on
the petition, the FAA said the issue had been debated, studied, and
decided years ago — the current 12-inch-high numbers on the
fuselage are sufficient.
The FAA concurred with AOPA's comments that the issue had been
addressed years ago and the current 12-inch numbers are
appropriate. In its denial letter to William Burgoyne of the group
Stop The Noise, the FAA said, "In considering the change to the
12-inch numbers [on the fuselage], the FAA worked extensively with
law enforcement agencies, FAA field inspectors, the U.S. Customs
Service, the U.S. Department of Defense, the FAA Air Traffic
Service, and private citizens and citizen groups with concerns
similar to those of your organization. Those groups agreed with the
FAA that it was important to make the registration marks more
visible. After extensive deliberation, the FAA decided on the
12-inch criteria."
"Stop The Noise has
shown that it's willing to sue pilots even if the pilots are
operating in full accordance with regulations," said AOPA Director
of Regulatory and Certification Policy Luis Gutierrez. "This
petition was just a thinly veiled attempt to make it easier for the
group to go after other pilots."
AOPA has offered financial help to the four pilots that Stop the
Noise has already sued and has provided significant legal research
to aid in their defense. The cases against the pilots have not yet
gone to trial.
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