Thu, Apr 10, 2003
In testimony Wednesday before the House
Subcommittee on Aviation, James K. Coyne, president of the National
Air Transportation Association (NATA), called upon Congress to
condemn the recent closure of Chicago's Merill C. Meigs Field.
(Meigs Field, an airport located on the shore of Lake Michigan in
downtown Chicago, was closed during the early morning hours of
March 31 after Chicago Mayor Daley sent in heavy construction
equipment to destroy its runway.)
"Congress must act by condemning the action taken by Mayor Daley
in destroying Meigs Field late last month," Coyne's testimony said.
"At a minimum, a 'Sense of Congress' provision should be adopted to
ensure that such actions taken by the Mayor are recognized as being
unethical, unconscionable and illegal. In addition, the panel must
address this matter so that the Mayor's actions do not establish a
precedent for similar future actions at other airports throughout
this country."
Coyne's statement to the Subcommittee on Aviation of the House
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure came during the
panel's first hearing since the airport's closure. The hearing was
convened to discuss legislation reauthorizing the Federal Aviation
Administration (FAA) and its programs.
"The ramifications of this sad episode go far
beyond the shores of Lake Michigan. In the aftermath of Meigs'
closure, any community with the merest whim to close their local
airport can do so and point to Chicago as their justification,"
Coyne testified. "Without swift and strong condemnation by the FAA
and others within the federal government, Mayor Daley's actions
will be known as the beginning of the end for this nation's highly
developed air transportation system."
Coyne also pointed out to the subcommittee that Meigs' closure
was done in the name of national security, even though no threat
existed, and that Mayor Daley has been trying to close the airport
for years. "That the destruction of Meigs Field was done in the
name of 'national security' should also set ringing this panel's
alarm bells," he said. "This action could well be the first in a
long line of state and local government actions designed only to
meet personal agendas while ignoring the aviation infrastructure
needs of the nation as a whole."
More News
Airbus Racer Demonstrator Makes Inaugural Flight Airbus Helicopters' ambitious Racer demonstrator has achieved its inaugural flight as part of the Clean Sky 2 initiative, a corners>[...]
A little Bit Quieter, Said Testers, But in the End it's Still a DA40 Diamond Aircraft recently completed a little pilot project with Lufthansa Aviation Training, putting a pair of >[...]
Line Up And Wait (LUAW) Used by ATC to inform a pilot to taxi onto the departure runway to line up and wait. It is not authorization for takeoff. It is used when takeoff clearance >[...]
Contributing To The Accident Was The Pilot’s Use Of Methamphetamine... Analysis: The pilot departed on a local flight to perform low-altitude maneuvers in a nearby desert val>[...]
From 2015 (YouTube Version): Overcoming Obstacles To Achieve Their Dreams… At EAA AirVenture 2015, FedEx arrived with one of their Airbus freight-hauling aircraft and placed>[...]
Airbus Racer Helicopter Demonstrator First Flight Part of Clean Sky 2 Initiative
See All