It's been a hell of a day. We've been hearing from hundreds of
pilots and aviation professionals, all over the world, decrying the
dishonest and fraudulent actions of Chicago's Mayor/Bully Richard
Daley.
Herewith a few more comments from some of the aviation
community...
AOPA
President Phil Boyer: "We are absolutely shocked and
dismayed... Mayor Daley has no honor and his word has no value. The
sneaky way he did this shows that he knows it was wrong."
Boyer immediately fired faxes off to FAA Administrator Marion
Blakey and Transportation Security Administration chief Adm. James
M. Loy to discuss possible solutions.
"During a period when the country is at war in the Middle East, why
must the mayor of Chicago also play dictator with a most valuable
airport and cause additional turmoil inside our own country?" asked
Boyer.
"While federal and state airport laws may not have been broken by
this action, in December 2001 he pledged to keep the airport open,
in support of federal legislation that granted him expansion of
O'Hare airport. The mayor has broken his promise not only to the
citizens of his own city, but also to the pilots of America.
"We will once again explore the legality of this action, but past
research indicates that the law hasn't been broken," Boyer
continued. "However, we're not going to allow the mayor to hide
behind the fiction of 'homeland security' for his reprehensible
action."
EAA
President Tom Poberezny: "The nature of the actions taken
by the city under the cover of darkness indicates that there was
not public support for this action... We will continue to work
with the Friends of Meigs Field and others in trying to save the
airport. All options will be quickly investigated. Throughout the
years, Meigs Field has proven its value, both from an economic
standpoint and as well as from a social standpoint. Thousands
of kids have enjoyed EAA Young Eagles flights there. Numerous
organizations and hundreds of volunteers have worked diligently on
behalf of the airport."
President of the Friends of Meigs Field, Rachel
Goodstein: Rachel wasn't buying the mayor's spurious
public safety mantra, either. "During WWII, Franklin Roosevelt said
we have nothing to fear but fear itself, and the mayor proved that
today," she said, speaking in front of reporters at city hall
shortly after the mayor's conference concluded. "Businesses,
pilots, and many non-flying citizens-people are really outraged by
what the mayor did. To come in the middle of the night and do
this...the only reason was to prevent a lawsuit from being filed,
what he virtually admitted." Goodstein was equally appalled
that nobody-not the FAA, U.S. or Illinois departments of
transportation, not even the Meigs tower knew of the plans
to destroy the runway. "This was a fear-mongering land-grab, plain
and simple," Goodstein said. "The city is much safer with a towered
airport monitoring all air traffic. The fire department is now 10
miles further away which makes boaters less safe. Children with
emergency medical situations are less safe. This was a shortsighted
decision. The mayor is taking advantage of fear to get something
done he always wanted." "The city did this with a vengeance,"
Goodstein said. "If this (Meigs) was a national security issue,
they could block the runway with trucks. We all know this is not a
national security issue."
Bev Dunjill, President of the Tuskegee Airmen's
DOD chapter based at Meigs Field: Dunjill, a veteran pilot
of World War II and Korea, spoke on behalf of EAA's Young Eagles
program, which has contributed more than 6,000 names to the world's
largest logbook. "The overwhelming majority of the kids flown were
inner-city kids, which provided them with a structured and fun
introduction to the world of flight, but now their ability to
experience flight has taken a huge blow," he said.
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