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The following was just received by me and I'd like to share it with the
group. Tomorrow is the last day for
comments...
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EAA 'Unequivocally and Fervently' Opposes Permanent D.C.-area ADIZ
Nov. 1 - 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have superceded FAA's authority and mandate to manage airspace, without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:
1. Go to the Docket "comment submit" web page
(<http://dms.dot.gov/submit/dspSubmission.cfm>), 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.
2. Fax comments to the DOT Docket at 202-493-2251;
3. 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
For additional information, please go to the story on the web at:
http://www.eaa.org/communications/eaanews/051101_dc_adiz.html
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EAA position on ADIZ...
