"Kicks It Up A Notch" In The Fight Against Airspace
Restrictions
AOPA "kicked it up a notch" Monday as AOPA
President Phil Boyer took general aviation pilots' concerns about
airspace restrictions to the top man for aviation in the Department
of Homeland Security.
Boyer and Senior Vice President Andy Cebula went deep inside the
Homeland Security's fortress-like compound this morning to talk
with Asa Hutchinson, the Undersecretary for Border and
Transportation Security. And Boyer made it clear that airspace
restrictions like the Washington Air Defense Identification Zone
(ADIZ) or the proposed 30-nautical-mile "Presidential movement"
aren't working.
Undersecretary Hutchinson (right) opened the
meeting by saying that Homeland Security's mission was to improve
security, to operate in the most efficient manner, and to satisfy
the customers. "We can't judge on how you're doing on security,"
Boyer replied, "but on efficiency and customer satisfaction, you're
not doing well — at least as far as pilots and air traffic
controllers are concerned."
Boyer said the ADIZ was broken. Pilots and controllers, who
should be considered "customers," were not happy. "The ADIZ is an
operational disaster," Boyer said. "Aircraft are sitting on the
ground, pilots are 'put on hold' for hours. Controllers are
frustrated because they're trying to force the system to do
something it was never designed to do."
He told Hutchinson that AOPA had suggested solutions for
resolving some of the frustrations with the ADIZ more than a month
ago, but the government still hasn't responded. Hutchinson spoke
about what might happen when the security level moves back up to
orange. Boyer responded by saying, "We should be talking about what
happens when the security level drops to blue or green. Senior
officials are saying the war with Iraq is over."
He reminded the security official that, following 9/11 and
previous heightened security alerts, a 15-nm restricted area around
Washington, D.C., was considered adequate. "Why do we need a huge
ADIZ now?" Boyer asked.
Boyer also asked Hutchinson to "think through carefully" the
impact that large TFRs around the President will have,
"particularly on places the President visits frequently." Finally,
Boyer raised the issue of "who's in charge" on airspace
restrictions. "The Secret Service, Department of Defense, FBI, FAA,
TSA, state governors, and even local mayors are all trying to
control airspace," Boyer said. "When it comes to restrictions for
legitimate national security concerns, one agency of the federal
government has to be the final authority."