Legislation Would Allow Waivers Around Major Sporting Events

The EAA wants its members to support a bill by Rep. Stephanie Tubbs-Jones (D-OH) that would allow waivers in restricted airspace around major sporting events for air-show operations. Such a measure would prevent situations like the one that curtailed much the Cleveland Air Show's Friday night performance over Labor Day weekend.

Rep. Tubbs-Jones introduced the bill (HR 5028) that would allow waivers for air shows operating in areas near professional stadiums and other venues that are designated with temporary flight restrictions, if security is not compromised. Her legislation was authored as a result of the difficulties the Cleveland Air Show had on Sept. 3, when organizers had to alter their annual night show because the Cleveland Indians baseball team was playing a home game near the Burke Lakefront Airport that evening. The flight restrictions over the stadium prevented the full air show performance from being held, with the aerial event losing up to 50 percent of its usual attendance that evening. FAA and Transportation Security Administration officials were powerless to grant a waiver for the Cleveland event due to the inflexibility of the original sporting event TFR legislation.

"EAA has always maintained that the TFR legislation was an ill-considered policy based on the economic dominance of professional sports leagues rather than security," said Doug Macnair, EAA's vice president of government relations. "That's why EAA and other aviation organizations stepped in to assist the Cleveland air show organizers in any way possible. What happened there showed how the inflexibility of this legislation hurt a long-standing air show tradition in that city, while not enhancing security one bit."

EAA has been in contact with Rep. Tubbs-Jones' office, offering support for the measure and the backing of EAA's 170,000 members. As always, EAA members are encouraged to participate in the process to help bring change and improvement for recreational aviation. EAA is also actively encouraging other aviation organizations to lend their support to the bill.

"We hope EAA members contact their Congressional representatives and urge them to co-sponsor and/or support this legislation," Macnair said. "It brings a little common sense to the issue of flight restrictions around major sporting events, though it does nothing to help aerial advertisers who have been unjustly wronged and economically devastated by the original ill-conceived legislation."

FMI: www.house.gov