Banned From Flying Over Major Stadiums For One Year
Congress has banned banner towers and other aerial
advertisers from flying above major sports events for one year. The
ban was slipped into the omnibus appropriations bill that funds the
federal government for the rest of the fiscal year. The legislation
did address AOPA concerns about access to nearby airports, allowing
aircraft flying normal traffic patterns to continue using airports
near large stadiums.
The provision rescinds for a year all waivers to
the NOTAM prohibiting flights within three nm and 3,000 feet
of major sporting events at stadiums seating more than 30,000. It
prohibits reissuing waivers to aerial advertisers only for at least
one year. However, aircraft providing broadcast coverage of the
game and aircraft transporting officials and others to the event
can still obtain waivers.
"This was a tough one to lose," said AOPA President Phil Boyer.
"We had devoted considerable resources to the issue, working
actively working with the banner towing community, security
experts, the Transportation Security Administration, and our
friends in Congress.
"It was particularly frustrating to see what was a commercial
issue passed off as a security issue. The major league and
collegiate sports interests paid big dollars to lobby for what they
wanted."
AOPA Weighs In With A Statement To The Banner Towing
Community
AOPA agrees
that the recent legislation banning aerial advertising over large
stadiums is outrageous. That's why the association worked so hard
for so long to prevent it from being instituted. The motivation
behind this legislation is monetary — it has nothing to do
with security.
Since last May, when the issue began receiving congressional
attention, the stadium overflight and aerial-advertising issue has
been one of the many priorities facing the AOPA staff. Our
legislative lobbyists put in countless hours trying to head off the
endless pressure and influence the sporting interests placed on
Congress. On a daily basis, AOPA Legislative Affairs was rebutting
personal calls placed to members of Congress by NFL, Major League
Baseball, college sports, their lobbyists, lawyers, team owners,
star players, and coaches. Our initial efforts paid off in the form
of attempts to thwart the legislation by senators Burns (R-Mont.)
and Inhofe (R-Okla.) this past fall. On the House side,
Transportation and Infrastructure Chairman Don Young (R-Alaska) and
ranking member James Oberstar (D-Minn.) wrote House Appropriations
Chairman C. W. Bill Young (R-Fla.) requesting that the
Appropriations Committee drop the matter. Also, Appropriations
Committee member Representative Jim Kolbe (R-Ariz.) railed against
the language in the "mark-up" of the legislation where members
debate and amend the finer points of legislation before it is sent
on for further consideration.
In
addition to our legislative efforts, AOPA secured valuable support
from the highest ranks of the Transportation Security
Administration against aerial advertising restrictions.
Unfortunately, Congress has decided to heed the power and
influence of the sports interests rather than the calculated
security assessment of the agency they tasked with ensuring the
security of the nation's transportation systems.
Because this is a business issue best handled by a "trade
association" or special interest lobbying firm, from the beginning
AOPA staff strongly recommended that the banner towing community
enlist the help of an independent lobbyist to fight against this
legislation. The banner towers decided to invest their resources in
court challenges rather than legislative efforts. Simply stated, we
warned the banner tower leadership that our chances for success
were greatly diminished if AOPA were left alone to lobby against
these restrictions. The sports interest lobbies are just
too strong.
While we understand that some of the banner towers are now
seeking an organization to blame, AOPA did everything within its
power to prevent aerial advertising operational prohibitions. While
we recognized that the vast majority of our membership would be
served by ensuring that mainstream GA could continue normal airport
operations within the stadium TFR areas, it was always AOPA's
intent to fight to protect the operational rights of aerial
advertisers. At no time were aerial advertisers considered to be a
secondary objective or "bargaining chip." Throughout this ordeal,
AOPA has steadfastly held to its commitment to fight for continued
aerial advertising operations.