NBAA Opinion

As DCA Goes, So Goes Liberty
[This editorial by the NBAA expresses a view that is nearly universally-held in our community. Whether you fly the 12-5s, or you don't go farther from your pea patch than the nearest $100 burger joint, the issue -- freedom -- is relevant. A loss of some, by a few, is a loss of all, by all --ed.]

NBAA Editorial: Prior to September 11, 2001, regulated access to airspace or to specific airports was limited on rare occasion by congestion or noise. Historically, business aircraft, for the most part, had been able to travel at will in the United States.

Today, however, security concerns threaten that access with increasing breadth, as a seemingly endless stream of presidential and vice-presidential, nuclear power plant, city, sporting, "national security event" or other temporary flight restrictions (TFRs) are announced daily.

More than 20 months after 9/11, the continued closure of Reagan National Airport (DCA) to secure general aviation (GA) operations concretely indicates the concerns of certain Bush Administration officials about the potential threat business aviation poses, as well as the level of resources they are willing to apply to solve the problem. Congress soon may mandate the reopening of DCA to general aviation, at which time reasonable and effective security procedures (such as those supported by NBAA) will have to be implemented. Without this access, the terrorists will have won, the value of business aviation will have been diminished, and every business aircraft operator at every airport nationwide will have cause to worry as to whether they -- the victims of the same security "concerns" -- will be the next to be restricted.

Security is an imperative national interest, but it simply cannot and should not be secured at the cost of liberty. It is well past time to reopen DCA to secure GA operations.

[...and it shouldn't take -- literally -- an Act of Congress to re-open an airport --ed.]

FMI: www.nbaa.org