Aviation Groups Celebrate

Patience is a virtue. Anyone working in aviation governmental affairs will tell you that. The fight to kill TFRs has seen a recent victory, as the FAA officially eliminated two temporary flight restrictions over Valdez, Alaska, which were imposed on Dec. 24, 2003. One was a 25-nm-radius TFR in which pilots were required to contact Juneau Flight Service Station before entering the restricted area. The other was a 1-nm-radius area within the 25-nm TFR, in which no flight was permitted without ATC authorization.

Obviously, the alphabet groups smell victory. Doug McNair, EAA's Vice President of Government Affairs, told ANN the FAA action is better late than never.

"We're glad to see the FAA take this action," McNair said. "This is yet another step in the ongoing role to lift all of the flight restrictions in place. The aviation community has been putting the pressure on TSA and FAA to review these areas and I'm glad to see they took action," he said.

Warning that more battles lay ahead, McNair said, "Puget Sound is the next one in our sights."

AOPA President Phil Boyer also expressed some celebration over the FAA's action.

"AOPA has pressed the FAA to cancel these TFRs ever since the national threat level was reduced in mid-January," Boyer said. "The FAA and TSA now agree that there is no longer a need to maintain them."

Boyer added that AOPA continues to pressure the FAA and security officials for relief from longstanding security-related TFRs across the country.

FMI:  www.faa.gov