[JYO] AOPA "kicks it up a notch" on fighting airspace restrictions

AOPA "kicks it up a notch" on fighting airspace restrictions

Apr. 21 — AOPA "kicked it up a notch" today 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 "<A 
HREF="http://www.aopa.org/whatsnew/newsitems/2003/03-2-026.html";>Presidential 
movement</A>" aren't working.

Undersecretary Hutchinson 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."

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