[JYO] AOPA's petition to open up Washington, D.C.-area airports now on federal docket

from AOPA...

AOPA's petition to open up Washington, D.C.-area airports now on federal 
docket
Pilots invited to comment

Jan. 6 — After almost three months, the FAA Office of Rulemaking has formally 
registered <A 
HREF="http://dms.dot.gov/search/document.cfm?documentid=197684&docketid=13623";>AOPA's
 petition</A> to allow transient traffic use of the "DC3" 
airports (College Park Airport, Potomac Airpark, and Washington 
Executive/Hyde Field) in Maryland, close to Washington, D.C. AOPA had filed 
the petition in October and has been pressing FAA to put it on the docket 
ever since.

"Restoration of general aviation access to the nation's capital is one of the 
major post-9/11 airspace hurdles remaining," said Andrew V. Cebula, AOPA 
senior vice president for Government and Technical Affairs. "Pilots are 
encouraged to visit the federal government's rulemaking Web site and submit 
comments recommending that the FAA adopt AOPA's petition and restore general 
aviation access to Washington's airspace." (Go to <A 
HREF="http://dmses.dot.gov/submit/";>
http://dmses.dot.gov/submit/</A> and enter document # FAA-2002-13623-1.)

Under the current special flight rule <A 
HREF="http://www.aopa.org/whatsnew/newsitems/2002/sfar94.html";>SFAR 94</A> 
governing operations at those 
airports and within a 15-nm radius of the Washington Monument, only pilots 
who were based at those airports prior to September 11, 2001, and have 
undergone extensive background checks may operate from the "DC3" airports.

In its petition, AOPA is also asking that vetted pilots be permitted to 
conduct air traffic pattern work at all three airports.

"AOPA was recently successful in getting the FAA and TSA to issue a notam 
that allows for inter-airport operations by vetted pilots," said Cebula. "We 
continue to explore all available regulatory alternatives to push for 
implementing the two remaining recommendations contained in our petition."

The association's petition notes that although SFAR 94 contained language 
suggesting that additional operations may be permitted after a procedural 
validation period, no effort has been made to open the "DC3" to transient 
flight operations since the SFAR was finalized in February of last year. 
Also, despite the fact that general aviation has never been used in the 
conduct of terrorist activities, it is the only segment of the aviation 
community restricted by SFAR 94.

With the exception of <A 
HREF="http://www.aopa.org/whatsnew/newsitems/2001/011130resources.html";>security
 TFRs</A> (in various areas around the country), 
general aviation operations are now permitted since the airspace shutdown 
after 9/11. That is not the case in the Washington area, where SFAR 94 
prohibits almost all general aviation operations.

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