[JYO] D.C. Restrictions Extended For Two Years...

Three Washington, D.C., area airports got news they expected, but didn't 
necessarily want to hear, Tuesday from the Transportation Security 
Administration. The TSA will extend Special Federal Airspace Regulation 94 
until February 2005. The regulation, which has banned most GA operations in 
the Washington area and severely curtailed operations at College Park, 
Washington Executive/Hyde Park and Potomac Airports, has been in effect since 
Sept. 11, 2001.  A spokeswoman at College Park, who asked not to be 
identified, confirmed airport management was notified of the extension late 
Tuesday. Initially, the airports were closed, but about six months after the 
terrorist attacks the TSA allowed pilots based at those airports to take off 
and land after they had undergone rigorous security checks. A few months 
after that, those vetted pilots were allowed to fly into and out of any of 
the three airports. But the airports remain closed to everyone else, although 
AOPA is trying to convince authorities to allow transient traffic to return. 
"We've not given up on these airports," said AOPA spokesman Warren 
Morningstar. "But it's going to continue to be one hell of a fight." 
Morningstar said the airports cannot survive financially on the small amount 
of in-house traffic they generate.

Other related posts: