[JYO] EAA OPPOSES FORTHCOMING PERMANENT D.C. ADIZ PROPOSAL

    EAA OPPOSES  FORTHCOMING PERMANENT D.C. ADIZ PROPOSAL
Immediately expresses grave concerns to top TSA officials        July 8, 2004 
- The Experimental  Aircraft Association today strongly reacted against any 
proposal to make  the Washington D.C. Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) a 
permanent  part of the nation's airspace, after a Federal Aviation 
Administration  official told a Congressional hearing that such a proposal 
would be  
published within the next several weeks.  
During testimony before the Congressional  hearing studying the June 9, 
incident in which fighters were scrambled to  intercept an airplane carrying 
the 
governor of Kentucky, FAA official  Linda Schuessler stated that a formal 
Notice 
of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM)  would be issued to make the ADIZ in the 
National Capitol Region permanent.  That ADIZ was implemented as a "temporary" 
security measure prior to the  U.S. invasion of Iraq. 
Today's Congressional hearing was called after  the June 9 incident, when 
Kentucky Gov. Ernie Fletcher's aircraft entered  the ADIZ area with an 
inoperative transponder. FAA was in communication  with, and controlling, the 
aircraft 
when officials at the National Capitol  Region Coordination Center scrambled 
military jets to head off what was  thought to be a suspicious airplane, 
forcing 
evacuation of the Capitol  building. 
EAA immediately responded by raising the matter  with Admiral David Stone, 
Acting Administrator of the Transportation  Security Administration, and his 
senior staff during TSA's weekly  Intermodal Stakeholder Conference Call. That 
weekly session highlights  vital issues with numerous transportation industry 
leaders. During the  session, Doug Macnair, EAA's Vice President of Government 
Relations,  expressed strong opposition to any move toward making the ADIZ 
permanent  because of its negative impact on flight operations, safety, and the 
 
severe economic impact on aviation businesses within the Capitol region.  EAA 
believes that the current NOTAM system for the ADIZ, although flawed  in many 
respects, does offer some flexibility to make necessary changes  when needed. 
Once it is codified as a regulation, any change would  potentially need to go 
through the lengthy rulemaking process, making  change nearly impossible. Most 
obviously, once the ADIZ is immortalized by  regulation, it is far more 
difficult to eliminate in the  future. 
Admiral Stone indicated that many agencies  charged with security view the 
ADIZ as a valuable tool to protect the  Capitol Region and that this proposal 
had been in the works for some time.  He emphasized that the forthcoming 
proposal was not a direct result of the  June 9, airspace incident that caused 
evacuation of the U.S. Capitol. He  further expressed his appreciation of EAA's 
concerns and assured that his  team will consider them throughout the process. 
"There is absolutely no need to make this ADIZ  permanent," said Earl 
Lawrence, EAA Vice President of Government and  Industry Affairs. "It would not 
add a 
shred of extra security for the  country and would further discriminate 
against general aviation. EAA and  other organizations have worked tirelessly 
to 
ease the confusing and  burdensome ADIZ structure and make it more responsive 
to 
GA operations.  Establishing a permanent ADIZ in the Washington D.C. area 
could  permanently jeopardize the economic viability of general aviation  
operations in the Capitol region." 
EAA will submit official comments to FAA when  the anticipated NRPM is 
published and encourages members to both comment  and voice their opposition to 
their Congressional representatives.  Continuing updates will be posted to the 
EAA 
website.

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