[JYO] First step toward reopening Maryland airports - Based pilots to begin background

First step toward reopening Maryland airports
Based pilots to begin background checks tomorrow

Feb. 6 — The long intense negotiations led by the FAA with security officials 
has resulted in a plan for getting local pilots back in the air at Hyde 
Field, Potomac Airpark, and College Park Airport. Those three Maryland 
airports, which are inside a 15-mile temporary flight restriction area around 
Washington, D.C., have been closed since the attacks on September 11th. 
Beginning tomorrow, the Secret Service will begin the background check 
process by fingerprinting pilots (by appointment only) in Largo, Maryland. 
Only pilots and operators based at the three airports prior to September 11th 
are eligible for this special security process. In addition to submitting 
prints, pilots will also be required to show three forms of identification, 
an official photo ID, pilot license, and current medical certificate.

"This is an important first step towards restoring operations at these 
airports," according to Andy Cebula, AOPA vice president of government 
affairs. "While far from ideal, it is important to get based pilots flying 
again to demonstrate that operations out of these airports do not pose a 
security risk to the nation's capital."

Fingerprinting is the first of three steps that must be taken before security 
officials will allow the FAA to approve based aircraft operations to resume. 
Once the Secret Service has processed the prints and paperwork, which will 
take at least a week, the FAA will set-up times to individually brief 
operators regarding flight procedures and issue personal identification 
numbers (PINS) for use when filing flight plans. Finally, the FAA will issue 
a Special Federal Aviation Regulation (SFAR) to permit operations to resume.

Based pilots should make an appointment by calling the College Park (CGF) 
operations desk at 301-864-5844, between the hours of 7 a.m. and 8 p.m. 
daily.

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