News Archive
The Honorable Gary Ackerman
United States House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515
Dear Representative Ackerman:
As president of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA), I represent more than 375,000 dues-paying members who own or fly general aviation aircraft, including more than 14,442 in New York. More than half of all pilots in the United States are members of AOPA, making it the world's largest civil aviation organization. I am writing you today to ask for your help in working with the National Security Council to "free" the 1,993 general aviation aircraft currently trapped at the 16 airports located inside Class B airspace (the airspace surrounding the country's 30 busiest airports) in your home state. I have attached a list of these airports for your reference.
The ground stop put into place by the FAA in the wake of the horrible events of September 11th brought our nation's airport and airway system to a complete halt. Since then the FAA has slowly brought the system back up to speed. However, the National Security Council has demanded that a prohibition on visual flight rules (VFR) traffic inside Class B airspace not be removed. This has resulted in some 41,000 general aviation aircraft, which account for some 22 million flights per year, being trapped inside these areas and not allowed to leave, unless they are flown on an instrument flight plan. The "Catch-22" is that only 15 percent of the nation's pilots are instrument current, and many of these planes are not certified for instrument flight.
Something must be done immediately to permit these 41,000 general aviation aircraft affected by the prohibition against operations under visual flight rules inside the 30 Enhanced Class B airspace areas to return to skies. AOPA recommends:
- Allowing piston-engine aircraft weighing 6,000 pounds gross takeoff weight or less to resume operations. These aircraft weigh less than many automobiles and have insufficient weight, momentum, and inertia capable of causing significant damage.
- Furthermore, the current total airspace ban on all general aviation flights in New York City and Washington, D.C., areas should be reduced from 25 nautical miles to 16 nautical miles.
- The FAA has issued a notice stating that "deadly force" could be used against any aircraft that enters restricted or prohibited airspace without authorization. Since this places the "ultimate penalty" on a pilot violating airspace restrictions, then why can't the AOPA proposals above be implemented?
Our proposals immediately open several key reliever airports to general aviation activities and eliminates the need to temporarily relocate hundreds of aircraft. Close analysis of the airports outside of the 16-mile radius reveals that they are the keystone infrastructure used by business travelers who rely on general aviation for travel to these two great cities.
Again, the VFR aircraft using these airports in all 30 affected areas are slow moving and flown by competent, rated pilots who are accustomed to operations in busy airspace. The size and speed of the aircraft using these airports will not affect response times by homeland defense forces providing security patrols of the area. Operationally, these aircraft will be subject to Class B airspace rules.
With all due respect to their hard work on this issue, Secretary Mineta and Administrator Garvey have not been able to persuade the National Security Council that these steps are no longer necessary. In fact, our "solution oriented" organization has offered several ideas to solve both of these problems, but we have been unable to learn from the DOT or the National Security Council the concerns that prevent these aircraft from being flown or relocated. In the meantime, these aircraft remain grounded, and their owners are unable to use the valuable business and personal transportation tool they pay heavily to maintain, whether flown or not.
Like all Americans, general aviation pilots are still in shock over the cowardly attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon and outraged that terrorists would use the freedom of our own aviation system against us. We are all deeply saddened by the tragic events and want to help in any way we can. However, the continued ban on VFR flying, and the large prohibited areas in two cities for any general aviation access, leaves the owners of these 41,000 aircraft without any means to use them—effectively their property has been confiscated by the federal government.
Please contact the National Security Council and ask that they work with the DOT/FAA and general aviation to allow these people to regain their access to our nation's airspace system.
Sincerely,
Phil Boyer
President
September 28, 2001
