TSA initiates Washington ADIZ aircraft-relocation plan

Aircraft that are based—but can't operate—in the Washington, D.C., Metropolitan ADIZ will have a chance to relocate under terms of a plan announced by the Transportation Security Administration. Pilots must respond to TSA before Sept. 12 to be eligible to get out of the ADIZ.

Dozens of phone calls, meetings, and countless e-mails by AOPA Government Affairs staff, with input from other aviation interests, yielded a relocation plan similar to that used with enhanced Class B airspace after the Sept. 11 attacks. The plan covers aircraft that are trapped inside the ADIZ currently because they don't have transponders and can't communicate with air traffic control.

Stressing "this applies only to the ADIZ, not the 15-mile flight-free zone," Melissa Bailey, AOPA vice president of regulatory affairs, described a likely three-step process. First, pilots will provide TSA with prescribed information before Sept. 12. Second, the authorities will plot egress routes. And third, a notam should be issued by the end of September specifying flight procedures.

Aimed at aircraft that do not have the necessary avionics to operate in the ADIZ, TSA, in cooperation with the FAA, is requiring that pilots respond to an eight-item checklist between Aug. 23 and 11:59 p.m. Sept. 12, 2003, to be eligible for legal relocation. Information may be submitted by phone, fax, or e-mail.

Supply the following information to TSA: aircraft owner's full name; pilot's full name (if different from aircraft owner); contact telephone number(s); e-mail address(es); aircraft tail number; location of aircraft, including latitude and longitude coordinates; radio capabilities; and transponder capabilities. This information should be submitted no later than midnight, September 12, to the TSA by telephone (571/227-1538), fax (571/221-2948), or e-mail.

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