President's Perspective

Help to protect your future

As you're finding out, learning to fly requires that you learn a number of concepts, principles, and techniques. You must develop an understanding of airspeed control, learn how lift is created, and master the delicate touch of the landing flare. Throw in some basic meteorology, familiarity with aircraft systems--including increasingly sophisticated navigation equipment--and knowledge of the airport traffic pattern, and you may feel that your plate is getting pretty full.

There's one thing you don't have to be concerned about, however. If you go to the airport, weather and aircraft condition permitting, you will be able to go flying. As general aviation's chief advocate and defender since 1939, the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association protects your right to fly. And only once in the past 50 years has our ability to fly been threatened--just after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.

Recently you've heard a lot about the Washington Metropolitan Area Air Defense Identification Zone (D.C. ADIZ)--even if you don't live anywhere near Washington, D.C. In your ground school you will learn about air defense identification zones, which line most U.S. borders. But an ADIZ centered on Washington, D.C., was hastily created over a weekend in 2003 to temporarily address security concerns raised by the September 11 attacks. In October 2005, the FAA issued a regulatory proposal to make the D.C. ADIZ permanent.

AOPA has taken the extraordinary step of asking all its members to oppose this proposal. By November 3, more than 17,900 individuals had submitted comments--and Secretary of Transportation Norman Y. Mineta, speaking at AOPA Expo 2005 in Tampa, Florida, agreed to extend the comment period for another 90 days. If you haven't already done so, this gives you an opportunity to file comments yourself. It takes only a few minutes and can be done online. Because flying is important to you it's important that you act immediately to help protect your right to fly.

Why should you be concerned about the D.C. ADIZ? The reasons are many, but the issues focus on operating restrictions that are onerous and unworkable--and more restrictive than Class B airspace. In the ADIZ all visual flight rules (VFR) flights are required to file a flight plan and obtain an air traffic control clearance, just like an aircraft operating under instrument flight rules (IFR)--but the air traffic control (ATC) system is not staffed to handle this increased demand. As a result, student pilots spend a lot of extra time and money waiting for permission to come and go. Many students find this discouraging, and some have become so discouraged that they quit.

AOPA is especially concerned that, if the D.C. ADIZ becomes permanent, it will be easier for the FAA to impose such restrictions elsewhere in the country. An ADIZ would affect airports that lie "under the shelf" of Class B airspace as well as those in surface-based Class B and could include a central flight-restricted zone that would be off-limits to most aircraft. It's no secret that local officials like Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley have long coveted restricted airspace of their own.

Consider these comments, submitted by pilots who oppose a permanent ADIZ:

• My home airport, where I did my pilot training, was Leesburg (Virginia) Executive. I quit flying when the ADIZ was imposed due to the restrictions it placed on me. All of my friends had horror stories of sitting on the ground for over an hour with the prop turning waiting for clearance to take off into the ADIZ.
• I recently began flight training out of Gaithersburg (Maryland).... The biggest stumbling block to learning to fly was always the cost, and when I began training a month ago, I thought I could finally afford it. What I have discovered is that the ADIZ will add hundreds or thousands of dollars and probably months of training to the process. [Flying 20 minutes to and from the practice area outside of the ADIZ] cuts two-thirds of the learning time out of each lesson, makes each lesson less productive and, as a result, greatly decreases the value of my lesson.
• I'm a commercial pilot and flight instructor.... To fly in the airspace--even up here in Baltimore at Martin State Airport--we have to call and get an ADIZ clearance. Prepare to be on hold for up to 45 minutes. Once you're in the air, be prepared to fly in circles for 10 to 30 minutes while waiting for your clearance that you filed earlier. This is incredibly expensive.... What a mess. It's killing the airports and the businesses located on them within the ADIZ.

Learn more about the D.C. ADIZ today on AOPA Online and take the few minutes needed to oppose the plan to make it permanent. This is no time to let someone do the talking for you: Your participation is crucial to helping AOPA defeat this measure. Comments will be accepted until February 6, 2006. It isn't often that your association asks for your help, but this is one example where the voices of 407,000 members are needed to make an important statement.

Learn more about the D.C. ADIZ and submit your comments today.