AOPA objects to township rule prohibiting overflight
Attorneys for AOPA have warned Pennsylvania’s East Union Township that a recent ordinance prohibiting the “ascent, descent, ingress, egress, and regress of aircraft in, into, from, and out of” the township could violate state and federal law. The wording of the ordinance could be viewed as restricting airspace—a responsibility reserved for the federal government. In an April 22 letter, AOPA explained that only the FAA can regulate airspace—a point reinforced by Pennsylvania laws limiting the authority of cities and towns to land and water within their boundaries. The letter goes on to ask East Union officials to either repeal the law or clarify that the township “is not prohibiting or limiting the flight of aircraft over East Union.”
May 2, 2008
