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NEW DCA GATEWAY AIRPORT
The
Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has named Long Island MacArthur Airport (ISP) in Islip, NY as the newest gateway
airport for Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA). The designation allows certain pre-cleared general aviation (GA)
operations to fly directly from ISP to DCA. ExcelAire is the approved fixed base operator for this location. Currently, the
TSA allows GA flights that meet criteria of the DCA Access Standard Security Program to land at DCA. Aircraft must arrive
from one of 23 gateway airports, including ISP, after flightcrews have been vetted and passengers screened. For more information,
visit http://web.nbaa.org/public/ops/security/dassp.
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 FAA WASHINGTON UPDATE
The sad news is that nothing is happening with this matter
of such importance to our industry and America. Congress extended FAA’s current authorization until
September 30, 2008, which allows the agency to keep collecting taxes and fees to fund the Aviation Trust Fund and other purposes.
There will, hopefully, be some real action in September.
SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION
CALLS FOR ADIZ REFORMS
The Small Business Administration (“SBA”) recently released
its “Top 10” list of government reforms to be pursued this year by its Office of Advocacy, which Congress created
in 1976 to represent the interests of small businesses that are affected by Federal legislative and rule-making processes.
One of the items on the list (http://www.sba.gov/advo/r3/r3_flight08.html#fl) is the Washington, DC Air Defense Identification Zone (“ADIZ”) – which, as most pilots
hopefully now know, is defined by a 30-mile ring around the Washington VOR/DME.
The SBA proposal was submitted by David
Wartofsky, manager of the Potomac Airfield in Maryland, one of three airports within the ADIZ. “National security can
be used to justify anything,” Wartofsky said, “[b]ut what are the costs and what are the benefits?” He hopes
that the SBA will employ the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act of 1996 to urge the FAA, the Department of
Defense, the Department of Homeland Security and the Secret Service to justify the impacts the airspace restrictions have
had on the local economy.
However, a spokesman for the Office of Advocacy told AVweb that the SBA has limited resources
to force any action. “We can't compel them to do anything,” said SBA spokesman John McDowell. “We don't
have a big stick we can whack anybody with. We have our ability to raise the issue in the public consciousness.”
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