…ADIZ Comments Continue — For 90 Days

Far from resting on its laurels in rallying pilots to protest the permanence of the ADIZ, AOPA has actually ramped up its efforts to get even more pilots involved. There are now more than 18,000 comments posted on the NPRM and with another 90 days in which to gather input on docket # 17005, the point will have been made (and maybe already has). Although Boyer wants members and anyone else with an interest to keep those comments coming in, he’s clearly now focused on the public hearing that Mineta has promised. No date or location has been set. Representation by all the interest groups is a given but AOPA is particularly concerned that the Department of Homeland Security, Secret Service and Department of Defense be there to hear for themselves why the ADIZ proposal has sparked such opposition. Boyer told AVweb he sent a letter to DHS, TSA and DOD leaders inviting them to attend and he’s hoping they agree. He said it’s well-known that the ADIZ is their idea and the FAA is merely the instrument used to enforce it. But Mineta also reminded those attending the meeting that the law is the law and so far pilots haven’t exactly distinguished themselves in respecting it. “It is an issue of accountability and the general aviation community needs to work harder to police its members,” he said.