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Federal government closes privately owned airport



 
 
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  #1  
Old November 4th 05, 01:17 AM
.Blueskies.
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Default Federal government closes privately owned airport

How can this happen in America, the home of the free?

__________________________________________________ ______________________________


http://www.avweb.com/eletter/archive...ll.html#190897

TSA Closes D.C.-Area Airport...

Potomac Airfield "Not In Compliance"

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) on Tuesday informed Potomac Airfield -- one of three small GA airports
in the Washington area that operate under special post-9/11 security regulations -- that its security program has been
suspended, effectively closing down operations. "The airport was told it is not in compliance with its approved security
plan," TSA spokesman Darrin Kayser told AVweb yesterday. "We had told them they were not meeting certain criteria, and
then did a spot check over the weekend, and found they are still not in compliance." Exactly what those measures are
that were supposed to be followed, or what the transgressions were, the TSA will not discuss. "Planes utilizing this
airfield, which is a part of the Maryland Three group [Potomac Airfield, College Park Airport, and Washington
Executive/Hyde Field], fly in close proximity to many key assets and critical infrastructure in the DC metropolitan
area," the TSA said on Tuesday, in a news release announcing the closure of the field.



In February 2005, the TSA assumed management of a program that allowed the three airports to continue operations under a
rule that was created specifically for them, due to their location within the Washington, D.C., Flight Restricted Zone
(FRZ), which extends to approximately a 15-mile radius from the Washington Monument. (The FRZ is separate and distinct
from the Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) that extends at its widest point to 90 miles and is currently being
considered in an FAA rulemaking.) The rule also grants access to pilots not based at the Maryland Three airports if they
comply with the TSA-mandated security requirements and procedures. The TSA said it routinely monitors these airports to
ensure compliance through regular inspections and communications with the airport security coordinator. Operations at
College Park and Washington Executive/Hyde Field are not impacted by the suspension of the Potomac Airfield security
plan.





....Airfield Owner Defiant...

David Wartofsky, owner of Potomac Airfield, told AVweb yesterday that he is working to get the situation rectified. He
says the security procedures he has put into place at Potomac are not exactly those prescribed by the TSA plan, but in
fact are enhanced. "It's like if they told you to use 25-watt light bulbs and instead I put in 100 watts," he said.
"It's not what is in the plan, but it meets and exceeds what is in the plan." He also said that he's been caught in a
Catch-22 because the TSA says the only approved procedures are the ones they sign off on, but then the agency won't sign
off on any of his requests for revisions to enhance the procedures. Wartofsky added that he is working through the White
House and Congress to try to get clarification of whether the TSA has the authority to dictate to him what is acceptable
for what he says is a "private security plan" that he has implemented in addition to the plan required by the TSA.
"There's no precedent for all this weirdness," Wartofsky said. Kayser, of the TSA office, said: "Security for the
national capital region is a shared responsibility. We must take steps to work together."





....And 90 Airplanes Grounded

About 90 airplanes are on the ground at the airport and about 400 pilots have passed the necessary security procedures
to operate there. A plan is in place to allow those airplanes to be flown off the field tomorrow, Saturday and Sunday.
(Hopefully, nobody had other plans.) Wartofsky said he is hopeful that a mutually agreeable solution to the problem can
be reached soon and the airport will be back in operation. "The agency will continue to work with the Potomac Airfield
staff on the issues surrounding the suspension," the TSA said in its news release. Pilots in need of more information
from the TSA regarding Potomac Airfield, including aircraft relocation plans, should contact TSA program manager Dirk
Ahle at (571) 227-1898. The toll-free hotline for GA pilots is (866) GA-SECUR.


  #2  
Old November 4th 05, 01:29 AM
Jose
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Default Federal government closes privately owned airport

How can this happen in America, the home of the free?

Surely you jest.

Jose
--
Money: what you need when you run out of brains.
for Email, make the obvious change in the address.
  #3  
Old November 4th 05, 02:15 AM
Larry Dighera
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Default Federal government closes privately owned airport

On Fri, 04 Nov 2005 00:17:22 GMT, ".Blueskies."
wrote in
: :

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) on Tuesday
informed Potomac Airfield -- ... -- that its security program
has been suspended, effectively closing down operations.
"The airport was told it is not in compliance with its approved
security plan," TSA spokesman Darrin Kayser told AVweb yesterday.


Only the FAA can close an airport. Has TSA requested FAA do that?

  #4  
Old November 4th 05, 03:11 AM
Newps
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Default Federal government closes privately owned airport



Larry Dighera wrote:
On Fri, 04 Nov 2005 00:17:22 GMT, ".Blueskies."
wrote in
: :


The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) on Tuesday
informed Potomac Airfield -- ... -- that its security program
has been suspended, effectively closing down operations.
"The airport was told it is not in compliance with its approved
security plan," TSA spokesman Darrin Kayser told AVweb yesterday.



Only the FAA can close an airport. Has TSA requested FAA do that?


The FAA cannot close an airport.
  #5  
Old November 4th 05, 03:25 AM
Steven P. McNicoll
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Default Federal government closes privately owned airport


".Blueskies." wrote in message
...

How can this happen in America, the home of the free?


Because freedom-loving Americans are now a small minority.


  #6  
Old November 4th 05, 03:26 AM
Steven P. McNicoll
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Posts: n/a
Default Federal government closes privately owned airport


"Larry Dighera" wrote in message
...

Only the FAA can close an airport.


What do you base that on?


  #7  
Old November 4th 05, 09:19 AM
Michelle P
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Default Federal government closes privately owned airport

The TSA can and has closed Potomac field (VKX). Old news... Kinda.
They "owner" ie manager. ****ed off the TSA and nearly landed in jail.
They shut him down.
This all started when one of his based pilots made an un-authorized take
off from our W32 field and landed at his. The "well that's not the way
we do it at Potomac" started. We had to report the un-authorized
departure and an investigation ensued. The person was briefed and chose
to ignore local procedures. Stay tuned for the rest of the story......
Michelle

..Blueskies. wrote:

How can this happen in America, the home of the free?

_________________________________________________ _______________________________


http://www.avweb.com/eletter/archive...ll.html#190897

TSA Closes D.C.-Area Airport...

Potomac Airfield "Not In Compliance"

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) on Tuesday informed Potomac Airfield -- one of three small GA airports
in the Washington area that operate under special post-9/11 security regulations -- that its security program has been
suspended, effectively closing down operations. "The airport was told it is not in compliance with its approved security
plan," TSA spokesman Darrin Kayser told AVweb yesterday. "We had told them they were not meeting certain criteria, and
then did a spot check over the weekend, and found they are still not in compliance." Exactly what those measures are
that were supposed to be followed, or what the transgressions were, the TSA will not discuss. "Planes utilizing this
airfield, which is a part of the Maryland Three group [Potomac Airfield, College Park Airport, and Washington
Executive/Hyde Field], fly in close proximity to many key assets and critical infrastructure in the DC metropolitan
area," the TSA said on Tuesday, in a news release announcing the closure of the field.



In February 2005, the TSA assumed management of a program that allowed the three airports to continue operations under a
rule that was created specifically for them, due to their location within the Washington, D.C., Flight Restricted Zone
(FRZ), which extends to approximately a 15-mile radius from the Washington Monument. (The FRZ is separate and distinct
from the Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) that extends at its widest point to 90 miles and is currently being
considered in an FAA rulemaking.) The rule also grants access to pilots not based at the Maryland Three airports if they
comply with the TSA-mandated security requirements and procedures. The TSA said it routinely monitors these airports to
ensure compliance through regular inspections and communications with the airport security coordinator. Operations at
College Park and Washington Executive/Hyde Field are not impacted by the suspension of the Potomac Airfield security
plan.





...Airfield Owner Defiant...

David Wartofsky, owner of Potomac Airfield, told AVweb yesterday that he is working to get the situation rectified. He
says the security procedures he has put into place at Potomac are not exactly those prescribed by the TSA plan, but in
fact are enhanced. "It's like if they told you to use 25-watt light bulbs and instead I put in 100 watts," he said.
"It's not what is in the plan, but it meets and exceeds what is in the plan." He also said that he's been caught in a
Catch-22 because the TSA says the only approved procedures are the ones they sign off on, but then the agency won't sign
off on any of his requests for revisions to enhance the procedures. Wartofsky added that he is working through the White
House and Congress to try to get clarification of whether the TSA has the authority to dictate to him what is acceptable
for what he says is a "private security plan" that he has implemented in addition to the plan required by the TSA.
"There's no precedent for all this weirdness," Wartofsky said. Kayser, of the TSA office, said: "Security for the
national capital region is a shared responsibility. We must take steps to work together."





...And 90 Airplanes Grounded

About 90 airplanes are on the ground at the airport and about 400 pilots have passed the necessary security procedures
to operate there. A plan is in place to allow those airplanes to be flown off the field tomorrow, Saturday and Sunday.
(Hopefully, nobody had other plans.) Wartofsky said he is hopeful that a mutually agreeable solution to the problem can
be reached soon and the airport will be back in operation. "The agency will continue to work with the Potomac Airfield
staff on the issues surrounding the suspension," the TSA said in its news release. Pilots in need of more information
from the TSA regarding Potomac Airfield, including aircraft relocation plans, should contact TSA program manager Dirk
Ahle at (571) 227-1898. The toll-free hotline for GA pilots is (866) GA-SECUR.




  #8  
Old November 4th 05, 02:46 PM
Larry Dighera
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Posts: n/a
Default Federal government closes privately owned airport

On Fri, 04 Nov 2005 02:26:15 GMT, "Steven P. McNicoll"
wrote in
. net::


"Larry Dighera" wrote in message
.. .

Only the FAA can close an airport.


What do you base that on?


Logic. The FAA is charged with safe operation of the NAS. If some
other agency is going to arbitrarily shutdown airport facilities, how
can the FAA successfully fulfill their mandate?

The Chicago mayor was fined $1,100.00 for every day short of the
required 30-day notification period when he shutdown Meigs field.

  #9  
Old November 4th 05, 02:53 PM
Steven P. McNicoll
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default Federal government closes privately owned airport


"Larry Dighera" wrote in message
...

Logic. The FAA is charged with safe operation of the NAS. If some
other agency is going to arbitrarily shutdown airport facilities, how
can the FAA successfully fulfill their mandate?

The Chicago mayor was fined $1,100.00 for every day short of the
required 30-day notification period when he shutdown Meigs field.


Does Meigs remain closed?


  #10  
Old November 4th 05, 06:09 PM
Robert M. Gary
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Posts: n/a
Default Federal government closes privately owned airport

In San Francisco the city is taking property away from a tire store to
give to a condo developer. Given our current state of liberal judges
nothing related taking private property suprises me.

-Robert

 




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