A MESSAGE FROM AOPA PRESIDENT PHIL BOYER

ALL IFR AND VFR GENERAL AVIATION FLIGHTS ARE PROHIBITED WITHIN THE NATIONAL AIRSPACE SYSTEM UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE.

Never did I think that I would see a notam like this. I had spoken Thursday morning with both the Secretary of Transportation and the FAA administrator. As the ultimate
optimist, I could only continue to hope that their promise of reopening
the national airspace system to full access by general aviation would be real.

Yes, we are in the early recovery phases of a major national crisis. But
the communication failure within the FAA itself and other government
agencies has produced an aviation crisis in its own right. Throughout
Thursday morning, the news media touted an FAA notam indicating that the
airspace would be open to all aviation users at 1500Z. AOPA verified this,
downloaded a copy from DUAT, and placed it on our Web site.

Within minutes, I received a call from a high-level FAA manager indicating
that the subject of GA was still under review. Reluctantly, and with great
disappointment, we changed our Web posting to warn pilots that they might
not be able to fly at 1500Z. However, pilots who did obtain a legal briefing
got that notam, filed flight plans, and in some cases even departed at what
they thought was a legal hour. But in fact, they had unknowingly violated
a new notam issued at 1457Z prohibiting all GA flights. The horror stories
then began to unfold. Flight crews had told their corporate CEOs they could
depart at 11 a.m. Eastern time (1500Z), taxied out, and then were turned
around by the tower. Some flights did get into the air, but don't count
them lucky. F-16s intercepted not only corporate aircraft, but also a Texas
student and flight instructor. All were forced to return to home base and
land.

When we first became aware of the possibility that this could happen, AOPA's
senior vice president of government and technical affairs, Andy Cebula, called
the head of FAA Flight Standards and obtained his pledge that no one caught
in this mixed-up notam mess would be subject to an enforcement action. "Chaos"
is the best way to describe the FAA environment that your association is
working in. Flight service stations are offering conflicting information to
pilots, sometimes contradicting information issued from FAA headquarters.

It appears that users are being allowed back into the airspace system segment
by segment. Late Thursday afternoon, it was Part 135 flights, better known as
charter flights to you and me. But that decision may be reversed. Later Thursday,
Secretary of Transportation Norman Y. Mineta and I spoke again. In a lengthy
phone conversation, he told me about the continuing debate among the president's
national security team. The nation still faces serious security threats. The
Capitol building was evacuated because of a suspicious package. Many airports
have received bomb threats. And the three major New York airports were closed
right after they reopened because federal authorities detained more suspects,
including one reportedly carrying false pilot credentials.

Nevertheless, Mineta convinced a meeting of the president's National Security
Council (which included Secretary of State Colin Powell, National Security
Advisor Condoleezza Rice, and FBI Director Robert S. Mueller) to at least
consider allowing IFR general aviation operations soon. "But Mr. Secretary,
I'm most concerned about the return of basic VFR privileges," I said. "And
this type of flying presents no security threat to the nation." Secretary
Mineta agreed, and we spent 45 minutes on the phone discussing general aviation
and the continued security threat. But he told me that the National Security
Council perceives VFR flight as uncontrolled, and therefore a greater threat
somehow. It became very obvious to me that the Secretary of Transportation
tried his best to change that perception. He had the right arguments, he made
the correct points, and he was much more eloquent than any one of us. In some
cases, he even called on his primary flight training background to make points
we wanted heard.

And then late Thursday evening, AOPA learned that, because of the continuing
threats, the approval for Part 135 operations might be rescinded.

The bottom line is that decision-makers outside of the FAA and the Department
of Transportation believe the nation still faces a heightened security risk,
and that general aviation might be used to attack the nation. While we all
know that is pretty farfetched, the mood at the moment is to not take any
risks, no matter how unlikely they might be.

AOPA is continuing to push on all fronts to get general aviation back in the
air. But let me manage your expectations. When the security threats lessen,
first will come the approval for Part 91 IFR flying. Then, no sooner than
48 hours later should come the restoration of VFR privileges. We will continue
to post updates on AOPA Online ( http://rdr1.net/1/rdr.asp?id=7D1913151946EB4 )
as quickly as information becomes available.