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Old November 5th 05, 02:02 PM
.Blueskies.
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Default Federal government closes privately owned airport

Personally, this looks like a counter move by the administration against the over 17000 comments received about the
permanent ADIZ proposal. I've also noticed that many folks almost end up in jail, but charges are never made, thus these
issues never end up in court; not that I would like to be the one charged. ;-)


"Michelle P" wrote in message
nk.net...
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.