June 2, 2011
The Honorable John S. Pistole
Administrator
Transportation Security Administration (TSA)
East Building, 601 South Street
Arlington, VA 20598
Dear Administrator Pistole:
We appreciate your leadership at TSA and your willingness to work with industry to meet needed security requirements while finding ways to address the legitimate operational and economic needs of industry. With this strong record in mind, we write to ask that TSA work with industry to minimize the impact of temporary flight restrictions (TFR) created to support presidential travel on general aviation businesses. This has been a continuing issue and we believe that we now are at a stage where practical and pragmatic steps can be identified to improve TFR design and implementation without in any way compromising the security of the President.
As you know, TFRs, which are one of the tools used to protect the President, create a direct economic impact through loss of revenue for aviation businesses including fixed based operators (FBO), corporate flight departments, on-demand air charter operators, maintenance facilities, flight schools, helicopter and heliport operators. For instance, an FBO at Chicago Midway Airport loses an average of $60,000 in revenue daily when the President visits the Chicago area due to a TFR. Also helicopter air tour operators in Hawaii and Las Vegas experience losses in excess of $ 150,000 during each Presidential visit. However, there are ways to mitigate this impact and TSA worked successfully with our industry last summer to facilitate flight operations around Martha’s Vineyard. We applaud these steps taken by the TSA in cooperation with industry and other agencies.
Given this precedent, we request that the Department of Homeland Security develop procedures, with industry consultation, that would allow aviation businesses and operators to continue operating near normal levels but address the security needs necessary to protect the President during travel. As an example, aircraft operators that comply with the DCA Access Standard Security Program (DASSP) provide a unique opportunity to improve operational access while maintaining the required level of security for the President. Already today, the DASSP allows qualified operators to conduct flights to and from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
Craig Fuller
President & CEO
AOPA
Rod Hightower
President & CEO
EAA
Pete Bunce
President & CEO
GAMA
Matthew S. Zuccaro
President
HAI
James K. Coyne
President & CEO
NATA
Ed Bolen
President & CEO
NBAA
Click here to view in PDF format.