Aviation Conspiracy: FAA Rushing Airspace Redesign Implementation!!!

Aviation Conspiracy Newsletter
#456........................................................................November
25, 2007 Past newsletters can be accessed at:
http://pages.prodigy.net/rockaway/ACNewsmenu.htm The PASSUR airport flight
tracking system at many major U.S. airports http://www.passur.com/sites.htm
(you must have Java installed to view it). If you want to get the newsletter
sent to you every week, sign up to AviationWatch. Bill Mulcahy
rockaway@prodigy.net

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Quote of the Week: "I am firmly opposed to this expansion of Heathrow
airport as it runs contrary to all the growing evidence we now have on the
impact of aviation on climate change" London Mayor Ken Livingstone
commenting on British government's latest push for a third runway at
Heathrow Airport

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FAA Rushing Airspace Redesign Implementation!!!

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As Bill Sees It (Editorial): Politicians Are Urging "Municipalities" To
Request Federal Judges To Issue Injunctions To Halt Airspace Redesign
Scheme!!! In an obvious effort to precede federal judges injunctions, the
FAA is rushing to put the new air routes into place much sooner than they
said they would. How typical of this aviation industry controlled agency.
I'm glad to see that more and more politicians are urging the consolidation
of all the lawsuits and injunctions into order to present a more credible
and powerful case. At the same time as the American airspace redesign battle
is going on a similar battle against aviation noise and air pollution is
going on in England.

British Government Still Pushing For Third Heathrow Runway Against Immense
Opposition!!! There were lots of stories this week about the long-running
Heathrow Airport third runway story, which I has been going on for YEARS.
Earlier this week the new Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, talk about the
importance of dealing with climate change. But unfortunately, later in the
week he showed he is just another politician under the control of the
aviation lobby as the government signaled it was still going ahead with the
Heathrow third runway scheme. The latest word is the future victims only
have "14 weeks" to stop the plan. It's hard to believe that these
politicians are continuing to push this scheme against this amount of
opposition. I don't know why the people fighting against it can't seem to
kill this runway plan. Protesters should try a new strategies. Where is the
royal family on this. Do the planes avoid them while overflying their
"subjects." One good thing about this issue is that the media seems to be
about evenly split on support for the runway, which shows how much popular
opposition there is. Somehow I don't think that the future victims will ever
allow this runway to be built. The battle isn't over until the first plane
from the new Heathrow Airport third runway screams out over these poor
people and may not end even then.

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Politicians Urge More Injunctions Against Airspace Redesign Plan!!! Rep.
Robert Andrews yesterday accused the Federal Aviation Administration of
fast-tracking a controversial Northeast airspace redesign to circumvent a
congressional review of the initiative. The FAA denied the allegation,
saying the agency planned to make some changes soon after adopting the plan
in September. Andrews (D-1st Dist.) and Rep. Joe Sestak (D-Pa.) urged
officials in communities expected to face an increase in noise to seek court
injunctions to block the redesign until at least after the Government
Accountability Office issues a report on the plan next year. "FAA decided to
put a rush order to implement this plan ... a stampede is perhaps a better
word," said Andrews, accusing the agency of moving up the start date to Dec.
17 after originally telling officials it would not happen until well into
2008. "We know this plan is a risk to the public health and an environmental
detriment to our constituents." Andrews (D-1st Dist.) and Rep. Joe Sestak
(D-Pa.) urged officials in communities expected to face an increase in noise
to seek court injunctions to block the redesign until at least after the
Government Accountability Office issues a report on the plan next year.
http://www.nj.com/news/ledger/jersey/index.ssf?/base/news-8/1195623825154250.xml&coll=1
Suits Filed To Halt Start Of FAA Airspace Plan: Local governments affected
by the Federal Aviation Administration's proposed airspace redesign have
begun filing emergency lawsuits in local courts to try to halt the
earlier-than-expected start of the plan. The mayor of Elizabeth, N.J., Chris
Bollwage, announced yesterday that the city had filed a lawsuit in a Newark
local court. Eleven municipalities, including Elizabeth, already had filed
lawsuits in federal court to halt the plan. Delaware County officials said
they were preparing to file a similar lawsuit in a Pennsylvania state court.
The redesign plan calls for changing the current paths of planes as they
take off and land at airports from Philadelphia to New York to reduce flight
delays. Critics say the plan will not dramatically affect delays and will
endanger the health and safety of those living in the flight paths.
http://www.philly.com/inquirer/local/philadelphia/20071121_Suits_filed_to_halt_start_of_FAA_airspace_plan.html

Britain Signals Expansion Of Heathrow Despite Protests: LONDON (AFP) - The
British government signalled Thursday plans for a major expansion of
London's Heathrow airport, despite protests by environmentalists, local
residents and the capital's maverick mayor. Transport Secretary Ruth Kelly
unveiled proposals including a third runway at the west London airport, a
sixth terminal and changes to take-off and landing patterns. The public will
have until the end of February to voice their views on the plans, but the
minister signalled her intention to press ahead with change at Heathrow,
London's main airport and a key global European air hub. "Heathrow supports
170,000 jobs, billions of pounds of British exports and is our main gateway
to the global economy. "But for too long it has operated at nearly full
capacity, with relatively minor problems causing severe delays to
passengers," said Kelly. "If nothing changes, Heathrow's status as a
world-class airport will be gradually eroded -- jobs will be lost and the
economy will suffer." She acknowledged that the expansion had to be
"compatible with meeting tough local environmental tests on noise and air
quality." But environmentalists said the plans would make a mockery of Prime
Minister Gordon Brown's commitment to tackling climate change. "Allowing
airports like Heathrow to expand seriously threatens targets for tackling
global warming," said Richard Dyer of Friends of the Earth.
http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5gIxWikKgYBAmpPezmVNdsvSjoj2Q

Switzerland: Voters In Zurich Will Vote On Flight Limitations At
Switzerland's Biggest Airport To Counter Noise And Air Pollution!!! Zurich's
runways handled over 260,000 takeoffs and landings last year but that number
could increase to 450,000 by 2030 to meet growing demand. Critics are
warning that restrictions could cost the economy billions. Many residents
under flight paths complain their quality of life is damaged by air traffic.
This was made worse in October 2003 when Germany banned night and weekend
flights to Zurich over the southern part of its territory, redirecting
planes over populated areas in the canton. In July 2004, a people's
initiative calling for a "realistic airport policy" gathered enough
signatures (21,464) to force a cantonal vote on limiting movements to
250,000 a year and extending an existing night time ban.
http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/front/detail/Zurich_votes_on_airport_restrictions.html?siteSect=105&sid=8456770&cKey=1195922924000&ty=st

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Important Aviation News
Stories This Week

Lawmakers move against FAA changes

Wednesday, November 21, 2007
http://www.nj.com/news/gloucester/index.ssf?/base/news-2/1195633570205210.xml&coll=8
By Bill Cahir Bill.Cahir@Newhouse.com

WASHINGTON The Federal Aviation Administration next month plans to start the
first of three phases of its plan to change the airspace routes leading to
and from airports in New York, Newark and Philadelphia. But that prospect
has U.S. Rep. Rob Andrews, U.S. Rep. Joe Sestak and Elizabeth City Mayor
Chris Bollwage hopping mad.

The three Democrats are urging municipalities in Connecticut, New Jersey and
Pennsylvania to follow Elizabeth City's lead and request injunctions from
federal judges that would prevent the Bush administration from going forward
with its air space redesign project before the matter could be studied
further by the Government Accountability Office, the investigative arm of
Congress.

Andrews, D-1st Dist., and Sestak, a freshman from Delaware County, Pa., said
they would sign affidavits to bolster any federal lawsuit that a city or
town files to request an emergency legal blockade of the FAA plan to
re-design the air space around the New York City, Newark and Philadelphia
airports.

"We believe that the GAO will come back with a report that says the FAA
didn't get it right, again," Andrews, D-1st Dist., told reporters during a
conference call Tuesday. "They made this decision, (but) they grossly
overstated the benefits, they grossly understated the costs and they ignored
the public health and environmental effects that will affect people up and
down the East Coast."

Andrews and Sestak joined forces with Bollwage on Tuesday because Elizabeth
City had already filed a lawsuit requesting an injunction against the FAA
airspace redesign proposal, which the FAA formally adopted Sept. 5.

The two lawmakers said they want the FAA to wait for the GAO to review the
so-called Integrated Airspace Alternative, which the FAA claims would reduce
the complexity of air traffic routes around Kennedy, LaGuardia, Newark and
Philadelphia airports.

The Bush administration says that its airspace redesign plan would eliminate
roughly 12 million minutes of delay for travelers using the four major
Northeastern airports each year.

Jim Peters, an FAA spokesman, denied that the Federal Aviation
Administration had taken any unusual or inappropriate steps to implement its
air space alternative. The FAA was adhering to its original plan to start
the first of three implementation phases approved on Sept. 5, according to
Peters.

"On Dec. 17, if the procedures are in place and all the training completed,
we will begin using fanned headings at Newark Liberty International and
Philadelphia International," Peters said. "That would be the first phase at
Newark and Philly. We have made that clear publicly since the publication of
the (decision) document. We also briefed members of Congress last Friday."

The fanning process, or fanning out flight paths, would direct planes to
take off and land from several different directions, rather than in narrow,
well-established flight corridors.

Andrews and Sestak contend that the FAA is trying to adopt its re-design of
the airspace in Newark and Philadelphia next month, moving with unusual
haste, so that the routes are changed before the GAO could thoroughly review
the costs and benefits associated with the new routes.

"They feel political pressure from the White House to address this issue,"
Sestak alleged. The Bush administration is desperate to reduce flight delays
by any means possible, he claimed.

Of 11 lawsuits filed by cities and localities against the FAA plan, only
Elizabeth City has asked for an injunction, Andrews, Sestak and Bollwage
said, adding that other litigants should follow the example set by Elizabeth
City.

date: Mon, 26 Nov 2007 07:01:03 -0500 author: Bill Mulcahy