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
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
FAA Rushing Airspace Redesign Implementation!!!
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.
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
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.