EAA Joins Request for Industry Representation in Special Use Airspace Implementation

May 27, 2021 – EAA has co-signed a letter sent to the Department of Defense and Department of Transportation requesting that industry participation be included in the process of deploying real-time special use airspace data in compliance with Section 1085 of the National Defense Authorization Act.

In the measure, Congress directed those agencies create a process that would provide pilots real-time access to information on whether designated special-use airspace areas are open and/or have government operations occurring. Access to that information enhances pilot safety and decision-making and can provide opportunities for more direct routing by permitting flight through those areas when they are not in use.

The letter, which was also signed by AOPA, GAMA, and other organizations and companies, requests that aviation industry representatives be present at planning and implementation discussions for Section 1085, which requires the deployment, within 180 days of enactment, of automated public dissemination of real-time status of Military Operations Areas (MOAs) and Special Use Airspace (SUAs). Having industry representation can help ensure that data is provided in a format useful for dissemination to the cockpit, online, and in other commonly used applications.