The tragedy played perfectly into Chicago Mayor Richard Daley’s long-standing belief that GA traffic should be banned over his city’s downtown area and he wasted little time exploiting it. “Remember: a single- or two-engine plane can kill as many people as possible if they want to,” he told reporters in a news conference filled with similar comments directed at small aircraft and the supposed dangers they pose. It was all more than AOPA President Phil Boyer could take. In a rare signed editorial on the AOPA site, he accused Daley and other naysaying politicians of “pandering to uninformed public fears, posturing from the soapbox of demagoguery, screaming security for your own political ends.” ABC News may be adding planks to that soapbox through an online poll that asks for viewers’ opinions on the VFR corridor. New York-area pilots, fearing the results of the poll will be “naturally skewed” according to one e-mail we received on the topic are, well, attempting to skew the results. “Please help change the poll if you feel strongly about it,” the correspondent urges. “Get out and vote.”
Daley Urges Chicago GA Ban
Key Takeaways:
- Chicago Mayor Richard Daley leveraged a recent tragedy to push for a ban on general aviation (GA) traffic over the city's downtown, citing safety concerns from small aircraft.
- AOPA President Phil Boyer vehemently criticized Daley and other politicians, accusing them of "pandering to uninformed public fears" and political demagoguery.
- New York-area pilots are actively organizing to influence an ABC News online poll about the VFR corridor, concerned the results might otherwise be unfairly skewed against GA.
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