Access improved to 3 area airports

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Three small airports near the nation’s capital will be more accessible to pilots under policies announced yesterday by the Transportation Security Administration.

Flight restrictions imposed around Washington after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks have crippled College Park Airport, Potomac Airfield and Washington Executive/Hyde Field. But the changes announced yesterday will give general aviation commuters greater access to the region, officials at the airports said.

Out-of-town pilots now will be allowed to apply for security clearance for the Washington airspace, now that responsibility for general aviation security has shifted from the Federal Aviation Administration to TSA.

“Our job is not only to promote security but to promote commerce and to balance the needs of the business community and airports,” TSA spokeswoman Amy Von Walter said.

The three Maryland airports hosted hundreds of planes in the past but saw their traffic cut in half or more after September 11.

To stay in business, the Washington Executive/Hyde Field in Clinton resorted to having part of its property mined for sand and gravel after business dropped to 20 percent of what it had been, said Stan Fetter, the manager of Washington Executive/Hyde Field.

Although new regulations won’t reopen the general aviation market entirely, it will help pilots who want to apply for a security clearance. Mr. Fetter said he plans to target charter flights and business commuters to restart his business.

“We’ve had people who want to do business at Andrews Air Force Base, for example, and they want to fly in here three or four times a month,” Mr. Fetter said. “It’s going to help them a lot, and that will help us.”

Potomac Airfield owner David Wartofsky said the TSA is clearing up confusion over which pilots are eligible to fly out of the airports. He said regulations weren’t consistent with the way the airports were operating.

“Pilots were confused,” Mr. Wartofsky said. “They thought they couldn’t be cleared here.”

The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association and TSA will publish details for pilots to apply for security clearance, Miss Von Walter said.