Washington, DC, February 10, 2005 – Ron Swanda, Interim President of the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA), made the following statement today upon the announcement of an Interim Final Rule by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) allowing transient pilots to operate to and from the "DC-Three" general aviation airports.

"Transient pilots who have gone through a pre-clearance process and received appropriate training have been operating into and out of the “DC-Three” airports for some time, all without security problems. Today’s interim final rule formalizes these processes and indicates that the TSA recognizes that these procedures ensure an adequate level of security. By publishing this rule, more pilots are made aware that this option is available at the ‘DC-Three’.”

Swanda continued, “Increasing the amount of transient traffic not only increases the utility of those airports, but helps restore elements of the Washington-area economy that were lost after “9-11”. Working in partnership with industry, and applying appropriate risk assessment, government can allow access and have sufficient security at GA airports. GAMA and other GA groups continue to urge the TSA to use these principles to fully restore GA activity around Washington, DC, including restoring general aviation access to Washington Reagan National Airport."