This
is part nine of a nine part series will illuminating the FAA’s
complacency and the role the FAA’s concession played in the
violence against Water Protectors. A listing of the other eight
articles is at the bottom of this article.
The FAA has asserted
the exclusive right to control the airspace over the United States,
including Native American nations.
The FAA licenses
pilots and can revoke licenses. In October 2009, the FAA revoked the
pilot’s
license for two pilots who flew 150 miles out
of their flight-path after losing track of time while using their
laptops in the pilot’s seats.
The FAA can also
ground airplanes for being out of compliance with the law. In April
2016, then candidate Donald Trump’s plane was grounded by the FAA
because its registration
was two months past
its expiration date.
The FAA has
confirmed its responsibility for investigating shooting down drones
by investigating the Dedman drone shooting. The FAA is also a federal
agency tasked with law enforcement and has assigned itself authority
over the tribal lands.
However, even in the
face of mounting evidence of serious violations of the law, including
using domestic aircraft in a manner consistent with combat
techniques, the FAA has not taken action to ground any of the planes,
helicopters, or drones used in illegal manners in and around the
Water Protector camps in North Dakota.
The FAA cannot claim
a lack of knowledge of the events in North Dakota. The issues of
pilot behavior, drones, and bad tail numbers have been covered
extensively in the aeronautics press. They have acknowledged the
complaint of one drone pilot, Dedman, whose drone was shot at and the
anecdotes of other drone pilots.
In spite of their
duty to regulate it, their assertion of exclusive right to control
airspace, and their responsibilities under the bad man provision –
the FAA has taken no actions to stop the extreme violations of the
law.
Given the tapes
showing the FAA’s seemingly cozy relationship with police in
suppressing constitutional rights – it is an unknown if the FAA is
turning a blind eye or if they are actively participating in
colluding with the pilots and authorities in North Dakota.
Until the FAA takes
action, the air above the Water Protector camps will continue to chop
and buzz with activity.
No comments:
Post a Comment