WASHINGTON, D.C.– Today the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced that effective immediately it will implement policy from a measure championed by U.S. Senator Pat Roberts (R-Kan.), which passed the Senate last month, to block the federal government from dismantling a program protecting the privacy of general aviation pilots.

“I’m pleased that our nation’s pilots can now rest assured that, if they choose, their movements will not be monitored online for all to see,” said Roberts. “This significant program will continue to provide the aviation industry with safety and privacy. This is just one unnecessary federal regulation we’ve now successfully ended, but this fight is not over. I will continue to fight against any government actions and regulations that infringe upon the rights of Americans.”

As a result of the measure in the fiscal year 2012 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development appropriations bill, the FAA is withdrawing its June 3, 2011, policy of requiring aircraft owners or operators to submit a Certified Security Concern in order to have their aircraft tail number blocked from view on FAA’s website.

The FAA made the announcement today that they will publish the update in the Federal Register as soon as possible. The changes stops a recent decision by the Department of Transportation (DOT) to end the Block Aircraft Registration Request (BARR) program, which allows citizens and companies to opt out of having their noncommercial aircraft movements tracked by anyone, anywhere in the world who has an Internet connection, other than the Department of Homeland Security and other law enforcement agencies. BARR simply prevents unauthorized, non-government authorities from knowing the location of private citizens..

By limiting the privacy protection afforded by the BARR program to only those with a known and specific security threat, the government would have facilitated unwarranted intrusions into the privacy of aircraft owners and operators for the first time, creating an unprecedented threat to the competitiveness of U.S. companies and a potential security risk to those on board.

Sen. Roberts has been at the forefront of this issue, leading a bipartisan group of senators in sending a letter to DOT asking Secretary Ray LaHood not to end the BARR program before Congress completed its work on the FAA Reauthorization bill, where the BARR program was being considered. You can click here to read the letter.

The FAA has already begun receiving requests under the new appropriations language and is processing them. The FAA is also developing a permanent policy that will be posted in the Federal Register for public comment early next year.

The original bill, S.1477, the BARR preservation Act of 2011, was co-sponsored by Senators Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), Mark Begich (D-Alaska), Thad Cochran (R-Miss.), and Kelly Ayotte (R-NH). Kansas Congressman Mike Pompeo introduced a companion bill in the House, which was cosponsored by Congresswoman Lynn Jenkins (R-Kan.) and Congressman Tim Huelskamp (R-Kan.), among others.

Sen. Roberts is a member of the Senate General Aviation Caucus and is an outspoken advocate for General Aviation.

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