Quote:
Originally posted by sycamore
Government leaders are not the only people that used this airport. ... It's a stop on the blue and yellow Metro lines. ... Dulles is in East Bumf**k, accessible only by car. ... At the speeds that airplanes can travel, distances don't seem very relevant. ... , I don't see the harm in reopening National.
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A plane landing at National need only make a left turn and crash into any Washington building in 5 seconds. No response could ever defend Washington or even evacutate VIPs. Any plane 5 seconds from any Washington DC building is totally unacceptable.
A plane from Dulles would provide a full 10 minutes of warning since the plane would not climb, would immediately violate its flight plan, and would turn immediately into restricted airspace. 10 minute is sufficient for an appropriate response. Look at FAA maps. Currently the restricted airspace over Washington is a joke - which is why so many aircraft have already crashed on White House grounds without any warning. Long overdue is to make Washington DC restricted airspace - and to elimate all that airline noise that does not belong over Washington. Last time I was there, we had to repeat a conversation that was drowned out by a National bound airplane.
Every major security service has been complaining about Washinton security for decades - even before the first aircraft tried to crash into the White House. Why are noisy airplanes only a few thousand feet from the Lincoln Memorial? Why do airplanes continue to operate out of an airport that is also considered dangerous? Congress.
Why does the Metro not stop in Dulles? Plans for it were repeatedly killed since National exists. Kill National, and the Metro will suddenly appear in Dulles where it should have been anyway. Dulles access is only more difficult because National exists - for reasons of Congressional convenience - Washington DC safety be damned. There is no other powerful body interested enough in National to keep it open.
30 miles is standard traveling distance to any airport - and woefully insufficient reason to justify an airport so dangerously close to this city.
Planes 10 miles out and headed for Washington - no problem. Planes a few thousand feet out and apparently pretending to land in National - extremely dangerous.