By Ed Downs

A funny thing happened on the way to this month’s editorial view.  The topic was going to be a treaties on words buried in the text of Title 49 of the United States Code of Federal Law.  Title 49 deals with transportation in the U.S. and defines the fundamental responsibilities of the FAA.  Within Title 49 is the Code of Federal Regulations Title 14, known by us aviators as the Federal Aviation Regulations.  Title 49 contains five basic mandates with which the FAA must comply, including the need to “protect the right to navigable airspace.”  Yes, flying in the U.S. is a right, not a privilege.  Not all “rights” in this country are contained in the Constitution’s “Bill of Rights.”  Many are buried deep within millions of legislative legal words, often lost and alone.  The danger to aviators, and many others, is that these rights can be quickly, almost secretly, taken away by amendments added to almost any legislation working its way through congressional committees.  This month’s rant was going to warn readers of just how important it is to actively support and understand this “right to fly,” remembering that the United States is the only country in the world that views their airspace in this manner.  Then this writer’s cell phone lit up.