Question about request: Rules for Mexican helicopters in US airspace

Question

Question about request: Rules for Mexican helicopters in US airspace

Asked by Douglas Lucas on February 14, 2014.

2 answers from Shawn Musgrave and Ryan Carboni.

Douglas Lucas 02/14/2014

I asked for policies, but their acknowledgement letter just says incidents. I want policies or ideally both! What should we do?

Answer 1 · 2014-02-14T16:06:04.285279-05:00

Ryan Carboni 02/14/2014

I think you’re asking for policies and procedures regarding foreign aircraft in US airspace.

And I think the answer to that is quite possibly the same rules apply to foreign aircraft as to US aircraft.

I’m not sure if a FOI is ideal for this, it’s probably best to call up the department or unit responsible for making flight plans, and ask “I would like to [hypothetically] fly a foreign aircraft into the United States. Can you tell me what is required for me to do this?”

There seems to be widespread misapprehension that FOI is the only way to get information out of the government. FOI is too slow a process to get certain types of information you can get through other means.

Answer 2 · 2014-02-15T15:06:46.424062-05:00

Shawn Musgrave 02/15/2014

Acknowledgement letters often use shorthand. The only way to ascertain whether the agency is proceeding with your request appropriately is to establish a more detailed dialogue with them. I would reassert your inquiry, perhaps rephrasing in a way that is more detailed and targeted toward your desired documents.

Finally, consider submitting this request to other agencies. If you’re interested in US airspace regulation, you may have better luck consulting the FAA.

-Shawn