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Court Date in BARR Fight Set

Court of Appeals agrees to hear landmark privacy case.

The National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) and Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) will take their case to the U.S. Court of Appeals on Dec. 2 as the groups seek to overturn restrictions the Department of Transportation imposed on the Block Aircraft Registration Request (BARR) program.

NBAA and the FAA in 1997 devised the BARR program to allow aircraft operators to block their tail numbers from flight-tracking websites. After Freedom of Information challenges that sought to curtail the program, the DOT in August dismantled it and replaced it with one that requires an operator to demonstrate a “valid security concern” to have its tail number blocked.

NBAA and AOPA say the government’s decision to limit the BARR program represents “an unwarranted invasion of the privacy of aircraft owners and operators, a threat to the competitiveness of U.S. companies and a potential security risk to the persons aboard aircraft.”

Kansas Republican Rep. Mike Pompeo, meanwhile, has introduced “The BARR Preservation Act of 2011” in the House.

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