Letters to the Editor
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CIA's fleet
While Dean Cully correctly notes that tail number N313P is currently assigned to a kit-built RV-7A, keen observers will note that this assignment dates to July 20, 2005. The Guardian article alleges that in September 2003, a Boeing 757 bearing this number flew between Afghanistan. Poland, Romania, and Guantanamo, more than a year before this certificate was issued.
Previous news reports of N313P's activities, such as Newsweeks "Aboard Air CIA" (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6999272/site/newsweek/) have reported that it was a Boeing 737, not a 757 as the Guardian alleges. This discrepancy, though minor, does the cause of human rights no favors. Perhaps Salon's aviation columnist, Patrick Smith, could briefly touch upon tail numbers, "Air CIA", and, of course, the difference between a 737 and a 757.
Jeremy Erwin