International general aviation gathers in Toronto: Marching orders for world action

23rd IAOPA World Assembly
	Introduction
	User fee threat
	Improving public perception of "those little airplanes"
	The "Meigs Field of Canada"
	Safety and technology, and the power of numbers
	World action

Marching orders for world action

An important part of any IAOPA World Assembly are the "marching orders" the delegates give to their respective organizations and governments. Passed in the form of resolutions, they explain what is important to GA pilots worldwide and help direct the emphasis of the collective GA representative organizations as they work to preserve and protect general aviation in their own countries.

For example, the delegates called on world governments to "recognize the value of general aviation aerodromes as an essential part their transportation infrastructure," and to "develop and enforce national and local land-use policies and statutues designed to preserve and protect aerodromes."

The threat to general aviation from overzealous security regulations was also a concern of the delegates. They said that governments should first conduct rationale threat analyses prior to adding GA security restrictions, and that regulators should understand the operational and economic impacts of their security regulations.

Delegates said that governments should recognize the value of voluntary security measures by the GA community. (AOPA's Cebula had also briefed delegates on the success of such measures in the United States, particularly AOPA's Airport Watch program.)

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are not only a concern of U.S. pilots. The IAOPA World Assembly delegates resolved that ICAO and its member states should develop uniform standards for UAVs, designed to ensure that the drones do not present a threat to manned aircraft. The delegates wanted UAVs to have "sense and avoid" capabilities so that they won't collide with other aircraft, and they do not want additional airspace restrictions imposed on GA to protect the drones.

And the delegates asked ICAO and member states to develop efficient and inexpensive ways to cross-validate pilot certificates, to allow pilots licensed to fly in one country to obtain a pilot certificate in another.

June 22, 2006