AOPA works for members at the state and local level across the United States. Catch up on what the association has done for you recently in the Western Pacific region.
In California, Western Pacific Regional Manager Melissa McCaffrey was set to take part in California Aviation Day at the Capitol on April 20. The event, which is sponsored in part by AOPA, focuses on spreading the word to lawmakers and the public that aviation is vital to the state’s economy and helps create jobs, and that additional state support is needed to maintain and improve airports and infrastructure. Also in California, AOPA is asking the FAA to make it easier and safer for general aviation aircraft to operate in the busy airspace near Disneyland. The association recently sent a letter asking the FAA to establish procedures for GA aircraft to obtain airspace waivers for certain operations within the temporary flight restriction (TFR) surrounding the theme park. The TFR is positioned between Los Angeles Class B airspace and Santa Ana Class C airspace, and while the notam establishing the TFR does allow for exemptions, they are available only for operations relevant to the park, and they require verification that the flight is for an operational function of Disneyland. AOPA is asking the FAA to expand the waiver process to include other operations, such as aerial survey and photography, when they could be conducted more safely within the TFR than outside of it. A pilot who has spent more than a decade working to ensure a general aviation has a home at Van Nuys Airport recently received AOPA’s Laurence P. Sharples Perpetual Award for his extraordinary contributions to general aviation. Elliot Sanders, who is also AOPA’s Airport Support Network volunteer at Van Nuys, received his award from Dawn Veatch, AOPA senior director of government affairs, in a ceremony and reception at the airport. AOPA has been encouraging pilots in the San Diego area to submit formal comments on an FAA proposal that would change airspace in the region to discourage civilian pilots from overflying U.S. Navy vessels moored in the area. The proposal would create three new national security areas south of San Diego International Airport. AOPA also planned to submit its own comments ahead of the April 20 deadline.
