For AOPA, advocacy is more than just lobbying Congress or negotiating with the FAA. It’s about staying engaged with hundreds of state agencies and legislatures. It’s about maintaining a network of pilots to monitor thousands of airports. It’s about putting the combined weight of 325,000 pilots behind you.
I had the opportunity and privilege several days ago to advocate on behalf of AOPA members before the U.S. House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure’s Aviation Subcommittee on Capitol Hill.
The names and addresses of aircraft owners should be withheld from public view by default, AOPA asserted in comments responding to a request from the FAA that drew hundreds of opinions for and against the privacy policy that was announced March 28.
Although some seaplane operations are allowed on Kenney Reservoir in western Colorado, flying seaplanes in the state has been a challenge since the 1980s when Colorado Parks and Wildlife prohibited them on waters controlled by the agency. Other agencies including the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (USBR) jumped on board with similarly discriminatory prohibitions.
Aircraft owners who value their privacy and oppose ADS-B-based landing fees are encouraged to join AOPA in supporting the recent FAA update enabling aircraft owners to request that their name and contact information be withheld from public dissemination.