AOPA Action

'Linked Financing' Legislation Introduced

Rep. Ron Packard (R-CA) has introduced H.R.1389, legislation to establish AOPA's innovative "Linked Financing" funding mechanism for the Federal Aviation Administration.

Linked Financing — an alternative to user fees — was developed by AOPA Legislative Action as a proactive response to the administration's claims of an FAA "funding crisis" and demand for user fees; it would ensure funding for the aviation infrastructure while retaining the existing aviation tax system. The bill was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives on April 17.

"Linked Financing assures that the taxes collected from aviation users are promptly spent for aviation purposes," said Packard, "and it does this without major changes to the current budget process or the ability of Congress to oversee FAA spending."

The legislation would retain existing taxes on aviation fuel, airline tickets, and air cargo, and continue to deposit them in the Airports and Airways Trust Fund. Each year, the level of those taxes would be determined by what Congress had appropriated for the FAA in the previous year. If the FAA's budget increased, more money would be collected for the aviation trust fund.

Industry growth would probably cover any increased revenue needs. If necessary, however, taxes would increase within a predetermined range. Aviation excise taxes could not exceed an upper limit set by Congress. Conversely, if Congress authorized a lower FAA spending level, taxes would automatically decrease in the following year.

"We thank Representative Packard for his leadership on this issue so critical to the future of general aviation,"said AOPA President Phil Boyer.

User Fee Alert Issued

AOPA Legislative Action has issued an alert via more than 65,000 Western Union mailgrams asking pilots in key districts to weigh in with Congress against proposed new aviation user fees.

The Clinton administration is asking for $300 million in new user fees next year. The FAA admits that at least some of those fees will be imposed on general aviation. And the administration wants more than $8 billion in user fees — the FAA's entire budget — in 1999.

"If the administration succeeds in replacing the time-tested user taxes with user fees, the FAA could charge a pilot for every weather briefing, every flight plan, and every contact with air traffic control," said Boyer. "There could be charges for obtaining a pilot certificate, adding a rating, renewing a medical, and registering an aircraft."

Aviation excise taxes, including a tax on aviation fuel and airline tickets, are the source of 70 percent of the FAA's funding. But those taxes have been caught up in an ongoing, two-and-a-half-year impasse between the White House and Congress over balancing the budget. The taxes have been allowed to expire twice and are scheduled to expire again on September 30.

A special House Ways and Means Committee task force is currently considering whether to change the FAA's funding system.

AOPA Expo '97: Make Plans N

AOPA Expo '97, slated for October 23 through 25 at the Marriott World Center in Orlando, Florida, will feature more than 400 exhibitors and 90 hours of educational and informative seminars. New aircraft from Cessna, The New Piper, Mooney, and others will be displayed at Orlando Executive Airport, accessible by complimentary round-trip transportation from the hotel every 20 minutes. Special hotel rates for the 3-day event range from $36 to $149 a night. The complete Expo '97 brochure with all the information needed to register is hot off the presses. Call 800/942-4269.

Legislators Tell FAA: GA Overflight Fees Irresponsible

Citing safety concerns, key leaders in the U.S. House of Representatives have told the FAA that it would be "irresponsible" to impose new overflight air traffic control user fees on international general aviation aircraft.

"We're thankful that these congressional leaders have stepped up to set the FAA straight," said Phil Boyer, president of AOPA Legislative Action. "We hope the FAA listens to the people who wrote the law." AOPA Legislative Action had asked lawmakers to intervene.

In an April 16 letter, the leadership of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee urged FAA Acting Administrator Barry Valentine to "reevaluate" his decision to charge international general aviation overflights $4.38 per 100 nautical miles for piston-engine aircraft or $15.78 per 100 nm for turbine-engine aircraft.

The letter was signed by four House members key to aviation: Transportation Committee Chairman Bud Shuster (R-PA); ranking Democrat James L. Oberstar (D-MN); aviation subcommittee Chairman John J. Duncan, Jr. (R-TN); and William O. Lipinski (D-IL), ranking Democrat on the aviation subcommittee.

Committee leaders told the FAA that while the Federal Aviation Reauthorization Act of 1996 did give the FAA discretion in establishing overflight user fees, Congress intended that only foreign commercial air carriers be charged — not small, privately owned airplanes.

In establishing overflight fees, the FAA itself had conceded that user fees could potentially reduce air safety by causing some pilots to reroute or avoid air traffic control services, but the agency included fees on international general aviation anyway.

NWS Restores Aviation Weather Service

AOPA has been notified that the National Weather Service will continue to provide weather services critical to aviation safety, following pressure from the user community.

"We're pleased, but not surprised, that — when pushed — the Commerce Department 'found' the money to pay for these essential government programs," said Tom Chapman, AOPA senior vice president for Government and Technical Affairs.

Citing "budget reductions," the NWS had planned to eliminate a total of 12 meteorologists from three national weather centers on June 1. That would have affected aviation weather products, including convective sigmets, low-level significant weather prognostic charts, and area forecasts.

On April 4, AOPA asked for a congressional investigation of the staff cuts, questioning whether the reduction wasn't really part of a strategy to pressure Congress for more money. On April 17, Commerce Secretary William M. Daley announced the reprogramming of funds.

AOPA Opposes Proposed Continental Crankshaft AD ... Again

AOPA is opposing a proposed airworthiness directive that would require the replacement of some 10,000 crankshafts in Teledyne Continental engines, costing owners an additional $7,000 or more at engine overhaul.

The FAA recently issued another Supplemental Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (SNPRM) adding new models to the list of Continental 360- and 520-series engines affected by the proposed AD. The proposal would require replacing "airmelt-process" crankshafts with crankshafts made by the vacuum arc remelt (VAR) process. The FAA claims that airmelt crankshafts are more prone to subsurface fatigue cracks than are VAR crankshafts.

But an Aeronautical Repair Station Association (ARSA) study showed that VAR crankshafts develop fatigue cracks at about the same rate as airmelt crankshafts. That study was part of joint comments opposing the AD that were filed in 1995 by ARSA, AOPA, the Cessna Pilots Association, and the National Air Transportation Association.

"This latest SNPRM rekindles a 4-year battle over this proposed AD," said Doug Macnair, AOPA director of aviation standards. "Until the FAA addresses the fundamental issues, AOPA will remain unalterably opposed to this airworthiness directive."

GA Team 2000 Launches Industry-Wide Revitalization Campaign

The General Aviation Team 2000 "Stop Dreaming, Start Flying" campaign-targeted at active, learning-oriented adults who are good candidates for learning to fly-started in the week of April 21 with TV spots on selected cable networks, including CNN ( Larry King Live), the Discovery Channel, and The Learning Channel.

Respondents call 888/BE-A-PILOT toll-free for a discount coupon to take a $35 introductory flight lesson at a participating flight school in their area. Coupons are also available through the GA Team 2000 Web site (www.beapilot.com).

Simultaneously, industry magazines are inserting 1 million discount coupons to be distributed at newsstands or to be passed along by certificated pilots and enthusiasts to interested friends and associates.

GA Team 2000 is a coalition of more than 100 business, industrial, and organizational interests working to reverse the downward trend in student pilot starts. It complements existing recruitment programs, such as AOPA's 3-year-old Project Pilot, and seeks to restore student starts to 100,000 a year within 3 years. AOPA President Phil Boyer serves as president of GA Team 2000.

Two years of extensive research reveals that a minimum of 1.2 million adults would be very interested in flight training this year if offered accurate information on the process and details on how to get started.

AOPA Works on State Issues

Although best known for winning political battles in Washington, AOPA is hard at work on state and local issues important to general aviation, including:

Alabama. Support for an increase in state airport funding, now among the lowest in the nation, through a slight increase in aviation excise taxes and elimination of the jet fuel tax exemption at hub airports.

Alaska. Opposition to a proposed change that would allow unreasonable increases in many general aviation fees, including tiedown at state-owned airports and FBO business licenses.

Arizona. Opposition to a budget raid moving $45 million from the state aviation fund to the general fund.

Arkansas. Successful promotion of a plan by which sales and use tax revenues from aviation will be credited to the Department of Aeronautics, under an AOPA-supported bill signed by the governor on February 17.

California. Opposition to Senate Bill 60: unfair tax treatment of motor fuels and aircraft fuels. Also, opposition to S.B.45: an attempt to integrate state funding for ground and aerial transportation, diluting effectiveness of GA funding. Support for S.B.634: eliminating personal property tax on aircraft.

Colorado. Support for a program to improve airports, navaids, and aviation communication facilities.

Connecticut. Opposition to a requirement to keep records of all takeoffs and landings at "unlicensed" airports, and an option for municipalities to impose a tax on aircraft.

Kansas. Encouragement for funding for the state airport development fund.

Michigan. Support for a review of proposed landfills near airports, to help prevent bird-strike hazards.

Minnesota. Opposition to a total ban on jets at Anoka County Airport.

Missouri. Support for allowing the state's Aviation Section to work with municipalities to promote and develop general aviation and provide grants for privately owned, public-use airports.

Nebraska. Support for a bill to minimize tall towers near airports.

New Hampshire. Opposition to restrictions on pilots building airstrips on their own property.

New York. Support for Assembly Bill 4350: property tax exemptions for privately owned public-use airports. Also, support for A.B.6072: allow the state to pick up as much as 75 percent of the nonfederal share of airport improvements. In addition, support for A.B.5619: funding for Wide Area Augmentation System units to make GPS signals accurate enough for instrument approaches.

Oklahoma. Support for a plan to dedicate tax revenues from GA for building and improving state airports.

Oregon. Support for Senate Bill 438: create a separate Oregon Department of Aviation, transferring functions now handled by the state DOT. Opposition to House Bill 2605: repeal 1995 legislation that helped to create Oregon's model compatible land-use program for airports.

Texas. Support for Senate Bill 1572: dedicate taxes from GA to airport construction and improvements. Opposition to S.B. 644: require out-of-state air ambulance companies to be licensed by Texas, treading on Federal preemption. AOPA also opposes a measure that cuts property taxes but replaces them with higher state taxes unfairly affecting general aviation.

Washington. Support for a plan to dedicate taxes from aviation fuel sales for airport construction and improvement.

Valkaria Airport Under Siege

AOPA is opposing closure of one of two runways at Valkaria Airport on Florida's east coast, a move recommended by the Valkaria Airport Advisory Board.

"The loss of Runway 9/27 would affect safety, since this east-west runway is used during frequent on-shore/off-shore wind patterns at this coastal airport," said Bill Dunn, AOPA vice president for regional affairs. "Loss of this runway will increase the risk of accidents, especially with heavy use by student pilots.

"Valkaria Airport needs the support of the county to enhance growth and economic viability," said Dunn. "Instead of allowing the continued deterioration of the airport, the county should consider improvements such as automatic weather observation equipment and runway lighting which would make the airport more useful and safe."

AOPA Web Site Growth 'Dramatic'

The new Members-Only area of AOPA Online on the Internet is growing at a dramatic rate. So is the main AOPA Online "home page," open to all.

"In our first 4 months of operation, more than 27,000 members have signed up," said Seth Golbey, managing editor for AOPA Internet services. "Members are registering to use the service at the rate of more than 200 a day."

Among the services available:

Exclusive AOPA aviation information database. A growing collection of more than 1,300 information-rich documents.

Free classified ads. Free classified advertisements that members may post for aircraft, products, and services; buyers can review ads by category (production single-engine aircraft, avionics, employment, etc.) and search by key words.

Member-to-member message boards. An "airport coffee shop" where members electronically converse, compare notes, share experiences, and seek advice from one another.

Member web links. Popular member-posted recommendations of other aviation Web sites worth visiting, with "hotlinks" to other Web sites.

Aviation medical examiner finder. A searchable listing of aviation medical examiners, to find your closest AME.

Flight school finder. A listing of all flight schools listed in AOPA's Airport Directory, searchable by state, city, or ZIP code.

Aircraft registration database. The most up-to-date N-number database, searchable by location, owner's name, type of aircraft, or "N" number.

AOPA Pilot articles. A massive collection of articles from the world's largest circulation aviation magazine, AOPA Pilot. The key word search engine makes it easy to find a particular story.

New features expected soon in the Members-Only area of AOPA Online include a constantly updated electronic version of AOPA's Airport Directory and used aircraft pricing information.

Color Weather Graphics Now Available on AOPA Online

Color weather products from American Weather Concepts are now available as a free member service on AOPA Online on the Web. Among the weather products available in the Members-Only section of AOPA Online: synoptic weather maps, Nexrad Doppler radar maps, interactive national radar map, graphic winds aloft, hourly weather depiction map, and satellite images. A "click-through" telnet link to GTE DUATS is also available. First-time visitors to the AOPA Online Members-Only area will need their AOPA member number to register. Following the one-time registration, a user ID and simple-to-remember password allow access. (See the article on AWC products on page 70 of this issue).

AOPA Fly-In Seminars Set

Join us for a wide choice of seminars on Saturday, June 7, during the AOPA Fly-In at the Frederick, Maryland, Municipal Airport.

Included will be presentations on air-to-air photography by famed AOPA Pilot photographer Mike Fizer and a special seminar by AOPA Northeast Regional Representative Rol Murrow on flying for volunteer public interest groups such as Air Lifeline.

AOPA General Counsel John Yodice will present "Troublesome FARs" and a question-and-answer session called "Ask the Lawyers." The AOPA Air Safety Foundation will host sessions on GPS, a "Most Dangerous Game" seminar on low-altitude maneuvering, and the widely acclaimed "Pinch-Hitter" course for nonflying spouses.

A temporary control tower will be in operation from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., with special fly-in procedures available by calling 800/USA-AOPA (872-2672).

ASF Silent Auction Sets Record

A record $36,500 worth of auction items are on the block in the 1997 AOPA Air Safety Foundation Silent Auction on the ASF Web site, and more are expected.

"Nearly 50 companies and individuals have donated items, ranging from David Clark noise-attentuating headsets to handheld GPS moving map units to an AOPA Expo '97 package plan," said Art Keefe, ASF vice president for foundation development. "And by mid-April, bidding had already exceeded the total of 1996 bids."

Winning bids help to fund ASF safety seminars and development of PC-based flight training programs. The current auction started on February 1 and will continue through November 30.

Some of the more unusual auction items include an in-flight aerial photograph of your aircraft by AOPA Pilot's Mike Fizer; a stained-glass aircraft kaleidoscope; private pilot and instrument rating video courses; limited-edition aviation art prints by Sam Lyons; and a real DC-3 starter or fuel pump.

Former FAA Administrator New Chairman Of ASF Board

Former FAA Administrator David Hinson (left) assumed chairmanship of the AOPA Air Safety Foundation Board of Visitors on April 28. Awarding the gavel is outgoing chairman Najeeb Halaby (right), with ASF Executive Director Bruce Landsberg (center). Hinson, a pilot since the early 1950s, was a Naval aviator, airline pilot and check airman, chief pilot, and director of flight standards and engineering. Prior to his tenure at the FAA, he was president of the Flightcraft FBO chain on the West Coast and CEO of Chicago-based Midway Airlines. The ASF Board of Visitors oversees operations of the nation's only private, nonprofit organization dedicated exclusively to providing continuing pilot education and safety programs for general aviation.

Sheehan Named Secretary General Of IAOPA

John J. Sheehan, 57, has been named secretary general of the International Council of Aircraft Owner and Pilot Associations, replacing Steven J. Brown, now president of the National Aeronautic Association.

Sheehan, who directed day-to-day operations of IAOPA from 1980 to 1990, has since provided management and training advice for corporate flight operations worldwide.

Sheehan will coordinate policy issues for affiliate AOPAs, draft IAOPA's strategic plan and help draft policy statements on technical and operational issues facing general aviation worldwide.

IAOPA was founded in 1962. It now represents the interests of 42 separate national AOPAs before the International Civil Aviation Organization.

AOPA Granted Membership In Nav Cananda

AOPA has been admitted as an associate member of Nav Canada, the new not-for-profit corporation which has taken over Canada's civil air navigation service. Nav Canada operates air traffic control centers, towers, flight service stations, and radio navigation aids.

As an associate member, AOPA will represent the interests of Canadian AOPA members before the Nav Canada board of directors.