AOPA Action

AOPA Holiday 'Community Airports' Initiative Brings GA's Message to the Public

With millions of Americans at home over the holidays, AOPA is sponsoring special "Value of Your Community Airport" messages on cable TV's The Weather Channel.

Five times a day between December 24 and January 2, The Weather Channel's "Weather Center," "TravelWise," and "Weekend Outlook" segments will be sponsored by AOPA, with a 30-second commercial on the value of community airports.

"How often does aviation just preach to the choir?" asked AOPA President Phil Boyer. "Your AOPA dues, and especially your use of AOPA Certified services, make possible this unprecedented effort to reach the public on the value of their local airports."

The Weather Channel advertising is timely because so many Americans are at home between Christmas and New Year's Day, or are traveling, and frequently check the weather to plan family activities. The Weather Channel reaches 72 million U.S. homes.

Sponsorship often results in ad-libbing by announcers, so AOPA also briefed The Weather Channel on-air meteorologists about AOPA, the campaign, and the importance of community airports.

...And to Nation's Decision-Makers, Too

The holiday "community airports" initiative will also reach key decision makers. AOPA's new, 24-minute "Local Airports: Access to America" video will be mailed to thousands of U.S. mayors, county officials, FBOs, chambers of commerce — even governors and leaders in the 50 state legislatures.

"Timed with our Weather Channel appearance and the start of the new year, we'll deliver this important message to the officials who can either support airports or destroy them," said Boyer.

"AOPA is action, not talk," added Boyer. "We marshal the resources to get real work done on the issues that have plagued GA for decades. And this year, because of all-time-high AOPA membership and loyal use of AOPA Certified services, we can undertake this unprecedented campaign."

The defense of America's airports is AOPA members' number one concern. The TV sponsorship and direct-mail video may be the largest one-time effort ever undertaken to communicate the value of GA airports to opinion leaders and the public.

New Mexico City Council Rescinds Traffic Pattern Ordinance

The Las Cruces (New Mexico) City Council on November 16 rescinded its ordinance regulating flight operations in the traffic pattern at the city's nontowered airport. AOPA had advised the city that its ordinance violated federal law and asked for a change.

The June ordinance required pilots of radio-equipped aircraft to announce takeoffs and landings and to broadcast their position in the traffic pattern "using those communications procedures and radio calls recommended by the current issue of the FAA's Aeronautical Information Manual." Nonradio aircraft were required by the ordinance to fly AIM-recommended traffic patterns.

"We support the city's safety goals," said John Yodice, AOPA general counsel. "But the ordinance would have removed a pilot's authority to deviate from procedures as safety requires." He added that if each municipality were to enact its own air regulations, it would be impossible for a pilot to know how to operate an aircraft from one airport to another.

An AOPA Air Safety Foundation Safety Advisor booklet on ways to maximize safety at nontowered airports is available free on AOPA Online ( www.aopa.org/asf/publications/sa08.pdf). A printed version is available by sending a $1 check or money order (payable to AOPA Air Safety Foundation) to: Operations at Nontowered Airports, AOPA Air Safety Foundation, 421 Aviation Way, Frederick, Maryland 21701.

AOPA Says Richards-Gebaur Closure 'Shortsighted'

AOPA has called the Kansas City, Missouri, decision to close Richards-Gebaur Memorial Airport "shortsighted."

"The FAA has identified runway capacity as a critical issue, so why would you want to reduce the number of available runways?" AOPA Senior Director of Airports Jeff Gilley asked members of the Kansas City Council's Richards-Gebaur Oversight Committee at

a November 9 meeting.

Kansas City wants to convert Richards-Gebaur, a former Air Force base, into an 'intermodal' distribution center to transfer freight between trucks and railroad cars. But considering the extensive size of the facility, AOPA questioned why a true intermodal facility that included aviation couldn't be developed on the site.

FAA's approval of the plan to close Richards-Gebaur may be in violation of federal law, AOPA also told the oversight committee. The association has called for a Department of Transportation investigation of the decision, citing FAA failure to conduct any study to determine the impact of closing Richards-Gebaur.

Unlocking Aviation Trust Fund Key to Modernization

Increases in airline travel and GA flight hours will generate more than enough tax revenue to fund FAA modernization, AOPA President Phil Boyer told the Air Traffic Control Association (ATCA) meeting November 5 in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The Airport and Airway Trust Fund needs only to be unlocked, he said.

"Congress keeps telling the Administration 'No!' on user fees, but every year for the past six years we have had to battle proposals to change a system that works," Boyer said. "Let's keep the present aviation excise tax system and allow the FAA to get all of the money raised."

Noting that a major goal of ATC modernization is "free flight" (direct point-to-point routings for all aircraft), Boyer added, "We already have 'free flight.' It's called VFR. We must not abandon that in the rush to modernize the air traffic control system."

Vast Majority of AOPA Legislative Action-Supported Candidates Are Elected

GA scored well in this year's congressional elections. Of the candidates supported by AOPA Legislative Action, 96 percent were elected to the U.S. House of Representatives and 86 percent won or returned to seats in the Senate.

"This may have been an 'off-year' election, but it was a right-on election for GA," said AOPA Legislative Action President Phil Boyer. He noted that both old and new friends of aviation will help House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Bud Shuster make next year's congressional session the promised "Year of Aviation" that unlocks the aviation trust fund.

Two new members of Congress who are pilots are Robin Hayes of North Carolina and Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania, both supported by the AOPA Legislative Action Political Action Committee.

Among key GA supporters reelected November 3 was Rep. John Duncan (R-Tenn.), chairman of the House aviation subcommittee. Other returning lawmakers supported by AOPA Legislative Action included Rep. James Oberstar (D-Minn.), Rep. Ron Packard (R-Calif.), and Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Ala.). All played key roles in supporting GA in the last session of Congress.

In one Senate race, AOPA members may very well have been a key to success. AOPA Legislative Action sent an independent mailing to 3,200 AOPA members in Nevada to urge support for incumbent Sen. Harry Reid. Reid, who was instrumental in AOPA's successful 1995 effort to reform FAA's personnel and acquisition rules, won reelection by 401 votes.

Pilot Town Meetings Reach More Than 33,000 Pilots in 38 States

AOPA Pilot Town Meetings have attracted 33,296 pilots in 152 locations nationwide since AOPA President Phil Boyer held the first face-to-face session in 1992 in Dallas. In 1998, 4,775 pilots participated in 23 PTMs from coast to coast.

AOPA Pilot Town Meetings feature lively, fast-paced up-dates on GA's revival; proposed FAA rules and ADs; and the inside story on AOPA's battle to keep GA safe, enjoyable, and as affordable as possible.

The multimedia presentations include vivid computer graphics, video clips and special lighting. In late 1997, an interactive Perception Analyzer system was added that allows participants to electronically register their opinions on a variety of aviation issues.

In 1999, Pilot Town Meetings are scheduled for 27 cities starting with Daytona Beach, Fort Myers, and Miami, Florida, in late January. PTM schedules and site information for 1999 are available online ( www.aopa.org/prez/ptm.cfm).

AOPA Airport Support Network Activists/Monitors Are Now at Nearly 500 Airports

Nearly 500 volunteers have been designated to help AOPA defend local airports through the new AOPA Airport Support Network (ASN).

ASN was announced at AOPA Expo '97 in Orlando, Florida. It seeks to appoint one AOPA member volunteer at each public-use airport to monitor airport issues, report problems to AOPA, and foster local airport support groups and pilot activism for airport defense. Ultimately, the network will have a designee for each of 5,000 U.S. public-use airports.

ASN volunteers have already given AOPA early warning of problems at their airports, including:

• In Tennessee, where the network reported that one city was trying to sell an airport for land development.
• In California, an ASN volunteer sounded the alarm about a plan to build 300 houses beneath a runway's extended centerline just one mile from the threshold.
• In Connecticut, an early warning on higher airport fees came in through the network.

A new 24-minute AOPA video and two new AOPA brochures, "It's Your Airport" and "Obtaining Community Support for Your Local Airport," outline airport advantages to the community and suggest how to get this message to the public. The ASN Web site is at www.aopa.org/asn/.

Action in the States

AOPA's work in the states and localities, boosted by AOPA's Regional Representatives and the Airport Support Network:

Alaska. Anchorage: The FAA's original "Flight 2000" project, now called "Capstone," will receive financing to equip 200 aircraft in the Yukon/Kuskowin Delta with GPS equipment and other electronics. Among other things, the project hopes to improve weather reporting in remote areas of the state. Whittier: The City of Whittier wants to close its airstrip to make room for more auto parking. AOPA is investigating.

Arizona. Chandler: The Chandler Airport master plan is under fire by residents concerned about a possible runway extension. AOPA is providing information about the value of the airport. Glendale: A touch-and-go ban at Glendale Municipal is under investigation by AOPA.

Colorado. Denver: New Colorado Gov. Bill Owens has pledged support for a dozen ASOS units west of the Continental Divide. The Colorado Aeronautics Board and AOPA have long advocated better weather reporting across the state's western slope.

Florida. Boca Raton: ASN volunteer Dave Freudenberg reports FAA approval of the Boca Raton Airport Authority's plan to comply with grant assurances. The approval allows funding for the control tower, new fuel farm, additional hangars, administration building, AWOS, and a noise study. Orlando: A planned 493-foot (agl) office building that would have raised instrument approach minimums at Orlando International has been redesigned, reducing its height. AOPA had opposed the construction. Pompano Beach: ASN volunteer Bill Bahlke reports fresh city support for beleagured Pompano Beach Airport. GPS approaches and runway improvements are planned.

Idaho. Boise: The Idaho Aviation Association and AOPA are pushing to maintain back-country airstrips identified in the developing National Forest Service Management Plan.

Kansas. Topeka: A strong reelection showing by Gov. Bill Graves bodes well for the state's Transportation Task Force 2000 recommendation of several million dollars for GA airport restoration.

Louisiana. Bastrop: ASN volunteer Jeff Taylor is helping Morehouse Memorial Airport apply for state-funded improvements. Baton Rouge: AOPA is working for funding for repair and maintenance of Louisiana public airports in 1999. The law allowing that use of state money was adopted last year.

Maine. Auburn-Lewiston: ASN volunteer Lillian LeBlanc reports apparent victory in a fight against a proposed tall tower that would have interfered with the Runway 4 ILS at Auburn-Lewiston Municipal Airport.

Massachusetts. Fall River: The remaining $1,890 in the treasury of the Friends of the Fall River Airport has been donated to AOPA. FFRA President Susan A. Ferreira, leader of the fight to save the airport, thanked AOPA for its political and financial help during the battle. Partly as a result of the Fall River closure, AOPA created the Airport Support Network to help prevent loss of other local airports.

Nebraska. Lincoln: The November gubernatorial victory by Mike Johanns is a plus for GA; the new governor has pledged to consult with AOPA on aviation matters in the state.

New Hampshire. Concord: AOPA is working with the statewide Aviation Users Advisory Group to help mobilize support for airports. Also, AOPA and the Seaplane Pilots Association have asked the New Hampshire Department of Public Safety to reverse its recent ban on seaplane operations affecting a portion of the Pemigewasset River.

New Jersey. Morristown: ASN volunteer Scott Maynard reports new property taxes on Morristown Municipal Airport; AOPA is working with Morristown's mayor and the FAA on the issue.

North Carolina. Winston-Salem: ASN volunteer Andrew Dale and other local pilots have convinced Smith Reynolds Airport management to circulate a draft of proposed new minimum standards for user comments.

Oklahoma. Oklahoma City: Additional funding for airport repair and maintenance may be sought. An AOPA-supported 1998 law authorized $2 million over a three-year period.

Rhode Island. Quonset Point: AOPA joined ASN volunteer Fred Werner, FAA and state aviation officials, and Army and Air National Guard leaders at an October 8 public hearing to explain the importance of Quonset State Airport as a vital reliever facility for the Providence area.

Texas. Austin: AOPA discussions with Gov. George W. Bush are helping frame legislation needed to allow state funding for airport repair and maintenance. Changes to allow the Texas DOT Aviation Division to own and operate airports is also under discussion.

Utah. Brigham City: A city commitment for $500,000 will help with land acquisition and other improvements at Brigham City Airport. Logan: A playground and additional hangars have been added to the Logan Airport; runway extensions are planned. Milford: Power lines near the Milford Airport have been removed. Morgan: Ogden county officials have backed down from their attempt to evict more than a dozen GA aircraft from the Morgan Airport. AOPA member Stan MacGrew is acting as watchdog for based pilots.

Washington. Bellingham: A new FBO has opened at Bellingham International and has lowered the price of avgas by 30 cents a gallon. AOPA had helped to resolve a year-long dispute over GA services at the field. Whidby Island: Five pilots have purchased the privately owned, public-use Whidby Airpark, saving it from closure.

Wyoming. Cheyenne: AOPA-supported Pete Illoway, leader of the Cheyenne Airport support group, was elected to the Wyoming legislature in November.

IAOPA Calls for Better Treatment of GA, Protection of GNSS Frequencies

The International Council of Aircraft Owner and Pilot Associations (IAOPA) has called for promotion of loran, protection of Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) frequencies, and improved treatment for GA throughout the world.

At IAOPA's nineteenth World Assembly in Palm Springs, California, in October, resolutions included:

• A "right of access to public aerodromes on fair and reasonable terms and without unjust discrimination" for all civil aircraft. IAOPA called on governments to "adopt positive law and practices" to ensure equal access.
• GNSS frequency protection from competing uses. World Assembly delegates also asked for official observer status at the International Telecommunications Union to assist in this cause.
• Use of loran for augmentation and as a backup for GPS and Glonass.
• An exemption for GA/Aerial Work aircraft from Mode-S transponder requirements, and from mandatory Mode-C equipment in aircraft under 12,500 pounds except when operating IFR or in Class A or B airspace.
• Authority for hearing-impaired pilots to operate as PIC in European airspace not requiring two-way radio communication.
• Relief for GA pilots from the heavy aviation regulatory burden in Mexico.

Some 100 pilots and the leaders of national pilot organizations from 19 countries participated in the 1998 World Assembly.

Winter Flying Info Package Available

A special 27-page Winter Flying packet is now available to AOPA members.

The free AOPA Aviation Services packet is a compilation of articles and information from AOPA Pilot, the FAA, and other sources. It provides proven advice to make winter flying safer, easier, and more fun.

"Winter Flying" is available on the AOPA Web site ( www.aopa.org/members/files/topics/winterfly.html) or in print by calling the AOPA Pilot Information Center at 800/USA-AOPA (800/872-2672).

Missouri Pilot Named AOPA Midwest Region Representative

Bolivar, Missouri, resident Bob Dickens has been named AOPA regional representative for Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, and Wisconsin.

"Bob brings a tremendous amount of experience and 'insider knowledge' that will be extraordinarily helpful to AOPA members," said Bill Dunn, AOPA vice president of regional affairs. "His knowledge of the inner workings of the FAA will be put to great use."

Dickens was formerly with the FAA's Kansas City and Little Rock flight standards district offices and has been an NTSB investigator. He succeeds Karl Kerscher.

AOPA's 11 regional representatives monitor local, state, and regional aviation and airport issues, reporting to AOPA headquarters outside Washington, D.C.

Final Deadline Nears For AOPA Long-Term Care Enrollment

[ Note: This program is no longer available.]

The deadline for enrollment in the AOPA Long-Term Care Program in states already approved is January 31. Long-term care coverage helps protect assets and allows control of your (and your dependents') future in the event of a serious long-term illness or disability.

AOPA's Long-Term Care Program has been approved in Alabama, Alaska, Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Ohio, Oregon, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wyoming.

Enrollment periods for additional states will be announced in 1999. For more information on enrollment, call 888/343-5824.

Avis Offers New Lower AOPA Rates

Avis Rent-A-Car has lowered rental rates for AOPA members and improved value-added coupons.

"We've seen a distinct upswing in member use as Avis has become more aggressive in pricing," said Andrew Horelick, AOPA senior vice president of products and services. "They're making a good deal for AOPA members even better, all over the country."

The new rates are available to AOPA members using the unique AOPA member discount code AWD# A451300. In addition, special Avis promotional discounts will be offered throughout the year for AOPA members only.

As an AOPA Certified Services partner, Avis returns a portion of rental revenue to AOPA, helping to keep GA strong and your dues low — at no additional cost to you. To make an Avis reservation, call 800/698-5685.

AOPA AIR SAFETY FOUNDATION

Florida/ASF Cooperative Program Boosts Safety

A grant of $80,900 from the state of Florida is funding a variety of AOPA Air Safety Foundation safety projects directly benefiting GA pilots there.

"The Florida Aviation Office has always been a leader in promoting GA safety," declared ASF Executive Director Bruce Landsberg. "This expanded cooperative effort with ASF takes their GA safety outreach efforts to new heights. We also work closely with the FAA in Florida and this three-way partnership allows us to do more for safety together than any one group could do individually."

With more than 45,000 pilots, Florida has the third-largest pilot community in the nation, behind only California and Texas. The state has long been considered a nearly ideal aviation environment and hosts dozens of the most active flight schools in the nation.

A special feature of the Florida grant requests ASF research on the causes of Florida's 1998 GA accidents, accidents involving Florida-based pilots, and accident trends over a five-year period. The study will focus Florida safety education efforts on areas most applicable to Florida pilots.

Other GA safety projects planned for Florida pilots through May 1999 include:

• 20 live ASF Premier Safety Seminars in support of the FAA's safety program, featuring ASF's popular new "Weather Tactics" seminar on gathering and using weather information in-flight.
• 25 ASF Seminar-in-a-Box kits for presentation by local pilot groups, primarily in non-urban areas.
• ASF's "Succinct Safety in Hardcover," a binder collection of ASF's widely acclaimed Safety Advisor publications. Packaged with the current Joseph T. Nall Report on GA safety, it will be distributed to airports throughout Florida.
• Florida FAA Wings Weekend safety outreaches, including eight live ASF Premier Safety Seminars and 10 Seminar-in-a-Box programs.

Texas, New York, Virginia, New Jersey, Oklahoma, and Michigan have also participated in special ASF cooperative outreach programs.

ASF Seminar-In-A-Box Reaches 9,000

The innovative ASF program that packages safety seminars for local groups in rural areas reached more than 9,000 pilots last year.

"Attending ASF's live safety seminars has always been easy for pilots in urban areas," said ASF Executive Director Bruce Landsberg. "ASF's Seminar-in-a-Box extends ASF safety presentations to those too far away from live seminar sites."

ASF's Seminar-in-a-Box program started in 1997. It packages four of the most popular ASF seminars in videotape or slide form with handouts and guidance for presenters.

Although there is currently no charge for Seminar-in-a-Box programs, a shipping and handling charge of $15.95 applies. For an order form, contact ASF at 800/638-3101.