AOPA Continues Fight to Keep GA From Becoming Security Scapegoat
As 2002 draws to a close, AOPA staff members remain nearly as busy as in the immediate aftermath of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, dealing with a whole new group of players who are attempting to regulate where — or if — you will be allowed to fly in the National Airspace System (NAS). Professional sports entities are pressing to prohibit flights near stadiums despite new rules from the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and the FAA (see " FAA Adopts AOPA-Proposed Clarifications of 'Blanket Stadium Notam'," page 18). Security officials are demanding huge sections of restricted airspace around areas visited by President Bush, and state and local governments are attempting to impose their own restrictions on who can fly.
At issue is who controls the NAS. AOPA is working with members of Congress, the FAA, and security agencies such as the TSA and the Secret Service to ensure that the FAA retains regulatory control, and that the regulations create as little burden for pilots as possible, given national security concerns.
But recent attempts to regulate the NAS by some in Congress, as well as state and local lawmakers, could create a patchwork of conflicting laws and regulations threatening safety and security.
Earlier this fall, the FAA issued notams establishing 30-nautical mile rings of restricted airspace around the presidential ranch in Crawford, Texas, and a retreat in Kennebunkport, Maine. Each time, there were a significant number of incursions by GA pilots.
AOPA responded by urging a two-pronged approach to address FAA concerns, including a reduction in the size and scope of presidential temporary flight restrictions (TFRs), and second, improvement in communications with pilots operating from within TFR areas.
"AOPA asks stakeholders within the federal government to adopt a more reasonable approach to this problem, one that mitigates the impact on airspace users and airports by soliciting active input of the civil aviation community," AOPA Senior Vice President of Government and Technical Affairs Andy Cebula said in a letter. In September, sports entities opposed to flights near their events found a Capitol Hill champion in Rep. Fred Upton (R-Mich.), who has sought to wrest control of airspace over stadiums by denying the FAA funding for waivers allowing such flights. The effect of the legislation would be to shut down all GA flying at some 55 airports located near stadiums during sporting events.
AOPA Legislative Affairs staffers are working closely with friends of GA on Capitol Hill to counter Upton's effort. Several members of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee have written letters to the head of the House Appropriations Committee, Rep. C.W. "Bill" Young (R-Fla.), saying his committee should not "summarily rescind" the stadium notam without a full review by the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.
AOPA is also challenging state and local efforts to control the nation's airspace. At press time, an AOPA lawsuit arguing that Michigan's law requiring criminal background checks for all pilot training preempts federal jurisdiction is still pending before a federal judge (see "AOPA Action," September and October Pilot). AOPA also sent a letter to members of the San Mateo County, California, Board of Supervisors, alerting them that a new ordinance requiring prospective pilots to undergo a background check by the county sheriff's office violates the same federal supremacy clause that led to the Michigan lawsuit.
AOPA remains committed to working with all levels of government and agencies around the country to preserve Americans' right to fly, while respecting the increased need for security since the terrorist attacks.
AOPA Named One of Capitol Hill's Most Effective Lobbying Groups
AOPA's effectiveness in representing general aviation pilots was confirmed recently when the association made Fortune magazine's list of the most effective organizations on Capitol Hill.
AOPA was the only aviation organization to make the list.
The publication surveyed members of Congress and congressional staffers, senior White House aides, and professional lobbyists to determine the political "clout" of various associations and interest groups.
"Defending the interests of general aviation before Congress is one of the most important things we do," said AOPA President Phil Boyer. "And the reason we do have clout on the Hill is because of our membership. When we talk to senators and representatives, they know AOPA represents more than 387,000 committed pilots who are important members of their communities and who vote. That's power in Washington."
FAA Adopts AOPA-Proposed Clarifications of "Blanket Stadium Notam"
When the FAA finally replaced the infamous "open-air-assembly notam," 1/3353, with notam 2/0199 #2 in late September, the agency adopted almost every AOPA recommendation for clarifying the restrictions. The new notam limits overflight restrictions to Major League Baseball, NFL, and NCAA Division IA stadiums, and major Nascar speedways seating more than 30,000 people. It also limits the effective time of the restrictions to one hour before through one hour after the event, and provides for arrivals and departures at airports within temporary flight restriction (TFR) airspace. TFR dimensions, with a radius of 3 nautical miles and ceiling of 3,000 feet agl, remain unchanged.
Under the revised notam, aerial advertisers and others needing access to the airspace during the event will be able to obtain a waiver after undergoing an expedited security clearance.
AOPA objected to the original notam because it did not define which events were covered, when the restrictions would be effective, or properly address operations at airports within the TFR airspace.
"With the FAA's revision of this notam, there is no reason for Congress to act on legislation currently being considered in the Senate and the House on sporting event overflights," said AOPA Senior Vice President of Government and Technical Affairs Andy Cebula.
NATIONAL ACTION
AOPA Kicks off National Airport Watch Program
AOPA's new cooperative Airport Watch program, scheduled to launch on December 1, asks the nation's general aviation pilots to help maintain aviation security by reporting suspicious activity at airports. "Who better to know what's normal and what's suspicious at a local airport than the people who spend a lot of time there?" said AOPA President Phil Boyer. "Airport Watch is modeled after highly successful neighborhood watch programs used across the country."
One key to the new program is 866/GA-SECURE (866/427-3287), a nationwide toll-free phone number pilots can use to report suspicious activity on airports. The number is funded by the Transportation Security Administration.
But the AOPA Airport Watch program is more than just a toll-free phone number. For a full description of the program, and what pilots can do to help, see Boyer's " President's Position" column on page 4 of this issue.
Action by AOPA, Members Forestalls N.C. Airport Closure
North Carolina's Horace Williams Airport will survive for at least another two years, thanks to pressure by AOPA, AOPA Airport Support Network volunteer Keith Taylor (see " Volunteer of the Month: Dr. Keith Taylor," page 26), and North Carolina AOPA members. The state legislature in October instructed the airport's owner, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, to keep the airport open until at least January 1, 2005. A number of lawmakers who understand the value of the airport to the state and the aviation community also had significant roles in the legislation.
The university had announced in April that it would close the airport because it was no longer making money, required "costly" improvements, and the university had development plans for the airport land.
AOPA President Phil Boyer met with North Carolina General Assembly Speaker Jim Black and other key legislators to make the case for keeping Horace Williams open and pledged AOPA's assistance in securing federal airport improvement funds. Taylor rallied area pilots, who contacted state representatives to voice support for keeping the airport open.
MEMBERSHIP ACTION
Journalists, Lawmakers, Volunteers Honored at AOPA Expo
AOPA members attending Expo 2002 in October helped pay tribute to six people whose work over the past year has advanced the cause of general aviation.
Laurence P. Sharples Perpetual Award
Gordon Feingold was the 2002 recipient of the Laurence P. Sharples Perpetual Award, which recognizes the private citizen who has made the greatest selfless commitment to general aviation over the preceding year.
Feingold is the AOPA Airport Support Network volunteer for Santa Barbara Municipal Airport. He rallied local pilots to beat back a threatened noise curfew and win the first major GA improvements at the field in 30 years. In accepting the award, Feingold praised fellow ASN volunteers and urged pilots to get involved.
Hartranft Award
AOPA honored Illinois Sen. Richard Durbin (D-Ill.) and Rep. William Lipinski (D-Ill.) for their work on legislation to save Chicago's Merrill C. Meigs Field from closure.
The two introduced legislation that codified in federal law an agreement to preserve Meigs Field while expanding O'Hare International Airport and building a new airport south of Chicago.
The Hartranft Award is presented annually to the political leader or leaders who make the previous year's greatest contribution to the advancement of general aviation.
Max Karant Journalism Awards
A magazine writer from Washington, D.C., a television reporter from Green Bay, Wisconsin, and a radio newsman from Rockford, Illinois, received first place in their fields in AOPA's 2002 Max Karant Journalism Awards, honoring the best of "fair, accurate, and insightful" reporting on general aviation in the general (non-aviation) media.
Print category winner James Fallows, former Washington editor and now national correspondent for the 140-year-old The Atlantic Monthly magazine, won first place in the Karant print category with a 13-page article in the June 2001 issue titled "Freedom of the Skies," which told how inventors, entrepreneurs, and government visionaries are teaming up to create a bright new future for general aviation.
A thoughtful, well-balanced radio report on the struggle to save Chicago's famed Meigs Field airport won first place in the Karant Awards radio category for Chris Lehman, a reporter for WNIJ Radio in DeKalb, Illinois. It included comment and reasoned arguments from all sides, including AOPA and a spokeswoman for Mayor Richard Daley's office.
Television news reporter Michele Cheplic of WGBA-TV in Green Bay, Wisconsin, won first place in the Karant Awards TV category for her fast-moving feature on a 60-year-old retired accountant who finally realized his boyhood dream of learning to fly. The inspirational three-minute feature aired on the July 24, 2001, evening news of the NBC affiliate station. Using close-ups of personable, animated Mike Egan next to his Cessna Skyhawk, along with dramatic in-flight scenes from both inside and outside the aircraft, Cheplic showed viewers the beauty and joy that is general aviation flying.
AOPA Warns Against Using CD-ROMs for Title Searches
AOPA in October warned members considering an aircraft purchase that checking FAA Aircraft Registry information on a CD-ROM does not substitute for a proper title search.
The FAA recently began offering the aircraft-specific CDs. Although valuable as part of aircraft documentation, those disks often fail to include documents filed recently, including transfer paperwork and liens against aircraft.
In addition, the complex rules governing registration and recording of aircraft documents can easily mislead do-it-yourselfers attempting to use the disks to establish clear title.
"The last thing we'd want is for an AOPA member to suddenly find he doesn't really have clear title to an aircraft he has already paid for, or owes thousands of dollars for an uncleared lien, just because he didn't fully understand the FAA's rules," said Debbie Wilson, director of AOPA Title and Escrow Services in Oklahoma City. "When it comes to FAA title searching, details count."
A professional AOPA Title and Escrow Services title search is just $59. Information is available on the AOPA Title and Escrow Services Web site ( www.aopa.org/info/certified/tne/) or by calling 800/654-4700. AOPA Title and Escrow Services Inc. is part of the AOPA Service Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of AOPA.
AOPA AIR SAFETY FOUNDATION
New ASF seminar Addresses "Ups and Downs" for pilots
An all-new ASF seminar on safe takeoffs and landings, built around a 60-minute videotape of the unvarnished landing efforts of hundreds of unsuspecting pilots, is now touring the country. (See " Safety Pilot: Ups and Downs," page 54.)
"Ups and Downs of Takeoffs and Landings," a two-hour live ASF seminar, is open to all pilots without charge. The schedule of presentations for the remainder of 2002 and 2003 is available online ( www.aopa.org/asf/seminars/).
Although pilots usually think of themselves as competent at takeoffs and landings, fully half of all GA accidents occur during those two phases of flight."Every pilot thinks he or she knows takeoffs and landings," said ASF Executive Director Bruce Landsberg. "But I challenge you to say the same thing after this seminar. The fact is, many of us have been fooling ourselves." One pilot viewing the landing attempts caught on tape described the sequences as "good, bad, and ugly, with lots and lots of ugly."
During the seminar, participants may rate the videotaped landings, while the program host provides an expert rating and suggests ways to improve the landing.
Topics featured in the new seminar include takeoffs and landings from short and soft fields, as well as in crosswinds; climbout performance; night operations; the truth about pilot's-operating-handbook performance specifications; and how density altitude can sap aircraft energy.
One reenacted takeoff, on a dark night from a mountain airport, shows how important details can be.
The ASF safety seminar schedule is listed on this page; a more complete, searchable listing is available on the ASF Web site ( www.aopa.org/asf/seminars/).
ASF Instructor Robert Carter Dies
Longtime ASF instructor Robert Carter died on September 29 at his home in Darien, Georgia. Thousands of CFIs who attended ASF's weekend Flight Instructor Refresher Clinics will remember Carter as "Mr. Regulation."
Carter was known for his encyclopedic knowledge of the FARs and ability to teach and interpret them uniquely. He had been affiliated with ASF for more than two decades, including a stint as vice president of the training department. Carter had more than 5,500 hours of flight time, including more than 3,000 as an instructor.
FAA Honors ASF for Runway Safety Work
ASF was honored in September by the FAA's Safe Flight 21 program for helping develop a low-cost, low-tech way to minimize runway incursions. Avoidance of such incursions — unauthorized trespasses on active runways that can lead to catastrophic collisions — has for several years been a high priority on both the FAA and NTSB safety agendas.
The ASF-conceived device, developed by Architecture Technology Corporation, detects when aircraft or vehicles are on the runway and flashes precision approach path indicator (PAPI) lights at pilots on approach. The concept is currently being tested in Long Beach, California.
"There are relatively simple, inexpensive solutions to runway incursions," said ASF Executive Director Bruce Landsberg. "Our participation in this project is part of ASF's ongoing efforts, both in partnership with the FAA's Runway Safety Office and on our own, to reduce the number of incursions."
AOPA Airport Support Network
Volunteer of the Month: Dr. Keith Taylor
In April, barely a month after taking over as the AOPA ASN volunteer for Horace Williams Airport in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, Dr. Keith Taylor faced a baptism by fire: the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the airport's owner, announced plans to close the popular field.
Facing seemingly insurmountable obstacles in the fight to save the privately owned, public-use airport, Taylor turned to AOPA. Even before the school's decision was made public, Taylor was relaying developments to AOPA, keeping the association up to date on the situation and the reaction of local pilots and the community to the announcement. He also provided the association with information about university officials and key legislators who might be able to help keep the airport open.
Locally, Taylor kept area pilots informed, organizing and directing their efforts to complement action by AOPA. Those pilots, together with doctors from the University of North Carolina Medical Center, were able to convince state legislators that closing the airport jeopardized the state's highly praised rural medicine program, known as AHEC (Area Health Education Centers). AHEC, based at Horace Williams Airport, uses a fleet of University-owned aircraft to shuttle doctors around the state.
In October, thanks to the combined efforts of Taylor, local pilots, AOPA, and university alumni who are AOPA members, the North Carolina Legislature directed the university to keep the airport open at least until January 1, 2005, until the AHEC issue is resolved or the legislature directs otherwise. Clearly, ASN volunteer Taylor's efforts, contacts, and thinking helped save this important North Carolina airport.
DO YOU KNOW WHAT YOUR AIRPORT IS DOING?
By Mark Lowdermilk, AOPA ASN program manager
Here it is, December. Cold weather has set in, and flying activity in many areas has slowed. But if you think activity around airports has slowed, think again.
The federal government's fiscal year began on October 1, and your airport manager is most likely taking advantage of the lull by planning next year's airport improvements. Those improvements might include runway or taxiway work, signage, lighting, hangar construction, or security enhancements.
As an airport user, you can and should participate in the process. The simplest way is to attend the airport board meetings, listen to the conversations, and speak out on projects that affect you and your use of the airport.
Contact your local ASN volunteer and offer to help him or her keep GA interests at the forefront in airport planning meetings.
AOPA is here to help! Your ASN volunteer has detailed information about developing an airport support group and about tactics to effectively combat groups attacking your airport. Ask your
volunteer to share this information, and if your airport doesn't have a support group, help him or her get started on this critical project.
Not sure if your airport has an AOPA ASN volunteer? Visit the Web site ( www.aopa.org/asn/) and click on "Find Your Airport Volunteer." (If your airport has no ASN volunteer, you may nominate yourself at the same site.)
Public-use airports in the United States are closing at the rate of about one every two weeks. The AOPA Airport Support Network designates one volunteer per airport to watch for threats and encourage favorable public perception of general aviation. For more information on how you can help support your airport, visit AOPA Online ( www.aopa.org/asn/).
Action in the States
Oklahoma. Oklahoma City: Downtown Airpark is in danger of closing. ASN volunteer Bob Kemper reports that the airport has been sold to investors, who would like to develop the land because of its proximity to a relocated section of Interstate 40. Local authorities have no plans for a new airport, and would prefer that aircraft based at Downtown relocate to Clarence E. Page Municipal Airport 20 miles away. Kemper is exploring the possibility of a buy back by the county or a consortium of airport supporters. The timetable for closure of Downtown Airpark is four to five years.
Oregon. Seaside: City officials have made a dramatic turnaround, declaring that Seaside Municipal Airport is a valuable city asset and taking steps to improve it. AOPA ASN volunteer Randall Henderson helped spur the change by meeting with business leaders, facilitating a dialog between the city and state and federal aviation officials, and writing an article that appeared in Pilot Getaways magazine.
South Carolina. Charleston: The pilots' association at East Cooper Airport has successfully pushed for new hangars and is installing a remote clearance frequency. ASN volunteer Henry Ravenel has been involved with the group from the start, and is working with city officials to develop land use policies and zoning ordinances to protect the airport from residential encroachment.
Alabama. Bessemer: AOPA ASN volunteer Timothy Rakes this summer helped form the Bessemer Pilot's Association. The new airport support group already held an Aviation Career Day, which included free flights for students from a local technical college.
Maryland. Hagerstown: ASN volunteer Bill Rinn reports that Hagerstown Regional-Richard A. Henson Field has been deemed eligible for a $1.1 million FAA grant to improve airport security. Rinn is working with airport management to make sure GA pilots based at the field are included in future planning sessions on security issues.
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