AOPA Tells FAA Long-Range Plans Lack GA Perspective
The entire aviation industry and aviation community has spent much of the past year looking back to the birth of aviation and celebrating the centennial of powered flight. AOPA has indulged in some of that as well. But AOPA has spent far more time in 2003 looking ahead to ensure the future of general aviation.
Over the summer, the FAA released two little-noticed but crucial long-range-planning documents. The first is the Operational Evolution Plan (OEP), which is the FAA's "playbook" for modernizing the National Airspace System through 2010. The other is its draft strategic plan, "Flight Plan for 2004-2008." Neither goes far enough to address general aviation's needs and interests.
"Because the airlines are the more visible face of aviation to the general public and can rattle a lot of cages at the FAA, AOPA is constantly on the alert for efforts to skew the National Airspace System in the airlines' favor," said AOPA President Phil Boyer. "Whether intentional or accidental, those efforts can damage the most vibrant general aviation arena in the world."
The OEP is a "living" document, constantly being updated. AOPA was alarmed when the latest update dropped the FAA's prior commitment to publish at least 500 GPS and WAAS- (Wide Area Augmentation System) enabled GPS (approaches with vertical guidance similar to ILS approaches, see " GPS Goes Low," September Pilot) procedures each year. Without such a commitment, "general aviation will lack any incentive to equip with GPS suitable for instrument flight rules," AOPA said in formal comments. AOPA also told the FAA that the agency had not adequately addressed airspace and air traffic control requirements for GA reliever airports that take pressure off of large air carrier airports.
The most glaring omission in the agency's draft strategic plan, "Flight Plan for 2004-2008," is any effort to deal with the effects of aviation security requirements on general aviation.
In a letter to FAA Administrator Marion Blakey, Boyer said, "The FAA should not ignore its responsibility for an efficient air traffic control system that should serve the needs of the aviation users as it implements security driven restrictions."
AOPA also warned that the voluntary FAA/Industry Training Standard (FITS) program risks becoming a de facto regulation if insurance companies demand pilots take part in order to receive coverage, and that FAA efforts to "harmonize" federal aviation regulations with the rest of the world, notably Europe, may not be in the best interests of U.S. pilots.
"Too often, GA is the victim of neglect, as the squeaky airline wheel diverts the FAA's attention," said Boyer. "But as the agency works to chart the future of aviation, AOPA will be in there, making sure that the future of general aviation is factored into long-range plans like the OEP or 'Flight Plan for 2004-2008.'"
AOPA Takes GA Concerns to Top FAA Regional Brass
Working closely with the top leadership at the FAA is a vital part of AOPA's efforts to protect GA interests, but just as important is the work on aviation's front lines.
AOPA senior staff met recently with all of the FAA's regional administrators to discuss key AOPA member issues and provide FAA's regional leaders with a national perspective on GA issues.
AOPA highlighted concerns including threats of closure at general aviation airports around the country and stressed that AOPA is looking to the FAA to maintain its lead in protecting those assets.
During the meeting, AOPA Senior Vice President of Government and Technical Affairs Andy Cebula, Vice President of Regulatory Affairs Melissa Bailey, and Senior Director of Advanced Technology Randy Kenagy discussed a number of other issues with the administrators. The three expressed AOPA's strong opposition to privatizing air traffic control and separation services, as well as AOPA's perspectives on flight service stations, presidential movement TFRs (temporary flight restrictions), the Washington, D.C., ADIZ (Air Defense Identification Zone), and emerging advanced technologies, including WAAS.
"This meeting was good for AOPA and its members," said Cebula. "We had all of the regional administrators in one room where we could tell them what concerns GA pilots. These are essentially the 'theater commanders' for the FAA, responsible for implementing and enforcing the agency's rules and regulations throughout the country."
NATIONAL ACTION
AOPA Back on Capitol Hill to Challenge Unnecessary TFRs
AOPA was back on Capitol Hill pushing for relief from so-called "temporary" flight restrictions (TFRs). AOPA President Phil Boyer met personally with Rep. Rick Larsen (D-Wash.), whose district includes many pilots affected by the multiple TFRs around the Puget Sound near Seattle. Larsen, along with AOPA, is concerned about the permanent nature of so many TFRs. In this second meeting with AOPA, Larsen and Boyer plotted strategy to bring more pressure for government review of the necessity for the TFRs.
Specifically, Boyer asked Larsen to pressure Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld to ask for an explanation for why the TFRs are needed, and how temporary is "temporary." He asked Larsen to take the lead on this issue, to make Washington State the "poster child" for efforts to challenge those "permanent" TFRs that have become unnecessary.
Larsen has been actively engaged in the TFR issue. He has previously met with AOPA staff, and with AOPA members in Washington State. He also secured language in the House version of the FAA reauthorization bill that would have required the Department of Defense to review the ongoing need for specific TFRs. That language was dropped from the final version of the bill, hence the effort to approach Rumsfeld directly. Larsen sits on the House Armed Services Committee.
FAA Finally Reducing Medical Backlog
After years of prodding and lobbying by AOPA, both in Congress and at the agency itself, the FAA finally appears to have gotten serious about reducing the backlog of medical certificate applications that at times has exceeded 50,000. This should help pilots needing a "special issuance" because of medical issues that prevent the local aviation medical examiner (AME) from issuing a medical certificate.
The FAA's Aerospace Medical Certification Division filled several critical positions, ordered mandatory overtime, and implemented the long-awaited Digital Imaging Workflow System (DIWS). DIWS converts paper medical files to electronic format, allowing the applications to move through the process electronically, rather than having paper files physically walked from one desk to the next.
"A significant part of the problem has been adequate funding for the medical certification division, and AOPA has pushed hard on Capitol Hill to make sure the money was there," said AOPA Senior Vice President of Government and Technical Affairs Andy Cebula.
For many less serious medical conditions, the new DIWS allows medical reviews to be completed in a matter of minutes instead of hours. The new system provides no direct benefit for pilots with more complicated medical histories. Indirectly, though, DIWS may be helping by letting reviewers handle the uncomplicated cases quickly, leaving more time for the others.
"The surest way for a pilot to reduce the wait is to make sure that the application is properly filled out and includes every supporting document the FAA needs to process it," said Gary Crump, AOPA's director of medical certification. AOPA has a wealth of information online ( www.aopa.org/members/resources/medical.html), and members can call 800/USA-AOPA (800/872-2672) and ask to speak to a medical certification specialist.
Another powerful tool that AOPA members can use is the TurboMedical interactive medical application form ( https://www.aopa.org/members/medical/medform/). It flags medical issues that might lead to a special issuance medical certificate. And even for pilots without adverse medical histories, it can simplify and expedite their visits to an AME.
AOPA Honored for General Aviation Outreach Program, GA Serving America
GA Serving America ( www.gaservingamerica.org), AOPA's effort to educate the nonflying public about general aviation, has been honored as one of the best examples of interactive marketing by the Direct Marketing Association of Washington, D.C.
DMAW, an association that deals with all aspects of direct marketing including Internet outreach, presented AOPA with a Bronze Maxi Award for the Web site's easy-to-use, logical design.
GA Serving America explains the many varied aspects of general aviation, from flying for fun or business, to law enforcement and medevac, to overnight delivery service and agricultural application (crop-dusting). The site is aimed primarily at the general public and government officials and legislators. But it's also an excellent resource for pilots who are trying to explain GA to their nonflying friends. It offers the facts and statistics that back up the passion pilots bring to flying.
GA Serving America is the result of AOPA's General Aviation Restoration Fund, established shortly after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, when general aviation's public image suffered a black eye solely because the nonflying public did not understand "those little planes." The Web site was funded entirely by voluntary donations from individual AOPA members interested in correcting public misconceptions about GA.
MEMBERSHIP ACTION
'I Can't Thank You People Enough!'
"Excellent, excellent, excellent!" was all AOPA member Bill Savarese, AOPA 1270243, could say about his Waco experience.
Savarese is the latest monthly winner in AOPA's Centennial of Flight Sweepstakes ( www.aopa.org/sweeps/) to claim his prize — a trip to Sedona, Arizona, and a flight in a Waco biplane similar to the sweepstakes' grand prize.
The flight is more than just a turn or two around the patch. Winners get four hours of flight time, provided by Red Rock Biplane Tours. Past winners have flown to Prescott to visit Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University or to Kingman, Arizona, or have just admired the beauty of the Red Rocks area around Sedona.
In addition to the trip to Arizona and the time in a Waco biplane, Savarese and all the monthly winners receive a leather bomber jacket with a custom "Centennial of Flight" patch on the back.
The grand prize in the AOPA Centennial of Flight Sweepstakes, a fully restored 1940 Waco UPF-7 biplane worth $250,000, will be awarded sometime early in 2004. Visit AOPA Online ( www.aopa.org/sweeps/rules.html) for complete rules and eligibility requirements.
Nineteen All-New Seminars for AOPA Expo 2003
Pilot education has been a mainstay of AOPA since the association was founded in Philadelphia in the late 1930s. This year's AOPA Expo 2003 emphasizes that tradition by offering a timely selection of exciting brand-new seminars to complement popular sessions from recent years.
New topics range from the sands of Kitty Hawk to computers of the twenty-first century to the realm of jets. A complete listing of the more than 80 seminars, plus registration and hotel information, is available online ( www.aopa.org/expo/).
AOPA Legal Services Plan Marks 20 Years of Protecting Pilots
The AOPA Legal Services Plan (see " Pilot Counsel Legal Services Plan: An Anniversary," October Pilot), one of the best services AOPA offers exclusively to members, turned 20 this year. Yes, it offers legal help in the case of FAA enforcement actions, but it does much more as well.
Even if a member never faces an enforcement action, the $26 annual enrollment cost is money well spent. Under the legal services plan, members can have aircraft rental, leaseback, hangar, and tiedown agreements reviewed, and get legal advice on an aircraft purchase or sale. With legal fees what they are today, the review alone is worth the cost of the plan.
And if a pilot does run into trouble, enrollment in the plan can take the financial sting out of defending against the allegations. Case in point: A pilot flying across western Maryland shortly after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks violated the expanded P-40 prohibited area around Camp David. But working with one of the more than 600 attorneys nationwide that make up the plan's lawyers' panel, the pilot was able to demonstrate that he had taken all the necessary prudent steps to inform himself about all aspects of the flight, but that he had not been briefed about the temporary flight restriction. The FAA withdrew the case. Because the pilot was a member of the legal services plan and his case was resolved prior to an appeal, all of his legal fees were covered.
"The AOPA Legal Services Plan has always been a great value we offer our members," said AOPA President Phil Boyer. "But in these security-conscious times, it's really something no member should do without."
For more information on the legal services plan, what it covers, and how it works, visit AOPA Online ( www.aopa.org/legalservices.html).
AOPA Members Achieve Half a Million Dollars' Savings with Sporty's
AOPA credit card holders have saved more than half a million dollars, thanks to the 5-percent discount offered by Sporty's Pilot Shop.
"Sporty's has a long history of supporting general aviation and AOPA," said Karen Gebhart, AOPA's senior vice president of products and services.
"We believe it's important to support general aviation while providing value to our customers," added Sporty's founder Hal Shevers. "Our partnership with AOPA is a great way for us to do that. The AOPA Merchandise Collection and the AOPA 5-percent discount allow us to offer great value to our customers while supporting AOPA's mission."
Sporty's offers an instant 5-percent discount to AOPA members using their AOPA credit cards on every product Sporty's sells.
AOPA AIR SAFETY FOUNDATION
New ASF Online Course Tackles IFR Decision Making
The AOPA Air Safety Foundation has added to its growing list of online education courses with the new Single-Pilot IFR course ( www.aopa.org/asf/online_courses/single_pilot_ifr/).
Flying alone or as the only pilot aboard in instrument conditions requires a tremendous amount of organization and forethought.
"Single-Pilot IFR is not so much about the technique of instrument flying as it is about the decision-making process," said ASF Executive Director Bruce Landsberg. "It involves making good decisions in a timely manner, which almost always means long before you absolutely must make the decision. Staying 'ahead of the plane' like that pays dividends to any pilot — not just those with instrument ratings."
Single-Pilot IFR reviews the requirements for flying IFR and drives home the need to prioritize tasks (aviate, navigate, communicate).
The free Single-Pilot IFR online course was made possible by generous donations to ASF by Mike Lazar and Lessing Stern. Completing the interactive course and passing an online quiz fulfills a pilot's seminar attendance requirement for the FAA Wings program.
10,000th SkySpotter Completes ASF Online Course
Peter Miranda of Charlotte, North Carolina, is the AOPA Air Safety Foundation's 10,000th SkySpotter. The SkySpotter ( www.aopa.org/asf/online_courses/skyspotter/) online course teaches pilots how to file a pilot weather report, or pirep.
"Preflight briefers do an excellent job of telling pilots about forecast weather conditions along their route of flight," said ASF Executive Director Bruce Landsberg. "But the only way to know what's really going on is to get a firsthand report from someone who's already up there. With more pireps, weather decision making becomes much easier."
For becoming the 10,000th SkySpotter, Miranda receives an AOPA watch, a SkySpotter T-shirt, and an autographed copy of Bob Buck's classic book on aviation meteorology, Weather Flying.
SkySpotter is one of the many free online courses that ASF offers. For a listing of ASF online offerings, visit the Web site ( www.aopa.org/asf/online_courses/).
Last Chance to Order ASF Holiday Cards
It's not too late to order your holiday cards from the AOPA Air Safety Foundation card collection.
Once again, ASF is offering a wide variety of aviation-theme cards, from humorous to thoughtful to patriotic. Some of the cards are embossed. Many have decorative gold edging.
The cards come in boxes of 25 and include free return address labels and decorative seals.
A portion of the proceeds from each box sold goes to support ASF's mission of researching, supporting, and improving general aviation safety.
AOPA AIRPORT SUPPORT NETWORK
Volunteer of the Month: Randall Henderson
When Randall Henderson signed on as the ASN volunteer at Seaside Municipal Airport in Seaside, Oregon, he said, "I was concerned that the airport was in imminent danger of falling victim to benign neglect by its sponsor, the City of Seaside." The airport was in a state of disrepair and no longer in compliance with FAA standards.
Two years later, Henderson is now the vice chairman of, and liaison to, state and federal agencies for the city's newly created airport advisory committee.
He's been busy during those two years. Henderson has made presentations to citizens, the city council, and the Seaside Downtown Development Association, educating everyone who would listen about the value of the airport to the local tourism economy. Working with other pilots and through the news media, Henderson has committed the community to developing its diamond in the rough.
Henderson showed the city how pilot-controlled lighting could significantly reduce its overhead and identified FAA funds that could be used to renovate the runway. The city recently accepted $86,000 to begin restoration and is updating its airport improvement plan so that it can apply for more funds in the future.
Henderson credits both the backing he received from the Airport Support Network and the credibility that being an ASN volunteer gives him for turning around the fortunes of a fading airport.
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
Idaho. Coeur D'Alene: Coeur D'Alene Air Term's recent open house drew a surprisingly large crowd. ASN volunteer Mel Frost presented AOPA's Airport Watch program to many interested pilots and nonpilots alike. Although the open house was held "after hours," visitors were able to see the value of the airport as fire bombers arrived and departed for firefighting duty throughout the event.
Massachusetts. Gardner: Gardner Municipal Airport has been without a paid manager for more than a year after a budget crunch forced the mayor to eliminate the position. In order to support the Airport Commission, a friends of the airport association is forming. The group expects to have bylaws approved by year's end. ASN volunteer Jack Klette provided AOPA-supplied materials, which are simplifying the organizational effort.
New York. Akron: ASN volunteer Bob Miller and several members of the ownership group at privately owned/public-use Akron Airport traveled recently to AOPA headquarters in Frederick, Maryland, for a strategy session on how to protect the airport from encroachment. Airport neighbors are threatening to block zoning variances needed to complete an airport improvement project already under way. AOPA offered advice on how to enlist the FAA and state aeronautics division in defending the airport.
North Carolina. Greensboro: ASN volunteer MayCay Beeler recently hosted an Airport Watch program for pilots at Piedmont Triad International Airport and other local airports. Representatives from the Transportation Security Administration and the local flight standards district office also took part, discussing the best ways to keep current regarding temporary flight restrictions. The program also highlighted the AOPA Air Safety Foundation's Know Before You Go online airspace education course.
PIC EQUALS PILOTS IN COMMAND
By Mark Lowdermilk, AOPA ASN program manager
For just a moment think of your airport in military terms. There's the flight leader — the airport sponsor — in overall charge of what's going on. Then there are the wingmen — the airport management and the FBOs — helping to keep things formed up and running smoothly. And finally there's tail-end Charlie — the local pilot. The question is, is tail-end Charlie just tagging along for the ride, flying on autopilot, or is there a pilot in command with a firm hand on the stick, watching the flight's back?
In Seaside, Oregon, Randall Henderson clearly took on the PIC responsibility. When the flight — the airport — was threatened by neglect, he made sure the leader — the City of Seaside — knew that a threat was sneaking up from behind. Henderson led the local pilot efforts to make a change at the airport. It took a lot of hard work, but just like after a warning call from the last plane in a formation, everyone else started paying attention. In Seaside, that meant pilots were leading the way in protecting the airport.
Think of your Airport Support Network volunteer as the firm hand on tail-end Charlie's stick. He or she has the full support of AOPA and access to our technical resources and expertise to keep your airport flying on the right course.
If your airport has a volunteer, find out who it is and offer your help and support. If there is no volunteer, nominate someone — even yourself. You'll not only help your local airport, you'll help protect general aviation nationwide. Just visit the Web site ( www.aopa.org/asn/) to learn more.
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