AOPA Leads Charge Against User Fees
Call it a full-court press. AOPA is jumping into every available arena to make sure policy makers and lawmakers understand general aviation and AOPA members' concerns about user fees. And AOPA is taking every opportunity to show that the association is concerned and proactive about reducing the FAA's costs.
AOPA President Phil Boyer has taken members' concerns straight to Congress and the FAA, leaving no doubt in the aviation community that AOPA members are against user fees. Boyer testified before the House aviation subcommittee in May during a hearing that Chairman John Mica (R-Fla.) dubbed the "kickoff of a very significant debate."
"Mr. Chairman, we do a lot of research, and more than 96 percent of our members oppose the use of user fees in any form to fund the system," Boyer testified. "And don't forget, these are people who are your constituents." He said that the more than 400,000 AOPA members who own and fly personal aircraft "pay any fees out of their own pockets. They can't pass them on to paying passengers or a business."
And to show why members are opposed to user fees, Boyer showed Congress a video of a GA flight under user fees, with a cash register ringing up a charge every time the pilot contacted air traffic control. (The charges depicted were proposed in a 1996 Reason Foundation report; see " User-Fee Advocate 'Untargets' GA," below.) Boyer also presented committee members with letters from AOPA members in their districts, proving how pilot voters feel about GA user fees.
Again using a cash-register analogy, he "rang up" cost savings already in place, including more than $2 billion saved by outsourcing the flight service station (FSS) system, plus another $13 million a year from eliminating redundant NDB approaches and not staffing some control towers during late-night hours at airports with little or no nighttime traffic.
During the hearing, FAA Administrator Marion Blakey told Congress, "The FAA needs a consistent, stable revenue stream, one that is fair to all users of the system, and one that is not tied to the price of an airline ticket and reflects our actual cost to provide the service. Now look, at this point I'm not endorsing new taxes or user fees, but we must address the gap that exists between our costs and our revenues."
It seems that the voice of more than 400,000 AOPA members is getting through to Congress. The members of the aviation subcommittee took Blakey to task for both the FAA's costs and the hint of user fees. Some of the representatives took shots at how much it costs the FAA to do business.
The aviation subcommittee will be writing new legislation to fund the FAA. The current FAA authorization and aviation excise taxes expire in 2007.
User-Fee Advocate 'Untargets' GA
One of the most outspoken user-fee advocates — the Reason Foundation's Robert Poole — has decided that VFR general aviation shouldn't be charged user fees for FSS (flight service station) services. In a conversation with AOPA President Phil Boyer, Poole said he doesn't want AOPA battling him this time.
In his latest report, released in May, Poole recommended that piston-powered GA aircraft pay only an aviation fuel tax. Because the FAA's flight service program is a safety function, "in no cases should there be user fees for those services," he said. Turbine-powered aircraft and commercial airlines would pay user fees for air traffic control (ATC) services.
Poole's first report, released in 1993, suggested charging GA fees like $9.27 for a weather briefing, $4.65 for contacting a tower, and $9.27 for an IFR flight plan. AOPA soundly criticized that. A 1996 report dropped charges for FSS services and proposed user fees for ATC services based on aircraft weight and distance flown. AOPA still objected.
Poole notes in his latest report that GA is "too large and politically popular" for it to be charged for ATC services, regardless of how much of the system GA uses.
"We think he still misses the point," said Boyer. "GA shouldn't be charged for a system we don't need and for the most part don't use. More than 90 percent of piston-powered aircraft flights are VFR, yet every one of those flights helps pay for the system through the fuel tax. If it weren't for the huge demands the airlines place on the system with their rush-hour scheduling, the air traffic control system would be much smaller."
NATIONAL ACTION
Boyer Confers with Senate Aviation Leader
During a recent meeting with Sen. Conrad Burns (R-Mont.), chairman of the Senate aviation subcommittee, AOPA President Phil Boyer reiterated AOPA's dedication to help reduce the cost of providing critical FAA services and steadfast opposition to user fees.
"The FAA needs to look at its cost structure and get that under control before we even get into a discussion of raising taxes or imposing user fees," Boyer told Burns. "AOPA has supported the FAA's efforts to lower the costs of FSS services and eliminate redundant NDB approaches, and we're anxious to work with Congress and the FAA to find other ways to bring costs in line without compromising general aviation safety."
Boyer reminded Burns that GA currently pays for FAA services through fuel taxes — a system that is transparent to pilots, efficient for the government to collect, and is the appropriate method for the government to collect revenues from aviation users. Most important, the current system promotes GA safety by ensuring that vital services, like air traffic control and weather briefings, are available without additional fees, which could deter some pilots from using them.
The two also discussed general aviation security, including recent incursions into the restricted airspace around Washington, D.C. Despite the infamous incursion that led to the evacuation of the White House and the Capitol, most pilots stay well informed of airspace restrictions and conscientiously abide by them. Even so, Boyer pointed out, the Metropolitan Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) creates significant problems for pilots, making it difficult for individuals and companies to conduct business in the greater Washington, D.C., area.
AOPA Sets the Record Straight
AOPA President Phil Boyer and members of the AOPA media relations staff focused on correcting the many factual errors and misconceptions appearing in news reports after two Pennsylvania pilots flew their Cessna 150 into prohibited airspace over Washington, D.C., in early May.
AOPA staff spoke to dozens of television networks, local television and radio stations, newspapers, and wire services in an effort to correct the sometimes-outrageous statements being made by so-called "aviation experts" with little or no understanding of general aviation.
"A Cessna 150 is an extremely small two-seat airplane. Even fully loaded it weighs significantly less than a Honda Civic," Boyer explained. "It's simply incapable of doing much damage."
Some of the news outlets that AOPA worked with following the incident include: CNN, ABC, CBS, KTVU-TV, WABC-TV, WBAL-TV, WJLA-TV, WUSA-TV, WTOP Radio, Chicago Tribune, The Associated Press, The Baltimore Sun, The Washington Post, and The New York Times.
AOPA Checks Out Visual Warning System
After expressing safety concerns and pressing for an opportunity to preview a new laser warning system intended to alert pilots who stray into the Washington Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) or too close to the flight-restricted zone inside it, AOPA staff members in April had a chance to see the system in action during an in-flight demonstration.
The unique red-red-green light sequence of the Visual Warning System (VWS) was bright enough to be seen, but not so bright as to be blinding or excessively distracting, even inside the cockpit of a small general aviation aircraft.
"With implementation of the VWS and other security measures, like missile installations and improved surveillance, it's time to review the restrictions imposed on GA operations around Washington and make some improvements," said AOPA President Phil Boyer. "The Washington ADIZ is slowly strangling GA even though there's plenty of evidence to show that small GA aircraft are not a threat."
AOPA is committed to helping security officials and the FAA educate pilots on what the laser signal means and how to react.
Pilots who are "illuminated" by this system are violating restricted airspace and should immediately turn around, fly away from the laser, and contact air traffic control. The VWS was scheduled to be operational near the end of May. (See " Pilot Briefing: Laser Pilot-Warning System Goes Into Effect," June Pilot.)
ADS-B Traffic and Weather Data Available on East Coast
An emerging technology, automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B), has entered developmental service along the East Coast, allowing general aviation pilots to receive free weather and traffic information on multifunction displays. ADS-B uses GPS technology to send the aircraft's real-time position once every second to other ADS-B-equipped aircraft. In the future, the information also will be sent to air traffic control.
The FAA issued a notam in April announcing that ADS-B services are available for pilots flying ADS-B-equipped aircraft between New Jersey and Florida. AOPA has been monitoring efforts to bring this technology to GA for nearly a decade. The technology improves air-to-air and air-to-ground surveillance where radar is limited by terrain and can help reduce close calls on the ground and in the air.
"Allowing pilots to voluntarily equip their GA aircraft with ADS-B is a positive step toward bringing modern technology into the National Airspace System (NAS)," said Randy Kenagy, AOPA senior director of advanced technology. "Some staff at the FAA would eventually like to use ADS-B in place of radar, but the big benefit to GA is the free weather and traffic."
The equipment required to use ADS-B is similar in price to purchasing independent traffic and weather datalinks, but prices are expected to drop as more manufacturers start to produce the equipment, making the switch to ADS-B feasible for more pilots, according to Kenagy. A big difference is that there are no monthly subscription fees. According to member surveys, affordable weather datalink is highly desired.
MEMBERSHIP ACTION
2004 AOPA Sweepstakes Winner Earns Twin Rating
Roy Wilbanks has been cruising a little faster these days than he typically flies in the Piper J-3 Cub he co-owns. That's because he earned a multiengine rating in his 1965 Piper Twin Comanche — AOPA's 2004 sweepstakes grand prize.
Wilbanks earned the rating in April, fewer than three months after AOPA President Phil Boyer surprised the 12-year AOPA member with the news that he'd won at the South Carolina Aviation Association's annual hall of fame banquet in Myrtle Beach. Wilbanks' examiner, Carroll Joye, was on hand at the banquet when Boyer announced the lucky winner and later gave AOPA the inside scoop on his flight test.
"I just completed one of the most satisfying pilot examinations I have ever given in the most beautiful and well-equipped Twin Comanche I have ever seen," Joye wrote in an e-mail to AOPA. "Just thought you would like to know that Roy did a fantastic job on the flight test."
Wilbanks said he plans to take the Comanche Flyer Foundation — the educational arm of the International Comanche Society (ICS) — up on its offer to pay for type-specific training in the aircraft. He also plans to take a two-day, hands-on ground school training course provided by Avionics Training Unlimited Inc. to learn how to use the Comanche's avionics package to its full potential. Wilbanks also has recurrency training available to him from American Flyers.
AOPA Presents $25,000 Check to Air Serv for Tsunami Aid
AOPA made good on its pledge of $25,000 to Air Serv International, a nonprofit humanitarian organization that has been working on the front lines of tsunami relief efforts in Southeast Asia. AOPA President Phil Boyer presented the check to Air Serv Chief Executive Officer and President Stuart Willcuts at AOPA headquarters in April.
Shortly after the deadly earthquake and tsunami hit Southeast Asia on December 26, 2004, AOPA established the AOPA Tsunami Fund in partnership with Air Serv, which uses aircraft to fly relief workers and supplies to disaster-stricken and war-torn areas around the world. Since then, AOPA members have donated nearly $100,000 to the fund. Combined with AOPA's pledge to match the first $25,000, that's nearly $125,000 raised to aid in the relief efforts.
Air Serv International was founded more than 20 years ago to provide air transportation to a wide range of relief agencies including the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), Doctors Without Borders, the International Federation of the Red Cross, and others.
Register for AOPA Expo 2005
Where can you learn about the latest aviation products, aircraft, and the state of the general aviation industry all in one location? AOPA Expo 2005 will offer all that with more than 500 exhibit booths, 70 aircraft on display, and 75 hours of value-packed seminars.
New this year is an educational technology track that includes seminars like "WAAS: What Does It Mean for IFR?"; "Flying Glass Cockpits in General Aviation"; and "Charting and Navigational Data."
AOPA Expo 2005 takes place from November 3 through 5 at the Tampa Convention Center and Peter O. Knight Airport in Tampa. Register in advance to receive discounts from 10 to 30 percent. For more information about Expo and to see a list of seminars and exhibits, visit AOPA Online ( www.aopa.org/expo/).
AOPA AIR SAFETY FOUNDATION
Special Report: Technically Advanced Aircraft
Technically advanced aircraft (TAA) equipped with multifunction displays and traffic and weather datalinks are quickly becoming a large part of general aviation. Technology once used only by airline pilots is now available to primary students.
Whether you are flying a brand-new Cirrus SR22 with glass-cockpit technology or have upgraded the instrument panel in your trusty Cessna 182, if it has at least a moving-map display, an IFR-approved GPS navigator, and an autopilot, then the FAA classifies it as a TAA. The AOPA Air Safety Foundation has produced a special report, Technically Advanced Aircraft Safety and Training ( www.aopa.org/asf/publications/topics/), that defines TAA, suggests how training should change to reflect the demands of flying TAA, and takes a preliminary look at assessing the safety record for these aircraft.
ASF provides a preliminary assessment of 12 TAA accidents, complete with the history of each flight and safety comments from the foundation to help you understand what might have gone wrong. As with most aircraft accidents, those involving TAA are mostly pilot related.
"Poor judgment will always be poor judgment, regardless of the aircraft being flown," said ASF Executive Director Bruce Landsberg.
Airspace for Everyone
Have you ever been planning a flight and needed a quick reference on airspace communication and weather requirements? The AOPA Air Safety Foundation has updated its popular Airspace for Everyone Safety Advisor, which includes an "airspace at a glance" cutout card that can fit easily in a flight bag.
The Safety Advisor also includes a detachable notam reminder card and intercept procedures for quick reference in the event of a military intercept for violation of a temporary flight restriction. The advisor can serve as a tutorial on special-use airspace, RNAV IFR terminal transition routes (RITTRs), and the major airspace markings on VFR sectional charts. Airspace for Everyone is available in the AOPA Online Safety Center ( www.aopa.org/asf/publications/sa02.pdf).
Air Safety Foundation Releases Nall Report
One of the best ways to increase your level of safety in the cockpit is to learn from other pilots' mistakes. The AOPA Air Safety Foundation's 2004 Nall Report, released June 1, is an information-rich resource on general aviation accidents and trends in 2003.
Here's a glimpse of the data explained in the report: 79.4 percent of general aviation accidents were nonfatal; 75.9 percent had pilot-related causes; and more than 50 percent of all GA accidents occurred during the takeoff and landing phases of flight.
The 2004 Nall Report provides perspective to the previous year's GA accident statistics as announced by the NTSB. It also presents an overview of the accident trends and factors, and is used by aviation policy makers, statisticians, and pilots.
The report is available in the AOPA Online Safety Center ( www.aopa.org/asf/publications/04nall.pdf), or members can request print copies through the AOPA Pilot Information Center at 800/USA-AOPA (872-2672).
AOPA AIRPORT SUPPORT NETWORK
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/).
Volunteer of the Month: Eric Flamino
In April 2005, The Baltimore Sun reported that a four-year-old pilots association based at Tipton Airport in Odenton, Maryland, has been instrumental in making the airport a gathering place for the community as well as an economic benefactor despite the challenges it continues to face because of local and financial restrictions.
You might think the airport is located in a rural area that isn't bothered by encroachment or noise-abatement issues and has a close-knit community. Think again. Tipton Airport is located in the middle of the Washington Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ).
The Tipton Airport Pilots Association (TAPA), led by current President Eric Flamino (the AOPA Airport Support Network volunteer for Tipton), has mounted an aggressive educational campaign through monthly safety seminars for local ADIZ users to prevent the restrictions from strangling the airport. TAPA members have visited the Potomac Tracon facility based in Warrenton, Virginia, to learn how to decrease the stress of flying in the ADIZ.
The group also has supported the airport's fiscal viability plan. Thanks to help from TAPA, the airport, which is governed by the Tipton Airport Authority with county oversight for land usage, now operates in the black. TAPA recently helped broker an agreement between the county and a developer to build approximately 40 new T-hangars that will produce additional income for the county.
TAPA has lent its efforts to effect changes that are invaluable to the airport's future. Just like Flamino, you can start a pilots association at your airport. See "Organizing Your Airport Group" ( www.aopa.org/asn/airportgroup/) to take the first step.
AOPA ASN Volunteer Update
Recurrent Media Training
Establishing a local support group at your airport is a great way to attract positive attention from the community, but also it can increase media attention. As an AOPA Airport Support Network (ASN) volunteer, you may be called upon by the media as a source for general aviation information, which could put you in an uncomfortable position. Here are some helpful tips for working with the media.
- Always speak as a local pilot who is familiar with the issues instead of a designated AOPA spokesman. You will have more credibility with the media and your community as a local pilot who has personal experience with the controversial issues.
- Only report the facts — this is critical when being interviewed about an accident or incident at your airport. To ensure you have the facts straight, familiarize yourself with the issues. The Airports Compliance Handbook, FAA Order 5190.6A ( www.faa.gov/arp/publications/orders/5190-6a.pdf), is a helpful document that contains answers to many questions about airports.
- Don't hesitate to turn to AOPA's media relations staff for help if you can't answer the media's questions. You also can refer them to AOPA's media relations department, which is staffed by trained media professionals who are also pilots. Contact the staff directly through AOPA's 24-hour media hotline, 301/695-2162, or visit the Web site ( www.aopa.org/special/newsroom/media_contacts.cfm).
The ASN staff is available for consultation. Volunteers are encouraged to pitch positive airport stories to their local media. Offer to take a reporter around the patch or to a user meeting — just like Eric Flamino, the ASN volunteer of the month, did.
To learn more about the ASN program and find out if your airport has a volunteer, visit our Web site ( www.aopa.org/asn/) or call 301/695-2200.
Action in the States
Florida. Pensacola: Pensacola Regional Airport has an effective support group looking out for it, thanks to AOPA Airport Support Network volunteer Dale Holbert, who led an effort to organize and sustain the Pensacola Area Flight Watch. The group successfully has countered efforts by a neighborhood group that built next to the airport to unduly restrict GA activities; convinced airport management to build much-needed T-hangars; and achieved improvements on the field, including safety markings, lighting, and more. The group also developed the Aviation Discovery Park project, which will be bid for in the near future.
Oregon. Portland: A lot of cutting will be going on at Portland-Mulino Airport, but ASN volunteer Dianne Johnson reports that's a good thing. Among the action items from a March Port of Portland meeting were the removal of trees from airport property, thanks to a $150,000 federal grant. The removal is scheduled to occur once an obstruction survey is completed by summer. The Port of Portland group will issue a notam for trees deemed to be obstructions. Additional tree removal is planned for the approach to Runway 32, but negotiations with landowners are expected to prolong the process.
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