The FAA estimates that aircraft owners will invest between $1.27 billion and $7.46 billion in avionics equipment. On August 30, 2007, the FAA awarded a contract to ITT Corp. to build and operate the ADS-B ground infrastructure and supply aircraft position data to the FAA. One month later, the FAA issued the proposed rules that would require all aircraft to add ADS-B equipment by 2020 to be able to fly within Class B and C airspace and above 10,000 feet.
ASF debuts 'Top 5 Mistakes'seminar
In an average year, approximately three-quarters of all accidents are caused by pilot error. "We continue to see pilots making the same mistakes that lead to fatalities," says Bruce Landsberg, executive director of the AOPA Air Safety Foundation.
Those same old errors are the targets of ASF's newest live safety seminar, "Top 5 Mistakes Pilots Make." Foundation staff identified the top five pilot-related fatal accident categories and applied the lessons from decades of accident research to produce a neat two-hour program that provides valuable insights on maneuvering safely, avoiding weather problems, managing fuel properly, and much more.
The free seminar was to begin its national tour in January and will continue through May. Check the online schedule for a location near you, and look for a reminder in the mail.
FAA to keep needed approaches
Thanks to comments from AOPA members, the FAA will wait to decommission certain needed instrument approaches.
To cut costs and prepare for a future of satellite-based navigation, the FAA had originally proposed removing 254 approaches. AOPA then conducted a detailed analysis and asked for member feedback, which resulted in the identification of 83 critical approaches. The FAA received some 371 comments and decided to keep all but four of the 83 approaches. The FAA still will decommission a total of 175 approaches, but AOPA did not receive any comments from members about keeping them.
Insurance company rewards safety with donation
When the general aviation accident numbers decline, as they have in the past year, you know that pilots and the aviation industry are working together to make flying safe. Key aviation insurer AIG Aviation is rewarding those efforts with a donation to the AOPA Air Safety Foundation.
"The Air Safety Foundation's work plays a key role in the improving GA accident rate, and we're pleased to support them," said AIG Aviation President Dave Hupp as he presented a $5,000 check to AOPA President Phil Boyer. "Fewer accidents mean fewer insurance claims, and that translates into lower insurance rates for GA pilots."
Pilots who purchase select AIG insurance policies through the AOPA Insurance Agency can receive accident forgiveness just by taking at least one approved course from the AOPA Air Safety Foundation every six months. Pilots who participate in the program won't face higher insurance rates as a result of most accidents, regardless of who was at fault. Visit the AOPA Insurance Agency or call 800/622-2672 for your complimentary quote.
Customs proposal impossible to comply with, pilots say
Filing flight information and a passenger manifest via the Internet before leaving or entering the United States is, in many cases, just not possible for general aviation operations. That's what more than 2,000 pilots have told U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) about its latest proposal on general aviation international flight operations.
Many pilots have pointed out that Internet access isn't available at the airports they use in Mexico. "Simply finding an operational telephone, much less one that can be utilized for international calls, is frequently impossible," one pilot said.
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