AOPA Action: Outcry increases against private ATC monopoly

The house bill containing provisions that would remove air traffic control from the FAA’s auspices and hand it over to an airline-controlled private monopoly may have lost some momentum in Congress recently, with an expected House vote delayed as of this writing. But as opposition to the bill builds, it does so in the face of relentless efforts by powerful congressional leaders and the Trump administration to force a favorable vote from reluctant rank-and-file lawmakers.

As the debate churns in the Capitol, thousands of pilots have contacted their elected representatives to demand that they not gamble with the future of the ATC system.

“AOPA, pilots across the country, and a majority of Americans agree—air traffic control privatization is a bad idea,” said AOPA President Mark Baker after the expected scheduling of the vote on the bill failed to materialize.

The groundswell has brought outspoken opposition from members of Congress; criticism of the plan from the governor of a GA-friendly state far from Washington, D.C.; and a notable panning by Capt. Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger, hero of the “Miracle on the Hudson” river landing.

There are three critical points to keep in mind about the privatization proposal included in H.R. 2997, said Jim Coon, AOPA senior vice president of government affairs.

• Privatization in this case is a euphemism for monopolization. The ATC system would be handed over to an airline-dominated private entity facing no competition to keep it focused on operating efficiently as an entity controlled by an industry that has been marred by more than occasional bankruptcies.
• Accountability would be negligible. Congressional oversight would be severely curtailed, leaving Congress’s hands tied to act on noise complaints, new flight routes, deteriorating service, or denials of access to other users of the public’s airspace.
• In countries where ATC operations have been removed from direct government oversight, we have seen a decline in GA, Coon said.

Sullenberger raised his concerns in an interview with Yahoo News. “In most countries, it’s either too restrictive or too expensive for an average person to fly, and the only way you can go is on an airliner or a military flight,” he said, noting that the freedom to fly “is something that we need to protect and preserve. So why in the world would we give the keys to the kingdom to the largest airlines? Because they definitely have their own agenda—to lower their costs.”

Within a key House committee, H.R. 2997’s ATC provision was met with deep skepticism on fiscal grounds. The House Ways and Means Committee’s ranking member, Rep. Richard E. Neal (D-Mass.) wrote to the committee chair, Rep. Kevin Brady (R-Texas) objecting to the plan’s effect of shifting jurisdiction over $14 billion in air transportation excise taxes “to a private board”—one of several repercussions that “will impact jobs all over the country.”

The association is working daily to persuade and educate policymakers about the riskiness and unintended consequences privatization could impose on an air traffic system that is larger than all others, and second to none in safety and service delivery.

Baker on the news: “AOPA, pilots across the country, and a majority of Americans agree—air traffic control privatization is a bad idea,” said   —AOPA President Mark Baker“No one should underestimate the threat general aviation faces from this,” Coon said. “This fight is real, and it is serious.”

Web: www.aopa.org/pilot/privatization

AOPA helps battle egregious pricing at Heber City FBO

Business topped member pricing complaints

OK3 Air, the sole fixed-base operator at Utah’s Heber City Municipal Airport, has garnered the most complaints from AOPA members in an AOPA review of high fuel prices, egregious fees, and lack of competition. Located southeast of Salt Lake City, the FBO provides essential access to Park City, Heber Valley, and the famous Sundance Film Festival.

After continued reports of having the highest fuel prices in the region, tenants and based operators at Heber City filed an informal complaint with the FAA in hopes of finding a solution to the many problems they experienced at the airport. According to the airport advisory board’s meeting minutes, OK3 Air owner Nadim AbuHaidar tried to justify keeping fuel prices artificially high, stating that Heber was a desirable resort destination and wouldn’t want it to be known as the cheap fuel source because traffic would increase, and public complaints would result.

In a letter to the Heber City Council, AOPA General Counsel Ken Mead wrote, “OK3 Air has openly indicated its fuel prices remain high for the benefit of the airport to ensure any lower fuel prices do not cause an increase in traffic and noise.” Mead also stated, “It’s not the place of a tenant FBO to regulate traffic, let alone through their pricing practices.”

Web: www.aopa.org/pilot/hebercity

AOPA, COPA urge reciprocity for GA medical requirements

AOPA and the Canadian Owners and Pilots Association (COPA) sent a joint letter to the FAA and Transport Canada, urging their respective governments to develop reciprocities with regard to each other’s medical certification regimes.

“AOPA welcomes Canadian pilots to fly in the United States, and I believe a new partnership will not only benefit both countries’ economies but will also allow general aviation to thrive well beyond U.S. borders,” said AOPA President Mark Baker. “Qualifications to obtain U.S. and Canadian pilot and medical certificates are similar, and I see no reason as to why we can’t operate safely in each other’s airspace.”

More than 12,000 pilots have taken advantage of the new BasicMed medical alternative in the United States. Not long after its launch, the Bahamas agreed to allow pilots flying under BasicMed in their airspace.

COPA is asking the FAA to expand the special flight authorization (SFA) regime to include Canadian certified, limited, and amateur-built aircraft operated by Canadian recreational pilots.