AOPA says, publicize transient parking locations
Other aviation organizations join in push for ramp options at all airports
AOPA and the heads of five other major general aviation groups sent a letter to FAA Acting Administrator Daniel Elwell asking the agency to standardize the labeling of airport ramp space and ensure that airport diagrams are clearly and accurately marked so pilots are better informed about available parking options.
The letter said: “We believe it will be very helpful to pilots to ensure that transient parking ramps are outlined on the airport diagram and have consistency with respect to standardized parking definitions and airport signage informing pilots of where these transient ramps are located.”
Many ramp areas, especially transient ramps, often are not identified on airport diagrams or not identified clearly. Many pilots and even airport staff are unaware of alternatives to fixed-base-operator-managed ramp space.
AOPA President Mark Baker said, “FBO fees and charges as well as ramp space charting are the two biggest areas that need some sunshine. It is totally unacceptable to be able to hide or make it difficult for pilots to know what they are paying for, or where they can park at a public-use airport and not be charged for services or fees that were never requested or used. It’s just not right for the consumer, a pilot in this case, and we need to fix it. Many of these ramps were paid for in part by federal fuel taxes administered through the FAA’s Airport Improvement Program, and we didn’t spend that money only to keep them a secret.”
For more than a year and a half, AOPA has been investigating and fighting egregious and often unknown FBO fees that restrict airport access. AOPA believes that publicizing transient parking locations provides pilots with an alternative, so they are not forced to pay for services at some FBO-controlled ramps that they don’t need or never requested.
The letter was signed by the heads of AOPA, the Experimental Aircraft Association, the General Aviation Manufacturers Association, Helicopter Association International, and the National Business Aviation Association.
News from ICAO: Reducing red tape
Thirty-six nations around the globe have moved forward and abandoned costly and burdensome bureaucratic red-tape requirements associated with outdated medical certification processes for general aviation pilots.
In a meeting at the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) headquarters in Montreal, leaders representing the International Council of Aircraft Owner and Pilot Associations (IAOPA) urged officials to keep pace with these changes as they review and update their standards for GA pilots. Many countries have successfully developed and implemented new medical processes and rules. Just last year, BasicMed was introduced in the United States, and now more than 40,000 pilots are flying under the medical program. The United Kingdom, Australia, and other countries also have implemented changes aimed at reducing red tape for GA pilots.
AOPA is WORKING FOR YOU
From airspace and security to regulations and weather services, the aviation system gradually (and sometimes not so gradually) changes with the times. Here are a few of the matters we are working on for you:
- The FAA has dropped several airports in 12 states from its annual list of cold temperature restricted airports—airports where pilots flying instrument approaches must apply altitude corrections when the temperature falls to designated temperatures. The list is published in the Notices to Airmen Publication (NTAP).
- There are two methods for making the calculation. AOPA advocates use of the “all segments method,” and it is the one pilots prefer over the “NTAP segments method,” according to a survey. The “all segments method” is related to methods used in Canada and by the ICAO.
- As the FAA upgrades the National Airspace System to satellite-based navigation under its NextGen program, many navaids that form the backbone of the existing airway structure are being shut down, including more than 300 VORs. About 150 nondirectional beacons (NDBs), including locator outer markers, are also being phased out. In response to pilots’ many questions about decommissioning, AOPA has a fact sheet online explaining the FAA’s strategy and how pilots can keep track of the changes.
- The FAA is asking pilots with 406-MHz emergency locator transmitter-equipped aircraft to help reduce false alerts transmitted by the devices, each of which triggers a search-and-rescue response. In 2017, ELTs were activated 8,786 times when the aircraft was not in distress. Most false alerts “occur during testing and maintenance,” the FAA said. A false alert of a 406-MHz beacon can involve an ELT, a personal locator beacon, or a maritime position-indicating beacon, and can occur “during testing, mishandling, improper installation, or unfamiliarity with beacon operation,” the FAA said. Search-and-rescue personnel “respond immediately” and only discontinue their response “when it has been proven that the activation was a false alert.” The agency urges pilots to conduct ELT self-tests according to manufacturer’s instructions.
AOPA collaborates with the FAA, the U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Air Force, and government and industry groups to educate pilots, mechanics, and others on testing and operating ELTs. AOPA also publishes an ELT fact sheet online.
