AOPA Action: AOPA is Working for You
Association addressing top issues on behalf of general aviation
1. So-called ‘privatization’
The House of Representatives is considering a vote on H.R. 2997, the 21st Century AIRR Act, which would remove air traffic control from the FAA and turn it over to the airlines. This monopoly, which proponents are calling “privatization,” would cost tens of billions of dollars, and airlines could dictate policy at the expense of general aviation and rural communities. As Capt. Chesley B. “Sully” Sullenberger has asked: “Why would we hand over the keys to the kingdom to the airlines?”
Privatization would:
- Threaten the safest, busiest, and most complex airspace in the world.
- Create a “too big to fail” monopoly that will need taxpayer bailouts.
- Cost tens of billions of dollars.
- Disproportionately hurt rural America and general aviation.
- Increase costs for travelers and taxpayers.
- Not affect airline delays—80 percent are caused by airlines and weather.
- Hurt general aviation—similar reforms in other countries have led to a decline in GA.
- Bring on unintended consequences and risks; there is no consensus for H.R. 2997.
To fight the threat of so-called “privatization,” AOPA has launched an effort to educate lawmakers and the public about the negative effects of the costly proposal. Members can help by reaching out to their elected officials to oppose the bill, and by educating friends and family about its potential effects. AOPA has developed an “Emergency ATC Privatization Checklist” as a handy reference, available online.
Web: www.aopa.org/opposeprivatization
2. Unfair pricing practices
AOPA has heard from pilots that at certain airports, pricing practices for fuel, ramp fees, tiedown fees, facility fees, infrastructure fees, access fees, and even fees for being picked up by a taxi at a fixed-base operator are pushing general aviation away. Community airports are meant to be available to pilots and the traveling public on reasonable terms, but pilots at these airports are often charged for services they don’t ask for or receive. AOPA is working to ensure that public airports owned by all of us provide fair pricing and access to all.
Recent efforts include filing Part 13 complaints over egregious FBO pricing practices at three airports identified as among the worst offenders: Illinois’ Waukegan National Airport, North Carolina’s Asheville Regional Airport, and Florida’s Key West International Airport. AOPA has also developed recommendations for airports considering potential FBOs and formed an airport access advisory panel. Members can report issues with pricing online.
3. Keeping BasicMed running smoothly
AOPA worked hard for years on behalf of its members to bring about third class medical reform, which the FAA now refers to as BasicMed. Now that the alternative to recurrent medical certification has been enacted, AOPA offers a suite of online resources for pilots and physicians to help you make the most of the reforms and enjoy your freedom to fly. Third class medical reform took effect May 1, 2017, and in the next six months 23,000 pilots took advantage of the reforms. Hundreds of thousands of pilots will benefit from BasicMed, which will reduce the ineffective and burdensome government bureaucracy. AOPA has led the fight for these reforms, and we will be there to make sure the process continues to run smoothly for years to come.
4. You Can Fly
There’s no one-size-fits-all solution when it comes to building the pilot community. That’s why AOPA created an umbrella program that allows the association to simultaneously pursue several targeted, but different, approaches: You Can Fly. AOPA has gathered programs to support flying clubs, encourage best practices in flight training, get lapsed pilots back in the air, bring AOPA’s resources and expertise to pilot groups across the country, and help high school students learn more about careers in aviation. You Can Fly is working to make flying more accessible and affordable. In 2017, the program was responsible for creating 25 new flying clubs and helping nearly 5,000 rusty pilots return to active flying status. Meanwhile, AOPA’s high school curriculum has been implemented in 29 schools across 17 states with more than 600 students currently testing the ninth-grade material.
Web: http://youcanfly.aopa.org
ACTION IN THE STATES
AOPA wants overhaul of fees in New Hampshire
AOPA is working with lawmakers and aviation groups in New Hampshire on a legislative compromise that would restructure aircraft registration fees and aviation fuel taxes without punching a $250,000 hole in state airport funding, as a previous version of the bill would have done. AOPA called for an overhaul of New Hampshire’s aircraft registration fee structure as a key to finding a solution the association could support, said Sean Collins, AOPA’s eastern regional manager. Work on the issue has continued with local aviation stakeholders including David DeVries, president of the New Hampshire Pilots Association, Collins said.
Web: www.aopa.org/pilot/NHregistrationfees
AOPA opposes Cuomo order in New York
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has signed a bill that requires the town of East Hampton on Long Island to seek the permission of local voters in a referendum before accepting many grants for improvements to the East Hampton Airport. AOPA joined many members of the state’s aviation sector opposing the measure, which could snarl the flow of state or federal grants for safety improvements in a new layer of red tape—and in some cases, possibly place the airport out of compliance with safety-inspection mandates, said AOPA Eastern Regional Manager Sean Collins.
Web: www.aopa.org/pilot/EastHampton17
AOPA helping with incursions in New Jersey
No pilot flying a general aviation aircraft wants to wander into the path of a high-speed military jet, but that is happening with increased frequency in a block of special-use airspace north of Atlantic City, New Jersey, according to the Air National Guard fighter wing at Atlantic City International Airport. “AOPA works with military units across the country on their midair collision avoidance efforts and to increase pilot awareness of special-use airspace,” said Rune Duke, AOPA director of airports and airspace. “We want to encourage pilots to have current charts, conduct proper flight planning, check notices to airmen via the FAA’s notam search page, request radar flight following, monitor 121.5 MHz, and check the FAA’s Special-Use Airspace website for scheduled use of the restricted areas.”
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