BAKER ON THE NEWS
“Making aviation less costly is fundamental to AOPA’s mission, which is why we pursued these changes that will save the general aviation community more than $100 million over the next five years alone—and help to make pursuing and advancing a pilot’s certificate more accessible to everyone.” —AOPA President Mark Baker
ACTION IN THE STATES
AOPA supports New York wildlife bill
Aviation advocates in New York are concerned that a legislative amendment limiting the culling of wildlife around airports has raised the risk of aircraft collisions with birds and other animals. New York’s state Senate and state Assembly this year passed bills to shore up wildlife mitigation authority, but the Assembly bill contained an amendment that AOPA Eastern Region Manager Sean Collins says rendered its provisions ineffective. AOPA has called for the Senate bill to prevail in the interest of flight safety. In the meantime, “AOPA will continue to work with industry, focusing on efforts to achieve a policy correction through the governor’s office,” Collins said.
Web:
www.aopa.org/pilot/newyork
AOPA lends supportto Maine airport
A New England airport that helps drive a two-state economic engine received a key vote of support for a development project from its host community. Eastern Slope Regional Airport is located in Fryeburg, Maine, just across the state line from New Hampshire. “Eastern Slope Regional Airport is unusual for having managed to acquire annual funding from not only the host town of Fryeburg, but from neighboring communities in New Hampshire, such as Conway, North Conway, and others,” AOPA’s Sean Collins said. “Even the New Hampshire Department of Transportation has matched a $75,000 Maine grant that will be applied toward the hangar project—all of which speaks to the importance of the airport across the western Maine-eastern New Hampshire region.”
Web: www.aopa.org/pilot/maine
AOPA unites with Rhode Island airport advocates
A reinvigorated general aviation advocacy effort may be getting its message across to policymakers in Rhode Island, who acknowledged the aviation community’s opposition to a proposed jet-fuel excise tax at a legislative hearing recently. AOPA and local aviation groups opposed the 7-percent tax proposed by the Rhode Island Airport Corporation at a hearing of the House Finance Committee, pointing out that the proceeds of the tax appeared likely to serve only the state’s air-carrier service airport, Green State Airport in Providence. The Rhode Island Pilots Association and the Rhode Island General Aviation Business Owners Association joined with AOPA to present a united front against the measure, and several air carrier representatives also criticized the proposal.
Web: www.aopa.org/pilot/rhodeisland
Part 61 overhaul a reality
Savings expected to be $113.5 million
The FAA will allow broader use of technology to reduce the cost of flight training and maintaining proficiency without compromising safety. The overhaul of FAR Part 61 went into effect July 27, with all changes to be implemented by December 24; it will reduce costs to pilots by leveraging advances in avionics, aircraft equipment, flight simulators, and aviation training devices. The overhaul of FAR Part 61 includes these significant changes:
- Instrument-rated pilots who use an advanced aviation training device to satisfy flight experience requirements can earn six months of currency rather than two. They also may use any combination of aircraft and advanced aviation training device for currency. This takes effect November 24.
- An instructor’s presence will no longer be required to accomplish the required recency experience in a flight simulator or aviation training device (FFS, FTD, or ATD).
- A pilot may use technically advanced aircraft in lieu of a turbine-powered or complex airplane to satisfy certain commercial pilot certificate requirements. In April, the FAA discontinued the requirement that commercial pilot and flight instructor candidates conduct their single-engine airplane practical test in a complex airplane; as of August 26, commercial pilot candidates can use “technically advanced airplanes” in lieu of, or in combination with, a complex or turbine-powered airplane to satisfy the 10 hours of required training in these airplanes.
- Training received from a sport pilot instructor will count toward a higher certificate (such as a private pilot certificate).
AOPA supported these regulatory changes, which are expected to save the general aviation community $113.5 million in the next five years. Many of the changes made by the FAA in the final rule were requested by AOPA and other aviation groups.
Web: www.aopa.org/pilot/Part61changes
FAA misses the big picture on Key West complaint
Finds violation of self-service grant assurance, but no more
The FAA responded to a complaint submitted by AOPA over pricing and access issues at Key West International Airport with a determination that was mostly more of the same.
The FAA’s Southern Region Airports Division divided AOPA’s Part 13 complaint against Florida’s Key West International Airport into four different issues relating to potential pricing and ramp access violations of federal grant assurances associated with accepting Airport Improvement Program funding. The FAA ruled in favor of Key West in three out of AOPA’s four claims, but determined that Key West is in violation of Grant Assurance 22(f), which gives pilots the right to service their own aircraft.
Last summer, AOPA filed Part 13 complaints with the FAA over pricing and access at Asheville Regional Airport in North Carolina, Key West, and Waukegan National Airport in Illinois. AOPA
withdrew the complaint against Waukegan after the airport announced free transient tiedowns and ramp access. The FAA ruled against all of AOPA’s charges in the Asheville complaint. All three airports have one FBO, Signature Flight Support.
Experts at AOPA believe competition is the best solution to airport pricing and access issues, and it can exist on multiple levels. Even if circumstances don’t permit a second FBO, airports can stimulate healthy competition by independently offering ramp space and fuel, especially for pilots who do not need or want a more luxurious “full service” FBO.
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