AOPA weather survey aids safety initiatives
The number of pilots who call Flight Service for initial weather briefings continued trending lower in 2019, with online alternatives and apps picking up the slack, according to the 2019 AOPA weather survey.
Pilots reaffirmed that they place a high value on receiving pilot reports, but the number of unsolicited pireps they provide continued declining.
The 2019 survey also noted the ways two initiatives AOPA supports—the FAA’s Weather Information Modernization and Transition program, and the National Weather Service’s Hazard Simplification Project—can contribute to updating how aviation weather data is processed and delivered. The survey was based on responses AOPA received during March and April 2019 from 2,056 individuals in the continental United States, 160 people in Alaska, and 29 in Hawaii.
The 37 percent of pilots in the continental United States who reported using Flight Service for initial preflight planning was down from 40 percent in 2018 and 54 percent in 2017. The declining use of Flight Service for initial briefings was most pronounced in Alaska, where 45 percent of respondents said they considered Flight Service their primary briefing source, down from 49 percent in 2018 and 64 percent in 2017.
AOPA issued five recommendations based on the survey: three encouraging progress on weather-infrastructure development to meet the unique needs of pilots in Alaska; one to identify reasons why pilots don’t submit more pireps; and one to bring aviation’s perspective into the National Weather Service’s Hazard Simplification Project. The project is an effort to create a “weather-ready nation” by increasing public awareness and preparation for weather-related and water-related hazards.
AOPA makes the survey data available to the FAA’s Air Traffic Organization for the ATO’s development of its list of the top 5 safety initiatives for the air traffic system.
Dickson sworn in as FAA administrator
AOPA urged swift approval
Former Delta Air Lines executive Stephen M. Dickson was sworn in as the eighteenth administrator of the FAA on August 12.
AOPA President Mark Baker had urged senators to quickly approve Dickson’s nomination in May.
Dan Elwell, who was appointed as acting administrator in January 2018 following the departure of Michael Huerta, will now assume the role of deputy administrator.
“I am honored to join the outstanding team at the Federal Aviation Administration and look forward to ensuring our aviation system maintains its proper place, leading the world in both safety and operational performance,” said Dickson. “Nowhere else in the world sees the volume, complexity, and pace of innovation that we have in America. Maintaining the highest levels of safety while adapting to technological advancements will be a key part of our success. I am honored to be able to help write the next chapter in the history of the FAA.”
Along with the task of handling the aftermath of the Boeing 737 MAX grounding, Dickson’s priorities will be focused on safety, automation, and regulations concerning commercial space launch licensing.
Dickson will oversee the nation’s air traffic control system and the agency’s 47,000 employees dedicated to ensuring the U.S. aviation system remains the safest and most efficient in the world.
GA needs a voice, AOPA says
Association is advocating for TSA input
General aviation works hard to enhance aviation security but has little voice in policy decisions that affect GA pilots, AOPA said in a response to a Transportation Security Administration survey.
Only about 400 large airports with commercial service—out of 20,000 airports in the United States—are TSA-regulated for security procedures. At those airports, impediments to GA access to air operations areas and aircraft parking can be significant, AOPA said in a letter responding to a recent TSA policy feedback survey.
Each airport works with the agency to develop a unique security plan. However, transient and based GA pilots do not have access to the specifics of those airports’ requirements “because the information is considered sensitive security information,” said Nobuyo Reinsch, AOPA director of aviation security. “We strongly believe that there should be a formal process where the industry and operators can provide input to minimize negative impacts.”
AOPA’s response also pointed out to security officials that GA pilots are responsible for their passengers’ safety and security, and because pilots hold FAA pilot certificates, they are, in effect, “vetted by the TSA on a daily basis.”
Rather than subject GA pilots to the same security constraints as airport employees or passengers, AOPA advocates for a risk-based approach.
AOPA also cited the association’s long record of working to maintain and improve airport security, including the AOPA Airport Watch program, launched in 2003; a security fact sheet released in October 2018; and AOPA’s work with the FAA to rewrite the Security Identifications Display Area section (2-3-15) of the Aeronautical Information Manual.
AOPA urged the TSA to consider ways to solicit ideas from aircraft operators and “conduct impact assessments when developing new security policies and procedures.”
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