AOPA President Mark Baker is calling on AOPA members to contact their representatives in Congress and urge them to support the Certainty for General Aviation Pilots Act of 2021, which clarifies that giving or receiving flight training is not considered carrying a passenger for compensation or hire.
“I am asking you to please contact your representatives in Congress today and urge them to cosponsor the Certainty for General Aviation Pilots Act of 2021 (S. 2458 and H.R. 4645),” Baker said in the August 10 call to action.
The need for a LODA to train in experimental category aircraft and an exemption to train in limited (warbird) or primary category aircraft is a paper exercise and counters guidance FAA inspectors had been using for decades, FAA Administrator Steve Dickson admitted July 29 during EAA AirVenture.
AOPA believes the extra red tape will have a negative impact on aviation safety.
“Flight instruction should never be interpreted as commercial transportation nor carrying persons or property for compensation,” Baker continued. “This sudden change in long standing FAA policy places a new burden on thousands of pilots, aircraft owners, and qualified flight instructors.
“This is a safety issue and pilots and instructors who receive and give flight instruction should be able to do so with confidence and without the burden of uncertainty.”
The Certainty for General Aviation Pilots Act of 2021 that Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) and Rep. Sam Graves (R-Mo.) introduced July 22 makes clear that flight training in those aircraft does not qualify as carrying a passenger for compensation.
Members should email their senators and representatives and encourage them to cosponsor S.2458 and H.R. 4645.