Maybe it’s the changing times or the changing leaderships, but the various entities in general aviation are working together more and more on mutual issues. At this year’s Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) gathering in Tampa, Florida, heads of several major organizations will appear together on a panel to discuss issues facing general aviation […]
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Reducing greenhouse emissions
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The FAA and its counterparts in other nations around the world have agreed to reduce greenhouse emissions by improving aviation fuel efficiency 2% a year starting in 2012 and continuing until 2050. The goal is to reach a greater than 60% improvement in emissions over that period. Each nation will approach the […]
Anti-user fee letter sent to Obama
WASHINGTON, D.C. — House Aviation Subcommittee Chairman Jerry Costello (D-Ill.) and Ranking Member Thomas Petri (R-Wis.) sent a letter today with 118 signatures of bipartisan members of the House of Representatives to President Obama urging him to not ask for aviation user fees as he submits the budget for 2011. Costello and Petri started circulating […]
NextGen computer doesn’t keep up
The National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) said a recent test of the computer system for the NextGen at the Salt Lake Center worked well with light traffic, but failed when traffic volume picked up. Called En Route Automation Modernization (ERAM), the system is the cornerstone of NextGen. NATCA officials say there are numerous bugs […]
House passes training bill that may affect GA
A bill passed overwhelmingly in the House of Representatives Oct. 14 aimed at enhancing flight standards for airline pilots may have repercussions affecting all of aviation. The legislation, passed 409 to 11, calls for increasing the number of flight hours to work as an airline pilot to 1,500 for an Air Transport Pilot certificate. Current […]
House group calls for no user fees
Democrats and Republicans in the House are trying to keep user fees out of the President’s proposals for the 2011 budget. Rep. Jerry Costello (D-Ill.), chairman of the House Aviation Subcommittee, and Ranking Member Thomas Petri (R-Wis.) are circulating a letter, which is being signed by other members of the House, that calls for no […]
Study proves only that ‘watchdog’ group doesn’t understand GA
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Another alleged independent group has come out with a study of airport financial grants and revealed that they, too, know little about aviation. The study, released by a “watchdog” group that looks into government spending, says it found “billions of dollars flowing to low priority airports.” A release from Subsidyscope, an initiative […]
GA promotes itself
General aviation seems to be finally taking up the issue of public acceptance. The need for it was recognized nearly a half-century ago when manufacturers realized they were selling bigger and more expensive airplanes to the same people. The industry initiated a meager PR program and more aggressive selling, which helped sales pick up. Another […]
Buying time
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Congress has once again failed to act on FAA reauthorization and been forced to pass another short-term extension to keep the agency in business. This latest extension, like the several before it, is for three months, expiring Dec. 31. The House was first to act, as it was when okaying the full […]