WASHINGTON, D.C. — Three members of the U.S. Senate introduced a bill Tuesday, March 11, which mirrors one introduced in the House of Representatives last December, which would eliminate the medical requirement for non-commercial pilots flying day VFR below 14,000 feet in aircraft weighing less than 6,000 pounds and carrying no more than six people. […]
Capital Comments
President Obama’s 2015 budget slaps aviation — again
WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Obama’s budget for fiscal year 2015 is not one most in aviation will like. It again contains a $100 per flight fee for some GA flights —the same proposal that has been rejected in the past by Congress. Only days before the budget was released, four members of Congress in positions […]
Sell the sizzle, not the steak
WASHINGTON, D.C. — There is not much talk openly about it here, but the steady decline in the number of general aviation pilots has some GA advocates concerned. General aviation has had several boom and bust periods. From the time the Wright brothers’ first flight until the first commercial airline began flying from St. Petersburg […]
NextGen over budget and behind schedule
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Pilots and aircraft owners at all levels of aviation are reluctant to invest in the necessary new equipment for the Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen). One reason is that the FAA has not clearly defined what benefits will be achieved and when. A recent report from Calvin Scovel III, Inspector General […]
Over regulation, slow response time and inconsistencies hurt GA
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Numerous government regulations, slow response times for decisions, and frequent inconsistencies by the FAA are harming small general aviation businesses. That’s the message the House Small Business Committee heard last week from a number of witnesses who own their own businesses, as well as officials from the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) […]
FAA reports on drones and NextGen
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The FAA has made some strides in moving towards modernization, but is behind schedule and not fully geared for some other important issues, a Congressional committee discovered Wednesday, Feb. 5, in a hearing designed to check on the FAA’s progress in the two years since reauthorization. Rep. Frank LeBiondo, chairman of the […]
Other nations ahead of U.S. in use of drones
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The United States lags far behind other nations in the use of unmanned aerial vehicles, commonly called drones, but FAA Administrator Michael Huerta told a Congressional Committee, Wednesday, Jan 15, that agency will meet its goal of Dec. 30, 2015, for safe integration of drones in the national airspace system. Japan now […]
Busy time ahead for GA’s alphabet groups
WASHINGTON, D.C. — As the election year begins, Congress and the President are ratcheting up actions to gain an upper hand, which is putting issues affecting general aviation in both critical positions and on the back burner. This means a busy year for GA’s alphabet organizations, with both opportunities and potential problems. Ed Bolen, president […]
The best of times, the worst of times…
WASHINGTON, D.C. — “It was the best of times; it was the worst of times. It was the age of wisdom; it was the age of foolishness.” So said Charles Dickens in “The Tale of Two Cities.” Little did he know he was writing about general aviation in 2013 — and possibly the year 2014. […]