Watch: Pleasance testifies to Congress on key GA issues

It was my first time doing this, which was both a bit nerve-racking, but also exhilarating since I love new experiences. I feel so much conviction to ensure the general aviation community gets the support we deserve given our enormous contributions to this great country of ours. Forums like this one provide such an important opportunity to remind our country’s leaders why GA has to be supported.

In the session, I was there to weigh in on the FAA’s progress in implementing the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024. It’s been one year since this landmark legislation was passed, and Congress is committed to ensuring the FAA is executing what was in the bill, especially as it relates to the first-ever title dedicated to general aviation.

By and large, the FAA is moving the needle: BasicMed was expanded; a national designated pilot examiner office has been stood up to increase DPE capacity; a pilot privacy program for the aircraft registry has been made available; the agency has significantly reduced aircraft registration delays and established a working group to address medical and mental health process reforms; and we are assured that 100LL will remain available at airports while we work on new unleaded fuels, just to name a few.

Representatives from both sides of the aisle posed several important questions, covering such topics as:

• The adverse effects of ADS-B being used to collect fees (watch here).
• The challenges of moving to unleaded fuels and sustainable aviation fuels (watch here).
• The importance and safety of experimental aircraft (watch here).
• The key “watchouts” as the FAA embarks on its journey to modernize our ATC system (watch here).

Overall, the 3.5-hour session went well, and I feel we landed our messages and reinforced the overall importance of GA to our country, while also reminding Congress that although we have opportunities for improvement (fewer accidents, better technology, and a more responsive FAA among them), it’s still the case that our national airspace system remains the safest, busiest, and most complex in the world. It’s imperative for Congress, the FAA, and all of us to make sure we don’t take that for granted, and that we work hard every day to protect it and make it even better for generations to come.