Coalition calls for action
Groups join AOPA in demanding FAA address fees
A diverse coalition of 16 general aviation groups issued a joint statement calling on the FAA to take action against “egregious, hidden fees and denial of affordable access to airport ramps.” The groups said they want profitable and healthy fixed-base operators, but there must be a balance that gives pilots reasonable access to publicly funded airports. Among the ways to provide that balance is for the FAA to chart transient ramp areas on airport diagrams, giving pilots an option to park in areas not controlled by the FBO; facilitate FBO competition where practicable; ensure federally funded airports and FBOs on those fields only impose reasonable fees that are posted online; and stop FBOs from forcing pilots to pay for services that are neither requested nor needed.
“Egregious, hidden fees drive down traffic and cut off access to important communities,” the groups said in the statement. “It’s time for the FAA to ensure pilots have a right to reasonable access to federally funded airports.” AOPA President Mark Baker said the coalition will continue to grow and work together to pressure the FAA to take action at problem locations.
Groups urge caution on flight sharing
AOPA joins call for ‘safety first’
Flight sharing has been around for decades—even dating back to the 1960s, when pilots posted their trips on bulletin boards at local airports. Today, many private pilots split fuel costs when taking trips with family, friends, and co-workers. This type of flight sharing is referred to as “common purpose.” These practices were never meant for private pilots to “hold out” to the public for hire and compensation.
In 2014, website startups such as AirPooler and Flytenow were quickly grounded by the FAA. The agency concluded that private pilots participating in these types of websites required a Part 119 certificate because they were engaged in common carriage, which means pilots would be holding out with a willingness to transport people or property from place to place for compensation or hire. Flytenow subsequently took the FAA to court and lost the case. The agency believed these flight-share companies were bypassing commercial safety, training, and aircraft maintenance requirements, since their intention was clearly to carry passengers for hire.
Now, Flytenow is pushing the proposed Aviation Empowerment Act (S.2650) in Congress to change the regulations so the company can operate. The National Air Transportation Association (NATA) has rejected the bill, arguing that the model presents serious safety and security concerns. According to NATA, if an accident were to occur, Flytenow would bear no liability (but individual pilots might). The model also would create a potential situation whereby the Transportation Security Administration may see a need to increase security regulation of general aviation pilots and airports—a move that could adversely affect all GA pilots.
AOPA and aviation associations across the United States have worked collaboratively with Congress, NATA, NBAA, and others on compromise language included in the House-passed FAA reauthorization bill (H.R. 4), which would require the FAA to place safety parameters around flight sharing for compensation and hire so these web-based companies can move forward.
“We simply believe in order to facilitate this endeavor, especially given the recent court cases and legal interpretations on this matter, we must do this in a deliberate and safe manner,” said AOPA President Mark Baker. “In order for this public transportation activity to be enabled, similar to other operations that transport passengers for compensation, we believe it must be done with safety parameters at the forefront, with pilot and aircraft standards in place to properly manage risk.”
Web: flightsharing
ACTION IN THE STATES
AOPA wins in Hawaii with decriminalization bill
AOPA achieved its top legislative priority in Hawaii with the governor’s signature of a bill that decriminalizes minor airport violations that previously put the certificates and livelihoods of aircraft owners in peril. The signature of Gov. David Ige on Senate Bill 2619 turned a potential criminal conviction for parking in the wrong place, or storing nonaeronautical items (such as golf clubs) in airport hangars into a civil infraction. There’s a world of difference between the two types of violations, as AOPA Western Pacific Regional Manager Melissa McCaffrey noted in a letter to the chairman of the state’s House Committee on Judiciary.
Web: www.aopa.org/pilot/hawaii
AOPA backs bill in New Hampshire
In New Hampshire, “taking the pledge” not to pass new taxes or raise existing ones is a ritual elected officials have long practiced to avoid being voted out of office. That political reality spilled over into the aviation sector with enactment of a law that preserves state aviation funding levels but nominally increases some annual fees—not taxes, of course—paid by owners of aircraft based in the Granite State. Fixed-base operators and the fractional-ownership sector were prime backers of the law, said AOPA Eastern Region Manager Sean Collins. AOPA got behind the measure after it became clear that the association’s preferred alternative—a recipe including a pinch of fuel-tax adjustments and a dash of registration-fee restructuring—wouldn’t be baked into the cake by either the Senate or Gov. Chris Sununu.
Web: www.aopa.org/pilot/newhampshire
AOPA opposes construction project in Massachusetts
The city of Beverly, Massachusetts, has an unfortunate practice of selling land to developers instead of keeping it clear of aircraft-collision hazards—and AOPA turned to the FAA to head off the risk a construction proposal poses for flight safety. AOPA objected to a construction project proposed for Sam Fonzo Drive that would place an office building partly inside a runway protection zone, 430 feet northeast of the approach end of Runway 27 at Beverly Regional Airport.
Web: www.aopa.org/pilot/massachusetts
AOPA helps celebrate wyoming airport expansion
A $5.4 million project to replace facilities at Southwest Wyoming Regional Airport in Rock Springs, Wyoming, was celebrated in July. AOPA was on hand as the new general aviation terminal and new hangar facility for FBO Sweetwater Aviation were dedicated. The airport—formerly Rock Springs-Sweetwater County Airport—changed its name in February. The airport was built in the 1920s.
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