Advancing GA in state legislatures
By Mike Ginter, AOPA vice president, airports and state advocacy
AOPA advocates in state capitols across the country on your behalf. Our team reviews more than 160,000 proposed bills introduced each session and supports those that advance general aviation and opposes those that would bring harm.
Last year, we helped pass the Alabama Airport Economic and Infrastructure Bill, which provides dedicated funding for state improvement grants to Alabama’s 92 public-use airports.
In Virginia, we advocated for a three-year extension to the sales and use tax exemption on aircraft maintenance, saving our members 6 percent on major maintenance and repairs to aircraft more than 2,400 pounds gross weight.
In Iowa, we helped pass the Aviation Parts and Labor Tax Exemption, saving our members 6 percent on maintenance and engine overhauls.
In Pennsylvania, we supported the Airport Land Development Zone bill, which expands tax incentives and revenue streams for on-airport businesses at all public-use airports.
In Alaska, we successfully advocated to define new T-routes (low altitude RNAV routes) to provide lower routes through mountain ranges. We also worked with our industry partners and the FAA to publish guidance for establishing VFR waypoints for mountain pass entry; these will begin appearing on sectional charts in January.
In Maryland, we blocked a legislative proposal to study the impact of lead use in the aviation industry by educating the bill’s sponsor about government and aviation industry collaboration to achieve the same result.
And in Massachusetts, we successfully blocked a legislative proposal to repeal the sales tax exemption on aircraft sales and maintenance, which prevents a 6.25 percent tax for our members.
Again, these are just a few of the battles in our efforts to protect your passion for flight.
On the front lines
Fighting to protect GA airports
By Adam Williams, AOPA manager, airport policy
AOPA’s airport advocacy team—who are all active GA pilots—understands how important your airport is, and we work to engage with, protect, and promote airports.
Each year, we resolve approximately 200 airport cases, which fall into eight distinct issue categories, including hangar leases, airport development, revisions to minimum standards, incompatible land use, and threats to close the airport. We rely heavily on our Airport Support Network, which has recently grown to more than 2,200 member volunteers. Our airport advocacy can be as simple as hosting a call with pilots and airport management to improve communications, or as involved as developing long-term strategies to educate local communities and influence local elections.
In 2022, we helped save several airports from closure, including Midland Airpark in Texas; Detroit’s Coleman A. Young Airport; and Glenwood Springs in Colorado. We are fighting to save Reid-Hillview and Whiteman in California; East Hampton in New York; Hartford-Brainard in Connecticut; and Burke Lakefront in Ohio.
None of these efforts would be successful without the dedicated support of our ASN volunteers and our members who share our desire to protect community airports. Your participation is crucial to our success. To report an issue at your airport, call the AOPA Pilot Information Center at 800-USA-AOPA.
