AOPA Pilot Town Meeting - MSP 04/23/08

[JEP]

AOPA Pilot Town Meeting 04/23/08 @ MSP

Last night Dazzler and I attended the PTM that AOPA puts on. The main focus of the meeting was user fees and then they touched on some other topics. Being the geek that I am I took notes and figured I would compile them for the masses to share here at JetCareers. Actually taking notes helps keep my mind on the event at hand. The notes may seem a little jumbled, but I tried to catch the highlights. Anyhow, here you go.


Highlights:

AOPA represents 73% of the pilots nationwide and 58% of the pilots in Minnesota (which is under the average for most states), they did not mention that average though for the states.

Last year for the 1st time in the last two decades the number of certificated pilots in the U.S. dropped below 600,000.

Senator Rockefeller (W.VA) is the main individual pushing the user fee’s legislation through Congress. They showed several video clips and his main focus appears to be limiting GA access to congested (Class B) airspace.

The majority of the media blitz is concentrated in the D.C. area as that is where all the Congress members are living and working during their session. There was about $32.2 million spent last year in pushing this legislation. The lobby groups pushing have their website: www.smartskies.org.

Truths:

• GA accounts for only 4% of traffic at the major airports today.
• Airlines schedule more flights than there is capacity for in VMC. Now you add in weather, etc…and the delays start to add up.
• 25% of the delays are the fault of the airlines
• 70% of the delays are the result of weather.

AOPA and NBAA have combined forces and created a website to combat the media blitz from the lobby groups pushing for the user fees: www.aviationacrossamerica.org.

In the past years the airlines have received $38 billion in funds in a number of different ways. That number has come from: tax breaks, pension relief, and a number of toher sources.

John D. Rockefeller chairs the Senate Aviation Sub-committee. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchinson is the ranking member of this committee. She is playing a pivotal role for GA and Phil had nothing but good things to say about her.

Two Key Bills:
S2345 – Some of the key points for this bill:

• no airline tax break
• 65% jet fuel tax
• no avgas tax
• no user fees

S1300 – Some key points for this bill:

• airline tax break
• jet fuel tax
• no avgas tax increase
• $25 user fee for turbine a/c on an IFR flight plan

The FAA funding bill could reach the Senate more than likely sometime next week as and early as Monday 04/28. Phil mentioned that AOPA feels they have enough votes in the Senate to reject the bill that includes the user fees.

He also spoke briefly about the new FSS and how things are getting better on a nationwide basis. There is a complaint line for any issues that arise with FSS. If you have any concerns whether it be a bad briefing, busy signal, on hold to long, etc…..1-888-FLT-SRVC. The metric that Lockheed Martin is trying for is an answer within 20 seconds. They are not there yet, but the majority of calls being surveyed are answered within 1 minute.

The last topic he mentioned was that the ASF. A lot of good information there for the members to use. I read the NTSB reports regularly but the one fact that I cannot get over is that every week there is an average of 3 or more accidents due to improper fuel management.

During the program they had this cool anonymous survey running. When you checked in you were given an answer keypad and when questions came up you just answered. Duh! There was probably 150-200 people there. Most of the question related to the topic at hand but one that caught my attention was who would you vote for in the presidential election. As for the crowd it was generally an older (many retired age) group. There were not many younger pilots in general. I have been to a couple of these meetings and that seems to be the norm here in MSP as far as attendance. The results in this non-scientific poll:

• 60% McCain
• 29% Obama
• 7% Clinton
• 4% Nader

And with that I will close. If you have made it through the entire post, Congrats!

[Maurus]

Good to hear s1300 doesn't sound like it will fly. Then again weirder things have happened.

I may have to go to one of these meetings someday when they come to Ohio.

[Beech driver]

Thanks for posting. I was hoping to make it there, but other commitments prevented my attendance.

[JEP]

bringing back to front page for S1300/S2345 questions.



S 1300 full text


S 2345 full text

[Mad Doggy Dog]

Ya know, I used to be a member of the AOPA.

Back when I was a CFI building time for an eventual airline job, I always found it amusing when they called me asking for donations. What part of CFI salary did they not understand?

I think they put out a great aviation magazine. I always felt they were a strong lobby for the private pilot. They fight hard for airspace access for small private planes.

But when I started flying big jets into crowded airspace for living, I quickly realised something: Airliners and small private planes do not mix too well.

I have had 6 near misses in the last 10 years. Six! All of them in California. Four in the LA basin, two in the SFO Bay area.

Three of the LAX area close calls were the result of Air Traffic Controller error getting me in conflict with small planes near ONT.

The other two were private pilots screwing up.

The last one was an Air China cargo 747 not understanding English to well.

None were my fault.

All were scary.


Getting to my point.

I think the AOPA goes too far in pushing for access for GA. Most GA aircraft need to be kept far away from the airliners. And visa versa.

I have enough threats to worry about doing an arrival into LAX with out having to add the additional task of looking out for GA traffic because Angelina Jolie wants to fly her Cirrus from Santa Monica to Big Bear.

OK, Angelina Jolie can do whatever she wants [to me] as far as I am concerned. But for all those other private pilots out having a good time...........they need to stay away from the airliners. Far away. Far far away. And the AOPA needs to stop fighting to give these folks access to places they have no business being in. This is why I quit AOPA.


If I were king of the universe, I would decree:

No VFR traffic anywhere in the LA basin. Same for the SFO Bay. And the NYC area too. And the area in between FLL and MIA.

No VFR flights allowed in class B airspace.....ever! Especially ATL. And ORD. And JFK.

And at SNA, I would prohibit airline operations there. This place is an accident looking for a place to happen. Move the airline ops to El Toro. Or add 3000' to the runway, delete the noise abatement procedures, and kick out all the small private planes. One or the other.

I would bulldoze the runways at MDW, DCA and LGA, and put up some nice condos. I'd fill in the bay south of JFK and put in new terminals and 6 more runways. Then I'd take my bulldozer over to EWR and PHL, knock down a bunch of nearby buildings and houses, and put in more runways too.

And I would acutally see to it that the money that was already collected as passenger / avfuel tax actually went to imporve the facilites and fund ATC.



For those of you flying small planes without TCAS, just wait. Wait until you get your first job on an airplane equipped with TCAS. You'll be amazed. Amazed you've never had a mid air collision in your prior flying.

Newly hired Regional, Corporate and 135 guys, am I right?


Just my opinion.....


Rant mode off.