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From
the EAA
FAA ISSUES NEW
ADVISORY CIRCULAR FOR VINTAGE AIRCRAFT
In a move intended to help keep vintage aircraft safely maintained,
restored and flying, the FAA has issued new
Advisory Circular AC 23-27, Parts and Materials
Substitution for Vintage Aircraft,
dated May 18, 2009. The AC, created by the FAA's Small Airplane Directorate in
Kansas City, Missouri, was a joint effort by the FAA in consultation with
industry representatives including EAA and EAA's Vintage Aircraft Association.
Read more
Protecting
And Growing General Aviation
AOPA and EAA
collaborating on mutual issues
Two of the nation's largest aviation associations, the Aircraft
Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) and the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA)
will be collaborating on issues and programs that protect, support and grow
general aviation as the result of a June 3 working session at the EAA Aviation
Center in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.
EAA chairman/president Tom Poberezny and AOPA president Craig Fuller, along with
senior staff from each organization, met to discuss how they can work more
closely to support general aviation (GA). They agreed to a collaborative,
three-pronged commitment to protect general aviation interests, promote GA
safety, and grow the general aviation community in the United States.
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Read more
HOUSE FAA
REAUTHORIZATION PASSES, AGAIN WITHOUT USER FEES
The House has passed the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2009 (H.R.915),
which would continue funding the agency through 2012 using excise taxes on fuel
and airline tickets and a general fund contribution, but no user fees. The bill
would provide $70 billion for FAA programs, including NextGen funding, between
fiscal years 2009-2012.
Read more
HOUSE
VOTE WOULD LIMIT REACH OF TSA SECURITY DIRECTIVES
Amendment now part of
TSA Authorization Act
Sometimes it's as much about how you go about doing business as it
is about what business you do. In the case of the Transportation Security
Administration (TSA) and its issuance of security directives, the general
aviation community hasn't been happy with either the hows or the whats.
The issue has recently come to a head in response to an outcry from the general
aviation community in response to TSA Security Directive 08F and 08G, which
require background checks and badges for general aviation pilots and aircraft
owners operating at airports with any form of commercial service. Thursday,
however, after an exhaustive and united advocacy effort by numerous
general-aviation groups, the U.S. House of Representatives narrowly passed
(219-211) an amendment to the Transportation Security Administration
Authorization Act that would address the "how" concerns by reining in TSA's
policymaking-by-decree practices.
Read more
NEW EPA PROGRAM COULD
THREATEN AVGAS AVAILABILITY
EAA working to
ensure current and future GA fuel supply
Announcements made by the
Environmental Protection Agency today could further tighten the screws on our
nation's general aviation fuel supply, making EAA's ongoing advocacy and work on
fuel-related issues increasingly relevant and urgent.
The EPA announced a
broad-sweeping program of air-quality testing and monitoring to enforce newly
adopted, and considerably more stringent, standards for allowable levels of
lead. This program entails EPA scrutiny of numerous industries and commercial
activities involving lead emissions. As part of this effort, the EPA will direct
state governments to examine whether general-aviation activity at certain
airports contributes to unacceptable levels of lead in the air. The new
standards lower the allowable amount of lead to one-tenth of previously accepted
levels.
Read more
CLARIFICATION OF ELT REQUIREMENTS
This week the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA)
sent out notifications to U.S. aircraft owners regarding upcoming changes in
emergency locator transmitter (ELT) services. NOAA reminds owners that after
February 1, 2009, satellite coverage of 121.5 MHz ELTs will end and that only
ground-based monitoring will take place. NOAA recommends that aircraft owners
transition to the improved digital 406 MHz ELT systems. This has caused some
confusion among aircraft owners, many of whom feel they are now required to
upgrade to the 406 MHz units.
Read more
PLANE
POWER'S GENERATOR-TO-ALTERNATOR CONVERSION KIT
Plane-Power, Ltd. has received STC/PMA approval for its new Gear Driven
Generator to Alternator Conversion Kit. The ER14-50 replaces the existing
generator and generator regulator on many small block Continental engine
equipped aircraft such as those powered by C-85, C-90, C-125, C-145, and other
engines. The Plane-Power ER14-50 alternator kit allows aircraft owners to
replace old, heavy, poor-performing generators with a factory-new alternator
that offers the benefits of high output at low engine RPMs, lighter weight (6.9
lbs.), and greater reliability. Learn more at
www.plane-power.com or call 877-573-5700.
From the AOPA;
GA pilots could
influence security measure
Members of
Congress are calling on the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to
formally work with the general aviation community to modify its controversial
Large Aircraft Security Program (LASP). Since the TSA issued its notice of
proposed rulemaking on the program in October, lawmakers have been objecting to
the measures in letters, hearings, and proposed legislation. Now Rep. Charlie
Dent (R-Pa.) has introduced a bill, the General Aviation Security Enhancement
Act of 2009, that would require the agency to engage in negotiated rulemaking in
order to find a solution for the LASP that does not impose costly security
regulations on GA without justification. He introduced the bill, which AOPA
supports, on June 26.
Read more >>
AOPA
works on aviation fuel specs
As the
industry explores new fuels for general aviation aircraft, AOPA continues to be
actively involved in fuel issues. The association participated in meetings this
week with ASTM International, the organization that sets consensus standards for
fuel used in FAA type-certificated aircraft. The meetings, held in Norfolk, Va.,
included discussions on leaded, unleaded, and diesel fuel specifications.
Read more >>
House
Homeland Security funding bill addresses LASP
The House
passed an appropriations bill on June 24 to fund the Department of Homeland
Security for fiscal year 2010. A committee report accompanying the bill,
H.R.2892, addresses several issues relevant to general aviation pilots,
including the Transportation Security Administration’s proposed Large Aircraft
Security Program.
Read more >>
AOPA and
EAA team to protect, grow GA
Two of the
nation’s largest aviation associations, AOPA and EAA, will be collaborating on
issues and programs that protect, support, and grow general aviation as the
result of a June 3 working session at the EAA Aviation Center in Oshkosh, Wis.
EAA Chairman and President Tom Poberezny and AOPA President Craig Fuller, along
with senior staff from each organization, met to discuss how they can work more
closely to support GA. They agreed to a collaborative, three-pronged commitment
to protect GA interests, promote GA safety, and grow the GA community in the
United States. “This is a logical collaboration that makes sense for the greater
good of general aviation,” Fuller said.
Read more >>
GUIDANCE
FOR VINTAGE AIRCRAFT PARTS, MATERIALS SUBSTITUTION
The FAA has issued a
draft advisory circular (AC), providing guidance on parts and materials
substitutions needed to maintain the safety of old or out-of-production
aircraft.
AOPA supports the FAA's efforts to keep vintage aircraft flying and has
requested that the agency regularly review and expand the AC. AOPA also asked
the FAA to consider creating an online database for vintage aircraft owners that
would have real-time information on acceptable parts substitutions. The
association offered to work with the vintage aircraft community and the FAA "to
provide the data needed to populate the database and develop new approvals to
benefit the safety and viability of the vintage fleet." To learn more about
caring for these aircraft, take the AOPA Air Safety Foundation's
Aging Aircraft online course.
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GA News |
CAN GA GET THE LEAD OUT?
AOPA is telling
the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that any immediate changes to
current aviation fuel standards to remove lead would have a "direct
impact on the safety of flight and the very future of light aircraft in
this country." Testifying on June 12 in Baltimore before an EPA hearing
on air quality standards for lead, AOPA Executive Vice President of
Government Affairs Andy Cebula said, "The aviation industry shares the
concern about lead in the environment. The general aviation community is
actively researching alternative fuels, and we're developing
certification standards for new fuels and engines. But despite a decade
of research and trials, there is currently no unleaded alternative for
100LL avgas that can be used safely by all piston-powered aircraft
flying today." Read more on
AOPA Online. |
COST OF
FLYING A HINDRANCE TO NEW PILOTS, MEMBERS SAY
When AOPA recently asked
members for ideas about boosting the pilot population, many responded that
rising costs in aviation are a significant barrier. "We recognize that rising
costs are a factor in the declining pilot population," said Greg Romano, AOPA
vice president of public relations. "That's why AOPA is working to reduce the
cost of flying on several fronts: on Capitol Hill, through discounted pilot
products and services, and by offering flight training scholarships." Cost has
always been a factor, but it's not the only one. AOPA wants to know your
creative ideas for getting more people interested in flying. In the 5,000-plus
responses we've received so far, we've heard clever ideas ranging from new ways
to develop communities among local pilots to opportunities to enhance the flight
training experience.
Share your ideas now!
AOPA
WORKING ON FUTURE AVGAS
100LL—its rising cost, future availability, and environmental
impact—is on the minds of everyone in the aviation industry. AOPA is working to
help find a viable fuel replacement that would have a minimal impact on our
members and general aviation aircraft. On March 17,
AOPA responded to the Environmental Protection Agency's publication of a
rulemaking petition to limit lead emissions from general aviation aircraft. The
EPA's move stems from a petition from the environmental group Friends of the
Earth. Removing lead from avgas without having a suitable alternative would have
a catastrophic impact on 30 percent of the GA fleet. Read more on
AOPA Online
TIPS FOR FACING DOWN FUEL COSTS
With the increasing price of avgas, many pilots are looking for
ways to conserve fuel and reduce the cost of flying. "Unfortunately, many of the
habits we formed in operating airplanes when fuel was one-quarter or even
one-half of what it costs today are not optimal given the current fuel prices,"
explained Peter A. Bedell in
"Facing down fuel costs: How to ease the high price of avgas" in the
September 2006
AOPA Pilot.
Read Bedell's article for 11 techniques to help you save fuel, plus several
products to help reduce fuel costs. Use the
AOPA Airport Directory Online to look up FBO fuel prices at airports along
your route of flight and plan your fuel stops accordingly.
HAVE YOU SWITCHED FROM PAPER TO PLASTIC?
The FAA is reviewing comments on a proposal that would require
pilots to replace their paper pilot certificates with tamper-resistant plastic
certificates. The final rule is expected to be released early next year, and
it's anticipated that pilots will have two years to make the change. Beat the
rush by requesting a
plastic pilot certificate online. You should keep your paper certificate,
with your original issuance date, for your records, because your plastic
certificate will have a new issue date. Ordering a new certificate costs $2, but
if you want the FAA to remove your
Social Security number from the certificate or its records, you can get a
plastic certificate for free.
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