AOPA-BACKED AMENDMENT TO SAVE MEIGS IN ILLINOIS LEGISLATURE
AOPA's lobbying blitz in the Illinois capital of Springfield is paying off. State Representative David Leitch (R-73rd District) has introduced an amendment that would require the city of Chicago to "restore and reopen Meigs Field as an airport for public use." The amendment is to S.B. 802 (download from AOPA Online), which would give Chicago additional powers to expand O'Hare International Airport. The amendment is currently in the House Rules Committee, which must decide to advance the legislation to the full House for consideration. AOPA members in Illinois are urged to contact their representatives in the House and ask them to support the amendment to reopen Meigs Field. "The willingness of the Republican leadership to introduce this amendment shows that Meigs is a much bigger issue than the city of Chicago," said AOPA Vice President for Regional Affairs Bill Dunn, who is in Springfield working with Illinois lawmakers. AOPA asked for the amendment and suggested some of the language. For more, see AOPA Online.
AOPA PILOT FACILITY OPENS AT FIRST FLIGHT
An all-new Pilot Facility, sponsored by AOPA on behalf of its members, is now open to assist the nation's pilots who visit the birthplace of powered flight during its centennial year and thereafter. AOPA donated the funds to construct the 900-square-foot Pilot Facility at the Wright Brothers National Memorial in Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina. Despite threatening weather to the north and south of First Flight Airport, several hundred pilots and visitors from as far away as California came to the park and nearby Dare County Regional Airport at Manteo to attend the grand opening ceremonies Saturday. Speeches, hot dogs, and tours of the Pilot Facility and historical park were the highlights of the day. "As a 64-year-old organization, AOPA was looking for something that was lasting, that serves our members, and sends us into the next century of powered flight," AOPA President Phil Boyer told the crowd of more than 200 pilots. "Let's have a round of applause for the nearly 400,000 AOPA members who have made this first-class facility possible." For more, see AOPA Online.
PRESIDENTIAL TFRs BAN ALMOST ALL GA ACTIVITY
As President Bush ramps up for his reelection campaign and continues to stump for his tax-cut proposal, those responsible for his security have apparently decided that general aviation is too great a threat to allow anywhere near him. The temporary flight restrictions (TFRs) that are created whenever the president travels outside Washington, D.C., state that "military, law enforcement, emergency medical aircraft, regularly scheduled commercial passenger and cargo aircraft may operate within the area"–wording that deliberately excludes Part 91 and most Part 135 (air taxi and on-demand air carriers) from the restricted zone. "Always in the past, talking to air traffic control and transmitting an ATC-assigned discrete transponder code was enough to gain admission for GA aircraft," said AOPA President Phil Boyer. "So what has changed? Is there a specific and credible threat? If so, tell us. Pilots understand national security concerns and will play by the rules. But if not, give us back access to our skies." Pilots need to be aware that the president plans to travel almost every day in support of his tax proposal, so pay attention to the news. If the president is going to be anywhere near your proposed flight path, ask briefers specifically about temporary flight restrictions in that area. For more, see AOPA Online.
N.C. AVIATION OFFICIALS TURN TO AOPA FOR NEW-TECHNOLOGY DEMO
North Carolina aviation officials, including state aviation director Bill Williams, flew to AOPA headquarters this week to get a firsthand look at new technology. ADS-B, automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast, provides pilots with real-time traffic, weather, and–eventually–airspace information in the cockpit by using universal access transceiver (UAT) datalink technology. North Carolina plans to install ADS-B ground stations across the state to make that information available to pilots. "AOPA has been a vocal advocate for using ADS-B-based technologies to bring new information to the general aviation cockpit. We've actively participated in its development with the FAA," said AOPA President Phil Boyer, who took Williams for a demonstration flight. "And we're thrilled to see North Carolina step up and offer its support in very creative and innovative ways to what is sure to be part of the air traffic control system of the future."
HONEYWELL WINS PRECISION GPS APPROACH CONTRACT
Honeywell has a contract from the FAA to develop and install the new GPS-based precision approach and landing system known as the Local Area Augmentation System (LAAS). While WAAS, the wide-area augmentation system, uses satellite signals to improve GPS accuracy for Category I approaches across the nation, LAAS broadcasts through ground stations to a small area to provide extremely accurate GPS position for approaches with minimums lower than Category I. One LAAS station can provide coverage for all runway approaches at most airports where installed and potentially to some nearby airports. Honeywell will build, install, and support 10 LAAS ground facilities at nine FAA test centers and major airports. The first system will be ready in 2006.
HUGHES H-1 TO FLY AT OSHKOSH, RACE IN FALL
The replica of Howard Hughes' H-1 Racer will soon fly again. The team behind the shining aluminum craft is preparing for a busy airshow season and getting ready to attack the three-kilometer world speed record this fall. As previously reported in ePilot, after a landing accident in January the propeller, engine cowl, empennage, and right wing tip were damaged. Repair work continued through the spring to get the Racer ready for a busy summer, including EAA AirVenture. This week, the team has brought the airplane out of the hangar for taxi tests. All that remains before flight is the completion of the last fairing on the tail. In September, Jim Wright, pilot and head of the restoration project, plans to tackle the three-kilometer record, in hopes of adding to an award showcase that already includes the world speed record (category c-1.d) of 304.07 mph set last September. Wright also plans to exhibit the Racer at other shows this fall. For more, see the Web site.
BRITISH PILOT CHALLENGES POLES FOR DISABLED PILOTS
Polly Vacher takes her charity duties seriously. Two years ago she raised more than $250,000 during an around-the-world flight for the British charity called Flying Scholarships for the Disabled. Now Vacher, who once served on that charity's selection board, is at it again. In early May she launched in her Piper Dakota on an eight-month flight around the poles to benefit disabled pilots. A pilot since 1994, the 59-year-old British woman has previously raised money by performing skydives. She is trained as a physiotherapist and music teacher. Vacher last added to her online journal in Norway, while she awaited better weather. She hopes to be in California by July for an extensive tour of the United States, traveling to 15 states: She'll travel from Washington to Maryland, returning to California in September along a route from Florida through Arizona. Then she'll conquer the South Pole and head back to Birmingham, England, via New Zealand, Australia, and the Far East. Follow her adventures on the Web.
SWEEPSTAKES WACO AT AOPA FLY-IN, GUARANTEED
Weather won't keep the AOPA Centennial of Flight Sweepstakes aircraft from appearing at the thirteenth annual AOPA Fly-In and Open House. It can't–the lovingly restored 1940 Waco UPF-7 biplane is already safely hangared at AOPA headquarters. Because heavy weather kept the Waco from attending the grand opening of the AOPA Pilot Facility at First Flight Airport in Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina, this will be its first appearance in the Mid-Atlantic region. Your Waco will be the star of the fly-in's static display, which includes everything from two-seat training aircraft to GA giants like the Pilatus PC-12 and Cessna Grand Caravan. And under the big top, vendors will offer everything from the latest gadgets and gizmos to insurance to engines and propellers. Visitors will also be able to attend a dozen different seminars, covering topics ranging from plain old hangar talk to buying and owning an aircraft, from safety to airspace issues. More information about the AOPA Fly-In and Open House, including arrival procedures and driving directions, is available online.
For daily news updates, see AOPA Online.
Inside AOPA
CURRENT PLANS FOR NEW ORLEANS AIRPORT 'FLAWED,' AOPA SAYS
AOPA this weekend told the FAA that current plans to privatize New Orleans' Lakefront Airport (NEW) are seriously flawed. At a public hearing held Saturday by the FAA at AOPA's request, Bill Dunn, the association's vice president of regional affairs, told the agency that the plan under consideration is not in the best interest of airport users. "AOPA does not oppose the concept of the airport privatization program as a way to bring private capital to airport improvements," Dunn told the FAA representatives, "but the proposal for Lakefront as currently structured would likely do more harm than good, could provide the private operator of the airport with an unfair competitive advantage, and could put existing businesses operating at the airport at risk." For more, see AOPA Online.
AOPA OPPOSES INITIAL MODIFICATIONS TO PHILADELPHIA CLASS B
AOPA has served notice to the FAA that it opposes any proposals that would eliminate the GA transition area east of the Philadelphia Class B airspace. The FAA has filed a notice of intent to modify Philadelphia's Class B airspace area, which telegraphs the FAA's plans for the airspace. The plan eliminates the current corridor between the Class B airspace and alert area A-220 around McGuire Air Force Base. In addition, the FAA would lower the floor of the Class B airspace to the east and west by 1,000 feet, and raise the ceiling from 7,000 feet msl to 10,000. More than 800 based aircraft and nearly 338,000 GA operations would be impacted by the proposed modifications. "AOPA strenuously opposes this 'straw man' design to expand the vertical and lateral limits of the existing airspace area," said AOPA Vice President of Air Traffic Policy Melissa Bailey. "The changes would create significant economic and operational burdens on operators in the Philadelphia area." For more, see AOPA Online.
FAA FINDS VIABLE SOLUTION TO CAPE COD AIR TRAFFIC JAM
The FAA in New England is calling on pilots to help alleviate air traffic congestion in the vicinity of Cape Cod, Nantucket, and Martha's Vineyard. Rather than trying to turn Nantucket's Class D airspace into more restrictive Class C–a move AOPA vigorously opposed the last time it was proposed–the FAA instead has instituted a more reasonable air traffic management plan for IFR traffic. "AOPA is pleased to see the FAA looking for alternatives to traditional rulemaking to deal with seasonal traffic congestion around the Cape and islands," said AOPA Manager of Air Traffic Policy Heidi Williams. Cape Tracon plans to use a special traffic management program to issue slot reservations for IFR traffic during times when traffic volume is expected to exceed Nantucket's arrival capacity. AOPA advises pilots planning to fly to Nantucket to check the morning of their flight to see if the slot reservation system has been activated. For more, see AOPA Online.
SOUTH DAKOTA ELIMINATES STATE PILOT REGISTRATION CARDS
This week, AOPA Central Regional Representative Bill Hamilton received a letter from first-term South Dakota Gov. Michael Rounds overturning a requirement for a state-issued photo identification card. In the letter, Rounds–a pilot and AOPA member–referred to the federal rule issued last October requiring pilots to carry picture identification and wrote, "Since the state's requirement would be a duplication of effort, and in order to keep our pledge to the pilots of this state, I have decided that our requirement for state-issued photo cards will be eliminated from the Administrative Rules." Rounds also outlined his desire to completely eliminate the pilot registration rule in effect since the 1930s. "It is fantastic to have a pilot and AOPA member in the governor's chair in South Dakota who understands that the aviation system is national and can't be subdivided by individual state requirements," said Andy Cebula, an AOPA senior vice president. "We appreciate the governor's action as the beginning of his leadership on aviation issues in the state."
Changing your mailing or e-mail addresses? Click here to update.
On Capitol Hill
AOPA-BACKED LEGISLATION ON THE MOVE THROUGH CONGRESS
General aviation will get some positive action out of Congress this year, if early indications hold. Yesterday the House aviation subcommittee approved two pieces of legislation that, if ultimately signed into law by the president, would implement two measures strongly supported by AOPA: government control of air traffic control (ATC) and an improved appeals process for pilots who lose their certificates for security reasons. Lawmakers included language to restore the definition of ATC to an "inherently governmental" function, which would make it more difficult to privatize the ATC system. The $59 billion FAA reauthorization bill, a multiyear spending blueprint that outlines Congressional priorities for the FAA, includes a number of provisions which would benefit GA. For more, see AOPA Online.
AOPA Airport Support Network
With warm weather approaching, pilots are not the only wildlife heading for the airport. Your airport should have a wildlife hazard mitigation plan in place to manage birds, deer, and other animals on and around the airport. The FAA Web site provides information helpful in understanding and controlling possible animal habitats at your airport, which can reduce wildlife risk. Every day, more than 1,400 Airport Support Network volunteers at the local level are working with AOPA headquarters to help save their airports. We need more! Below is a short list of targeted airports near you where an ASN volunteer could make a difference.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In Your Area – ASN is looking for volunteers at several airports in California—including, Lampson Field, Chowchilla, San Bernardino International, Susanville Municipal, and Willows-Glenn County.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
To nominate a volunteer, which can be yourself, visit AOPA Online
AOPA Air Safety Foundation
LET US GENERATE ACCIDENT DATA FOR YOU
It's always easier to fly on autopilot. Now, let us do the flying–by building for you a list of NTSB accident reports from among those added to the AOPA Air Safety Foundation's online database during the past 30 days. Accidents are displayed on the Web page according to the ePilot aircraft type preference categories that you selected for personalized newsletter content, such as "piston single-engine" or "experimental." But wait a minute–maybe you haven't signed up for this valuable service. Click on the link to access a Web page presenting the option to personalize your newsletter so that you can get more of what you want each week. See AOPA Online.
Quiz Me!
Here's a question asked by an AOPA member last week of our AOPA technical specialists. Test your knowledge.
Question: If I file a VFR flight plan, do I automatically get flight following services from air traffic control?
Answer: No, you need to specifically request flight following services. Flight following is a service provided by air traffic control to VFR pilots on a workload-permitting basis. Air traffic control can provide VFR pilots with services such as traffic advisories, weather information, or navigational assistance. The VFR pilot can call either the air traffic control center or approach control for the area they are flying through and request VFR traffic advisories, often called "flight following." If the controller can assist, he or she assigns you a transponder code and provides information on other radar-identified traffic in your area. But remember, the pilot in command is still responsible for terrain and collision avoidance. For more information, see an article from AOPA Flight Training magazine. In addition, the Air Safety Foundation has released a new safety seminar and Safety Advisor, "Say Intentions...When You Need ATC's Help," which talks about ATC services such as flight assist and flight following. Download the Safety Advisor from AOPA Online. The Web site also offers a current schedule of safety seminars in your area.
Got a technical question for AOPA specialists? Call 800/872-2672 or e-mail to inforequest@aopa.org. Send comments on our Quiz Me! questions to epilot@aopa.org.
AOPA Sweepstakes Waco Update
MONTHLY WACO RIDE WINNERS TAKE TO ARIZONA SKIES
Winners of AOPA's monthly Waco Sweepstakes drawings will soon be headed to scenic Sedona, Arizona, for their day-long Waco Experience. Each month AOPA draws the name of a winner who gets an all-expenses-paid trip to fly one of these beautiful classic airplanes. Many winners starting later this month will be experiencing their rides with Red Rock Biplanes of Sedona. The winners walk away from the experience not only with a few hours of logged Waco time and the memories of such a sojourn, but a leather flight jacket and a video of the event taken from the Waco's onboard video cameras. Look for reports in a few weeks from the sweepstakes winners themselves. See AOPA Online.
Picture Perfect
Looking for a unique gift for Father's Day? Order high-quality prints from the AOPA Online Gallery. Search the hundreds of images, select your favorite, and with just a few keystrokes, a print will be shipped directly to your doorstep. Orders must be placed by May 30 for guaranteed delivery. Of course, you can still download your favorite images to use for wallpaper or send a personalized e-card. For more details, see AOPA Online.
What's New At AOPA Online
Prepping for a flight test? Planning to add "parachute rigger" to your collection of aviation accolades? Updated airman knowledge testing information is available for recreational and private pilot, instrument rating, commercial pilot, airline transport pilot, ground instructor, flight instructor--and parachute rigger, among others. Download information for each from AOPA Online.
Weekend Weather
SOUTHWEST FORECAST
Synopsis: A cold/stationary frontal boundary will remain over northern CA/northwest NV through the period, with high pressure over central CA on Saturday and Sunday. Thermal low over southern NV/southeastern CA through the period.
Flying Forecast: MVFR showers/thunderstorms over eastern CO/northeastern NM Friday. Scattered MVFR showers/isolated thunderstorms are expected over northern CO/northeastern UT late Saturday into Sunday. Dry elsewhere during the period. Occasional MVFR/isolated IFR ceilings/fog over the Pacific Coast from KSAN to KSFO during the morning hours each day.
See the current weather on AOPA Online, provided by Meteorlogix.
ePilot Calendar
WEEKEND FLYING DESTINATIONS
Columbia, Missouri. The Salute to Veterans Airshow takes place May 24 and 25 at Columbia Regional Airport (COU). Airshow plus static military aircraft/vehicle display and a salute to veterans. Airport closed to transient aircraft; shuttle service provided from Jefferson City Memorial Airport (JEF). Contact Annette Sanders, 573/808-2171, or visit the Web site.
FLYING DESTINATIONS IN CALIFORNIA
Kernville, California. International Comanche Society Southwest Tribe Kernville Fly-in takes place May 24 through 26 at Kern Valley Airport (L05). Lodging at the Kernville Inn; raft trip Saturday. Dinner locally. Contact Mike Griffin, 661/323-0857
Llano, California. The Ninth Annual USUA Signature Event takes place May 24 and 25 at Brian Ranch Airport (CL13). Ultralight demonstrations and competition, skydivers, R/C planes, and classic cars. Free admission, 8 a.m. until 2 p.m. Contact 661/261-3216, or visit the Web site.
To submit an event to the calendar, or search all events, visit AOPA Online. For airport details, see AOPA's Airport Directory Online. For comments on calendar items, contact calendar@aopa.org.
ASF FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR REFRESHER CLINICS
(All clinics start at 7:30 a.m.)
The next AOPA Air Safety Foundation Flight Instructor Refresher Clinics are scheduled in Phoenix, Minneapolis, and Austin, Texas, June 7 and 8. Clinics are also scheduled in San Jose, California, and Columbus, Ohio, June 14 and 15. For a complete schedule, see AOPA Online. Can't make it in person? Sign up for the CFI Renewal Online.
ASF PINCH-HITTER GROUND-SCHOOL COURSES
(Pinch-Hitter courses start at 9:30 a.m.)
The next Pinch-Hitter?? Ground School will take place in Columbus, Ohio, June 15. For more Pinch-Hitter courses, see AOPA Online.
ASF SAFETY SEMINARS
AOPA Air Safety Foundation Safety Seminars are scheduled in Frederick, Maryland, June 7. Topics vary; for complete details, see AOPA Online.