AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2012 - 12

AOPAACTION

COMPILED BY KATHY DONDZILA

What AOPA is doing to keep you flying

Long-term FAA bill signed into law
or the first time since 2007, the FAA has the certainty of long-term authorization to operate the air traffic control system, build up airport infrastructure, and develop the air traffic control system of the future. On February 14, President Barack Obama signed the conference committee report for the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012. The bill provides a four-year, $63.4-billion authorization package for the agency, which has limped along on 23 shortterm operating bills over the past five years. The president’s signature—on a bill that is free of user fees or fueltax increases—had been awaited since House and Senate approval of the conference report just days earlier. Conference committee members of both parties still sparred on the merits of individual provisions but agreed broadly that passage of a long-term authorization measure for the FAA was long overdue.

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“Today we have in place sound multiyear policies that reform FAA programs, eliminate expensive ticket subsidies, modernize our air traffic control system, improve airport infrastructure, reduce air traffic delays, and create jobs,” said Rep. John Mica (R-Fla.), chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, and the sponsor of the bill in the House. “We appreciate the leadership of Chairman Mica in getting an FAA reauthorization measure through Congress,” said AOPA President Craig Fuller. “The FAA has worked for far too long with only shortterm extensions that simply couldn’t provide the stability needed to support longterm projects like NextGen modernization. “With the question of funding resolved through 2015, the FAA can focus on the real work ahead, from modernizing ATC to improving our airport infrastructure. At the same time, the GA community can focus on recovery and growth in an industry that creates

Rep. John Mica

jobs, links communities, and serves as an important economic engine.” Mica noted that the new law contains reforms that “will provide the blueprint, metrics, benchmarks, and performance goals necessary for developing” the Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen). “This critical effort to shift from our antiquated air traffic control technology to a GPS-based system will improve air traffic efficiency and safety, reduce fuel burn and pollution from aircraft, and bring costs down for consumers,” he said.

The bill authorizes $13.4 billion in Airport Improvement Program funding. It contains language on through-the-fence operations ensuring that general aviation airport sponsors not be considered in violation of federal grant assurances for entering an agreement with a property owner adjacent to the airport for airport access. The bill also establishes a timeline for the issuance of improved, tamper-resistant pilot certificates that can accommodate a photograph, digital photograph, biometric identifier, or other unique identifier. Other provisions include requiring the Transportation Security Administration to use qualified private screeners, working under federal supervision, and a veterans’ preference for small businesses owned by disabled veterans of the Afghanistan/ Iraq conflict and the Persian Gulf war. Congress must still approve annual appropriations to fund the FAA at the levels authorized in the bill signed by the president.

NATIONAL

FAA announces end of paper medical certificate applications
he good news is that medical certificate applications submitted online should be processed more efficiently, medical certification processing errors should be reduced, and taxpayers should get a break on federal spending. However, the transition
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away from paper applications for medical certificates presents AOPA with some concerns for pilots who don’t use computers, and the FAA is about to make it mandatory: As of October 1, aviation medical examiners will no longer accept paper applications.

The electronic medical certificate application system, introduced by the FAA in 2007, is relatively easy to use, and offers several benefits to computer-savvy pilots. Errors that once resulted from poor penmanship or transcription—errors that frequently resulted in

delayed issuance of a medical certificate—should no longer happen. The electronic system should also make application processing more efficient, with less time spent by AMEs and FAA staff. This, in turn, will allow the FAA staff to focus its efforts on the more complex

12 • APRIL 2012
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2012

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2012
