AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2012 - 30

Vice President Joseph Biden and President Barack Obama.

President Barack Obama
1. WHAT IS YOUR EXPERIENCE with general aviation? How have you personally and professionally used general aviation? Are you aware of the economic benefit of GA to the nation and if so, to what extent? In today’s global economy, infrastructure is critical to economic growth and competitiveness. The strength of our general aviation industry is a critical piece of this, providing an invaluable service to our communities and economy. I have benefitted from general aviation for years, and will continue to do so once leaving office. The services provided keep families and loved ones close, allow businesses to grow and prosper, and create jobs that fuel our economy. I will continue to support the industry and the service that it provides. 2. AS AN ELECTED OFFICIAL, can you cite actions you have taken to support general aviation? I believe that a well-functioning transportation system is critical to America’s economic future. Whether it is by road, transit, rail, pipeline, waterway, or aviation, we rely on our transportation system to move people and goods safely, facilitate commerce, attract and retain businesses, and support jobs. We are building the NextGen air transportation system that is based upon satellites and GPS technology—rather than ground-based radar—to make breakthrough improvements in our air traffic control system. The result will be a more efficient, safer system that accommodates more planes with fewer delays, and uses less jet fuel. The long-term resources provided by the FAA legislation I signed earlier this year will encourage airlines to make billions in additional investments of their own. 3. THE ADMINISTRATION has proposed

augmenting the current system of fuel and ticket taxes to fund the FAA with a $100-per-flight user fee on general aviation aircraft using controlled airspace. A majority of Congress on a bipartisan basis has consistently rejected user fees on general aviation. What is your view on general aviation user fees and how would you propose to fund the aviation system? To create an economy that is built to last and create good jobs that pay well for generations to come, we must make investments in education, innovation, and infrastructure, while ensuring that we pay for those investments and restore responsibility for what we spend and accountability for how we spend it. All flights that use controlled airspace require a similar level of air traffic services. However, commercial and general aviation can pay very different aviation fees for the same air traffic services. To reduce the deficit and more equitably share the cost of air traffic services across the aviation user community, my administration proposes a $100-per-flight fee by aviation operators who fly in controlled airspace. All piston aircraft, military aircraft, public aircraft, air ambulances, aircraft operating outside of controlled airspace, and Canada-to-Canada flights would be exempted. The fee would generate an estimated $7.4 billion over 10 years and total charges collected would be used to finance roughly three-fourths of airport investments and air traffic control system costs.
4. AIRPORTS FOSTER air transportation and an integrated plan for airport improvements go hand in glove with national air transportation infrastructure. General aviation airports are an important part of the national air transportation system but are often faced with the threat of closure or limits on access and funding. How will you support general aviation airports as part of the national airport system? General aviation has a presence in every state, with more than 230,000 general aviation aircraft servicing nearly 19,000 small airports and regional hubs across the country. To ensure that taxpayer funding is used

efficiently and wisely, my budget eliminates guaranteed funding for large and medium hub airports and instead focuses grants to support smaller commercial and general aviation airports that do not have access to additional revenue or other outside sources of capital. At the same time, my budget would allow larger airports to increase nonfederal passenger facility charges, thereby giving larger airports greater flexibility to generate their own revenue.
5. RECOGNIZING that both aviation users and the general public receive significant benefits from a safe and efficient air transportation system, Congress has funded the FAA through an appropriation that combines funding from the Airport and Airway Trust Fund (aviation taxes) and the general fund. Do you support continuing to fund approximately 28 percent of the FAA’s budget with general fund dollars? My goal is to support our aviation system in a way that is more stable, fair, and transparent and that helps move our aviation system forward; both dedicated revenues and the general fund play an important role in achieving that goal. 6. FOR NEARLY TWO DECADES the FAA has been in the process of migrating from a ground-based air traffic control system to a satellite-based system known as NextGen that relies on the Global Positioning System (GPS) for navigation. What will you do to continue NextGen implementation within tight budget constraints without reducing funding to other vital aviation programs such as the Airport Improvement Program (AIP)? I continue to support significant investments in the NextGen project, as described in more detail above and in my budget proposals. 7. ON THE ISSUE of homeland security, the challenge facing policymakers is finding the right balance between security, individual rights, and the economic viability of the general aviation industry. In your view, what challenges exist and/or

30 | AOPA PILOT October 2012

AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2012

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