AOPA Pilot Magazine - February 2019 - 12

AOPA ACTION

AOPA named top trade association
'The Hill' recognizes advocacy on behalf of pilots
Washington, D.C.-based publication The Hill
named AOPA a top lobbying trade association
in 2018 for the fifth year in a row. Although
several commercial aviation groups also were
included, AOPA was the only general aviation
association that made the list.
According to the article, AOPA and AOPA
President Mark Baker, along with other top
advocates, industries, and unions, were recognized for a "demonstrated ability to wield
influence and deliver results on Capitol Hill
on behalf of its members seeking a voice in
Washington."
AOPA's advocacy arm was in full
force in 2018 to protect the freedom to

fly. Under Baker's leadership, and with
strong support from its membership,
AOPA and GA won the fight against ATC
"privatization." The membership rallied
with more than 200,000 emails, phone
calls, and letters to lawmakers opposing
the legislation.
AOPA has also been working with the
industry, regulators, and community leaders to ensure that public airports owned
by all of us provide fair pricing and access
to all aircraft and pilots. As a result of the
egregious fixed base operator pricing and
transparency initiative, many airports
have taken steps to improve their business

model by adding transient ramp space,
adding a second FBO for competition,
or reducing the cost of avgas. AOPA calls
these "self help" airports and will continue
to work on this issue in 2019.
Changes to FAR Part 61 also provided
a huge win for GA pilots in 2018. The rule
change would reduce costs to pilots by
leveraging advances in avionics, aircraft
equipment, flight simulators, and aviation
training devices. AOPA worked closely
with the agency on the change, which is
expected to save the GA community more
than $110 million in five years.
www.aopa.org/advocacy

ACTION IN THE STATES
MICHIGAN BILL WOULD LIMIT FLYING CLUB OPERATIONS
A Michigan House bill that would designate flying clubs as commercial entities and limit combined takeoffs and landings to 10
per day at private landing areas ran into stiff opposition from aviation advocates at a legislative hearing in November. AOPA Great
Lakes Regional Manager Kyle Lewis urged the Michigan House
Transportation and Infrastructure Committee to reject the bill,
sponsored by Rep. Jeff Yaroch (R-District 33). Lewis noted that
by lumping flying clubs into commercial operations, the bill's proposed definitions directly conflict with FAA policy and the state
aeronautics code. "AOPA believes that this legislation, if passed
as written, will negatively impact the current operation of flying clubs and the formation of future flying clubs in the state of
Michigan," Lewis said.
www.aopa.org/pilot/michigan

AOPA HOSTS SECURITY EXERCISE
An exercise held at AOPA's headquarters in Frederick, Maryland,
in December brought stakeholders together to sharpen their
12 | AOPA PILOT February 2019

security awareness based on real-world scenarios. Approximately
40 participants in the TSA's Intermodal Security Training Exercise
Program (I-STEP) considered hypothetical security-breach
scenarios as the basis for discussing their general security arrangements and exploring how they would respond to the kind of threat
posed by the scenario. For example, the discussion included debating whether it would be best to contact local law enforcement or
the AOPA Airport Watch hotline-which routes the call to the
Transportation Security Operations Center-given the nature of
the scenario.
www.aopa.org/pilot/security

PILOTS RUSH TO SAVE HOUSTON'S WEISER AIRPARK
Houston-area pilots are hoping they can save a Texas airpark
that calls itself the friendliest airport in the United States from
becoming a "prime location" for commercial real estate development. Weiser Airpark, a privately owned, public-use airport
with a 3,455-foot-long runway in northwest Houston, has gone
on the market after the death of Cecil Weiser, who was president
http://www.aopa.org/advocacy http://www.aopa.org/pilot/security http://www.aopa.org/pilot/michigan
AOPA Pilot Magazine - February 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of AOPA Pilot Magazine - February 2019
