AOPA Pilot Magazine - August 2024 - 24

GUEST EDITORIAL
Protecting our
freedom to fly
Landmark aviation law ensures a bright future
BY REP. SAM GRAVES (R-MO.) / Chairman, U.S. House
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
AS PILOTS, we've all probably heard the saying that a mile of
highway will take you a mile, but a mile of runway will take you
anywhere. To this day, nothing is more exciting to me than getting
behind the stick and seeing where that runway is going to take me.
We live in the land of freedom, and the freedom to fly is something
that I treasure. So, when I became chairman of the U.S. House
Transportation and Infrastructure Committee in January 2023,
with a critical bill to reauthorize the programs of the FAA on our
agenda, I made it my mission to protect and expand that freedom
to fly for the general aviation community.
Over the past 18 months my colleagues and I have worked
to develop comprehensive legislation to secure U.S. aviation
and then shepherd the legislation through Congress. On May
15, 2024, the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024 was sent to the
president's desk and signed into law. I'm proud of this landmark
law for many reasons.
For one thing, during this highly partisan time in Washington,
it's next to impossible to get much of anything done. Bringing
together Republicans and Democrats to overwhelmingly
approve this significant measure was no small feat. This truly
was a team effort, from the aviation stakeholders, like AOPA,
who came to the table with substantive policy ideas, to my
Democratic counterpart on the Transportation Committee and
partner in this process, Rep. Rick Larsen, to our colleagues in
the Senate who went through a similar process.
The result is a law that will ensure the United States
maintains the gold standard in aviation safety, make the FAA
operate more efficiently, improve airport infrastructure, grow
the aviation workforce, foster more innovation, improve the
passenger experience for the general public, and more.
But of the many lasting impacts this legislation will have, I'm
most proud of what this bill will do for GA. This was the first
time an FAA reauthorization bill, passed by Congress, included
a legislative title-an entire section of the law-dedicated solely
to strengthening GA.
GA is the backbone of the U.S. aviation system. It's where I
and many other professional pilots, mechanics, technicians, and
others started out in aviation. However, for too long in Congress,
GA simply didn't get the attention it deserved. I wasn't going to
24
AOPA PILOT / August 2024
allow that on my watch, and I wanted to ensure that we maintain
and broaden this GA pipeline to American aviation.
This law, for example, expands BasicMed, which continues
to be a success and allows more pilots the freedom to fly. As long
as I remain in Congress, I will continue to protect and work to
expand BasicMed.
The law also prohibits the FAA from weaponizing ADS-B data
against pilots by using it to initiate an investigation. When the
ADS-B mandate went into effect, the FAA told the pilot community
that this safety-enhancing technology was that and only that:
for safety. Unfortunately, many of us know the FAA is using this
technology to surveil aircraft to identify potential noncompliance.
But through this law, we're going to hold the FAA accountable for
using ADS-B data properly.
This bill also puts a time line on the FAA's issuance of a final
rule for MOSAIC (Modernization of Special Airworthiness
Certification). Many of us are looking forward to seeing exactly
what the FAA proposes, but early indications are that it will make
it even easier for pilots to fly than BasicMed. This rule has been held
up for too long, and it's far past time for the FAA to put it in place.
Another important provision in this law, which I championed
for years, is an increase in Airport Improvement Program (AIP)
investments. AIP is paid for out of the Aviation and Airway Trust
Fund, which in turn is funded by aviation taxes that we all pay.
While this is money that was already being paid into the trust
fund and was available for use, Congress had not increased the
amount that could be spent for AIP in many years. I fought to raise
the stagnant AIP levels so that GA airports will receive more than
$1 billion annually. That's a lot of concrete for a lot of runway and
taxiway miles that will finally get built or repaved.
Growing up in northern Missouri, I never would have guessed
that the little stretch of runway
on my family farm would one day
take me to Washington, D.C. I'm
thankful that it did and for the
opportunity to work on a law that
strengthens our entire aviation
system and ensures a bright future
for GA in America.
REP. SAM GRAVES
(R-Missouri) is the
chairman of the
House Transportation
and Infrastructure
Committee and holds
an ATP certificate.
AOPA Pilot Magazine - August 2024

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of AOPA Pilot Magazine - August 2024
