AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - September 2014 - 98

SURVEY

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81%

of AOPA members believe
AOPA represents GA in
Congress effectively.

News & Notes
MEMBERSHIP

WHAT AOPA IS DOING TO KEEP YOU FLYING

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PILOT'S BILL OF RIGHTS 2

NextGen mandate
'inadequate' and 'unclear'
THE FAA'S "lack of an executable plan, unresolved technical issues,
and ineffective collaboration with industry," are "programmatic challenges" to moving toward the Next Generation Air Transportation
System (NextGen), Department of Transportation Assistant
Inspector General for Aviation Audits Matthew Hampton says.
Hampton also says that the "FAA continues to face technical, cost,
and schedule risks with its efforts to modernize or replace air traffic control automation systems that are fundamental to achieving
NextGen benefits."
One technology is Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast
(ADS-B). All users operating in designated airspace must be equipped
with ADS-B Out avionics by January 1, 2020.
"There is no incentive for businesses and individual pilots to
equip early because the benefits of the NextGen mandate are inadequate and unclear to many general aviation owners and operators,"
AOPA Vice President of Government Affairs Melissa Rudinger said.
"It is AOPA's position that the FAA should leverage existing cockpit technologies to move NextGen forward before mandating new
equipment."
The general aviation industry has been reluctant to equip with
ADS-B Out avionics because of concerns about installation costs and
uncertainty of the benefits the equipment would offer.
ADS-B Out, which broadcasts an aircraft's ID, current position,
altitude, and velocity from on-board equipment, would be required
in Class A, B, and C airspace, as well as in Class E airspace above
10,000 feet msl (except airspace below 2,500 feet agl) and within the
30-nautical-mile Mode C veil surrounding Class B airports. ADS-B
In (which is not mandated) brings traffic and weather information
into the cockpit, letting pilots see what controllers see.

98 | AOPA PILOT September 2014

A draft outline for a new Pilot's Bill of Rights
calls for the FAA to act on third class medical
reform within 180 days of the General Aviation Pilot Protection Act (GAPPA) becoming
law and also would limit Customs and Border
Protection's (CBP) authority to stop and search
general aviation aircraft unless there is reasonable suspicion of illegal activity.
U.S. Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.), author of
the original Pilot's Bill of Rights, made a draft of
the new bill public to solicit feedback before it
is formally introduced in the U.S. Senate.
"We can once again thank Senator Inhofe for
bringing key general aviation issues before Congress," said AOPA President Mark Baker. "This
new version of the very popular Pilot's Bill of
Rights comes at a time when the GA industry is
actively engaged in actions aimed at protecting
pilots' civil liberties and the freedom to fly."
In addition to language around third class
medical reform and placing limits on CBP stops
and searches, the draft also includes provisions
to expedite updates to the Notice to Airmen
(NOTAM) program; limit the liability of aviation
medical examiners, designated pilot examiners,
and designated airworthiness representatives;
make local airport authorities "the sole authority" on the use of privately built and owned
hangars at airports that received federal funds;
and a placeholder has been left in the draft
regarding how best to add safety-enhancing
equipment to the existing fleet of GA airplanes.
It further defines the applicability of Freedom
of Information Act requests to contract towers and other FAA contractors, and includes
several updates to expand the original Pilot's
Bill of Rights.
"The Pilot's Bill of Rights 2 will continue and
expand on the improvements that were accomplished just two years ago with the original
Pilot's Bill of Rights," Inhofe said. "Input from
the aviation community is essential to addressing the needs of aviators and industry alike.
I look forward to working closely with stakeholders to develop a final product and ensure
this vital piece of legislation makes necessary
reforms, cuts red tape, and is signed into law."
President Obama signed the first Pilot's Bill
of Rights in August 2012. That bill guarantees
pilots under investigation by the FAA expanded
protection against enforcement actions via
access to investigative reports, and air traffic
control and flight service recordings. It also
requires the FAA to provide the evidence being
used as the basis of enforcement at least 30
days in advance of action.
WEB

www.inhofe.senate.gov/feedback/pbor2
http://www.inhofe.senate.gov/feedback/pbor2
AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - September 2014

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