GA Serves America event at KAPA

[Everskyward]

Did anyone else go? I guess I should have posted this before the fact but I forgot it was happening until this morning.

The event featured Craig Fuller from AOPA and Mark Udall one of the the US Senators from Colorado. I wasn't sure what to expect but I think it was designed to inform the Senator about GA and the concerns of people in this area. Craig Fuller spoke for a while mostly about what AOPA has been doing recently and also about the John and Martha King incident. Then Senator Udall spoke a little bit about himself. Although he is not a pilot, both his parents were. After that they took questions. The questions were pretty much what I expected although this was not a fired-up crowd by any means. Someone made the comment that government usually overreacts to situations. He gave the example of the new regulation to require 1500 hours for Part 121 pilots after the Buffalo crash. Other people were concerned about the prospect of 100LL going away. There were the standard comments about the TSA with a emphasis on the new badging requirements. Then there was the guy who thought prop locks should be required for airplanes. I guess there are all kinds at these meetings.

Mostly Senator Udall listened. I don't think he has that much knowledge of GA although he has certainly been exposed to it through his parents. He also said that he didn't have any staffers who were pilots. He concluded by saying that we need to balance risk with regulations and that risk is a part of life and we can't eliminate it. He tried to draw the parallel between risk in flying and in mountain climbing which is something that he enjoys, having climbed all the Fourteeners in Colorado (there are something like 50 of them).

I got an e-mail about this event and I went mostly out of curiosity. I didn't have any questions or issues I wanted to discuss but I could hear Scott in the back of my head telling me to get involved.

 

[murphey]

Mari:

Can you write up a bit more detail? I was supposed to be there (writing an article for Colorado Pilots) but got sidetracked. Would be great to put it in the newsletter.

 

[Everskyward]

Mari:

Can you write up a bit more detail? I was supposed to be there (writing an article for Colorado Pilots) but got sidetracked. Would be great to put it in the newsletter.

If I had known someone was going to ask me about details I would have taken notes.

As far as I can recall, the meeting started out with Dave Gordon the new head of the Colorado Division of Aeronautics introducing Craig Fuller the president and CEO of AOPA. Craig Fuller gave a little bit of his own background. He has been involved with Washington politics for a long time starting with work in the the Reagan administration. He learned how to fly in California as a young person and has owned various airplanes over the years, the most recent being a Bonanza. He then went on to say that he usually does not have any breaking news to talk about in these kinds of presentations but he did have something to tell us today. He described the incident with John and Martha King which had taken place the previous afternoon. He said that he had drafted a response from AOPA which was going to go out as a press release.

He continued by talking about some of the other things which AOPA has been working on recently. One of AOPA's successes has been the elimination of proposed user fees from the reauthorization bill. AOPA has also worked on developing a GA caucus in both the Senate and the House. I believe he said that about 25% of the members of both bodies are members of this caucus.

After that he introduced Senator Mark Udall who was invited to this event so that he could hear the concerns of people in the the Colorado aviation community. Senator Udall gave a little background information about himself. He said that both of his parents had been pilots and that he had flown quite a bit in small GA airplanes while growing up in Tuscon. He related a story which he said was family legend in which his mom learned to fly unbeknownst to his dad. One day when both his mom and his dad were sitting in the airplane getting ready to leave his dad got out of the airplane to go back into the building for some reason and his mom started up the airplane and took off, much to the obvious surprise of his dad.

After that they asked for questions. One person brought up the TSA requirement for badging and how the requirement is unnecessary and onerous. He noted that the secure part of most airports are usually far away from where the hangars are located. I don't know much about the badging requirements because KAPA is not one of the airports which require it as there are no airlines here. I have always been able to get by with just a company ID. The only place I have been questioned about badging is at CYYC (Calgary International) but I pointed out that I was in an N-numbered airplane and obviously a transient.

Someone else brought up his concern about the availability of 100LL in the future since the EPA has said that lead in fuels needs to be eliminated. Craig Fuller said that this is something they have been working on at AOPA. They are trying to convince the EPA that the amount of lead used in fuels by GA airplanes is so small that it shouldn't be a concern. He also said that there are companies trying to come with alternative fuels and that engine manufacturers are doing research to develop engines which will not need leaded fuel. He also mentioned that the European manufacturer of the lead additive which is used has committed to continue producing it.

There were a number of people from educational institutions who asked questions. One of them was concerned about the passage of the bill which increases the time needed to be hired by a Part 121 carrier to 1500 hours. He thought this was a knee-jerk reaction to the Buffalo crash. Someone else pointed out that both pilots had more than 1500 hours and that it isn't hours which count but relevant experience. Senator Udall responded that it is sometimes difficult in the wake of a tragedy when a group of bereaved people come and want something done about a situation which they believe caused the death of their loved ones. The instinct is to want to do something to help these people but maybe sometimes the reaction is rushed and not well considered. Craig Fuller added that there needs to be a balance between safety and overregulation but he also agreed that relevant experience is the key, not just the absolute number of hours. He also mentioned having a discussion on the same subject with another group of pilots and one of them thought 1500 hours wasn't nearly enough.

Regarding the Buffalo crash, someone else commented that pilot fatigue was a problem. The FO had to commute across the country and couldn't afford to stay in a hotel because her pay was too low. Senator Udall responded that in the past airlines were regulated like utilities and they could afford to pay more. Now with deregulation the airlines have been cutting in every way they can. However he basically said that that was then and this is now and that although he recognizes the problem he doesn't have any way to fix it.

On a similar note, someone else pointed out that student starts are quite low right now and that they are concerned there will be a shortage of pilots in the future. The cost of going through some of these schools is pretty high. Someone mentioned $80,000 from zero time to CFI. I'm not sure if this includes some sort of degree too. Senator Udall mentioned a low interest loan program for doctors who also spend a lot on their education and wondered out loud if that might also be an option for pilots. Craig Fuller said that AOPA has been trying to encourage people to learn how to fly but statistics show that 70% of the people who start never finish.

Someone else asked Senator Udall if any of his staffers were pilots or former pilots. He said that none of them were but that they were always available to help.

There were a couple other questions and comments. One guy who I believe sells hangars asked about through-the-fence operations. He was referred to someone else. Then there was the guy who thought all airplanes should have prop locks.

In conclusion Senator Udall said that much of what has gone on as far as regulation is concerned in recent history has been in response to 9/11. He noted that there needs to be a balance between safety and overregulation and that risk is a part of life and we cannot ever be completely safe. He brought up the fact that he is a mountain climber who has climbed all the Fourteeners in Colorado so he recognizes risk vs. reward and thinks it is similar to what we face in flying. Craig Fuller then presented Senator Udall with a plaque and the meeting was over although Craig Fuller stayed to answer more questions.

That's about all I can remember which is more that I thought I could remember. Take into account that this is all paraphrased and that my memory isn't always all that great. I also don't necessarily have a good grasp on many of the things they spoke about since I don't follow all the issues, so the details may be fuzzy. Hopefully you can get some more input for your article. I saw some members of the CPA at the meeting, a couple of whom I know are writers.