Congress will have a full plate when members return from their summer vacations. Reauthorization of the FAA will be there, but probably way down the list for discussion or rushed through to leave time for health care, stimulus, and other issues that loom as potential hot issues.

The present temporary extension expires Sept. 30, the last day of this fiscal year. Both Houses need to agree on a bill by that date or pass another extension.

Neither the Senate nor the House versions have user fees, but the issue is not dead. Senator John Rockefeller (D-W.Va.), chairman of the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, has said he strongly favors user charges but omitted it from this version to get action. The bills under consideration are for only two years, not the customary five.

Speaking at AirVenture, Rep. Thomas Petri (R-Wis.), minority leader of the House Aviation Subcommittee, said that the Senate had indicated it would pass a reauthorization bill (S.1451) by the end of the calendar year. The House passed its reauthorization bill (H.R.915) without user fees in May.

“We want to get to conference to work out a good bill,” Petri said, urging general aviation interests to stay united in opposition to the user fees.

The FAA is moving to distribute all Airworthiness Directives (ADs) electronically.

In September 2007, the FAA stopped mailing paper copies of ADs and Special Airworthiness Information Bulletins (SAIBs) to owners and operators of transport aircraft. A schedule released Aug. 5 cuts mail delivery to operators of transport rotorcraft on Oct. 1 this year and all other rotorcraft operators on Jan. 1, 2010. Mailings will stop to general aviation owners and operators or aircraft, engines, and propellers on March 1, 2010.

After that, ADs and SAIBs can be obtained at the Regulatory and Guidance Library website (RGL.FAA.gov). You can sign up here for automatic e-mail service. The information also will be available at the Federal Register website (GPOAccess.gov/fr).

Don’t have access to a computer? After the changeover date, you can take out a paid subscription to a biweekly printed copy of ADs published the previous two weeks in the Federal Register. This will not contain SAIBs.

Emergency ADs will be mailed until further notice.

For more information: FAA.gov.

WASHINGTON. D.C. — FAA reauthorization has been introduced in the Senate for only a two-year extension, “so President Obama will have a chance to work out his program.”

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