WASHINGTON, D.C. — If costs of flying have increased in recent years, one reason might be new federal regulations on small businesses, such as FBOs, airport managers, and others who must raise prices to meet increases in their costs of doing business.
Over the past five years, 157 new major rules have been issued, according to Rep. Sam Graves (R-Mo.), chair of the House Committee on Small Business. The cost of new regulations on the American economy has spiked by $75 billion annually.
The Congressman’s comments about new costs did not break down the added expenses by types of business, so the impact of aviation is not known.
In February the House passed legislation to require federal agencies to better assess the impact of new regulations on small companies early in the process. No action has moved on this in the Senate.
They have to keep creating new regulations to justify there having there jobs, or to show they have some measure of authority.
All congress does is sit around and create one new regulation after another and they just keep on piling up. Of course they are increasing the cost of flying ! I just read on another newsletter that some congresswoman is adding an ammendment to an airline related bill requiring that sexual assults commited on airliners be tracked and reported. I have never even heard of such a thing happening so how can this be such a problem that we need a new regulation that requires more tracking paperwork. Not to minimize the seriousness of such crimes but do we really need this regulation and all the expense that goes with it ? We are being nickle and dimed to death by these little regulations that while well meaning do not represent a great enough imparative to add to the crushing burdon of regulations that we already have. We need to be repealing regulations, not creating them.
Regulations kill progress by putting road blocks in the way of innovation. Regulations
puts road blocks that add cost to flying. I will give an example in the annual. Lets say
you need some work on your plane 3 or 4 week before your annual That will be part
of the annual it has to bee done over when you do the annual dose this make good
sense.
Another burden, that is increasing in the regulations, is the bureaucratic interpretation of the regulations. For instance form 8610-1, airman application for inspection authorization. Block 13 is for applicant signature, the FAA order that covers the instructions for the FSDO, requires that the applicant “print and sign” their name in that block, note the form states “signature”. The form is a federal document and regulatory to us, the FAA “order” is not, but is to the FAA personnel, so which action is required? This is simple just do both, however the same scenario is repeated throughout the regulations many where complying with the regulation and the FAA order,(internal memo.) is costly, difficult or both. Simply a case of Bureaucracy existing for and to perpetuate it’s self.
Your point about interpretation is spot on. Another good example is using 337 forms for repairs or modifications. I have heard you can do far more in Alaska than you can in the lower 48.
If you are talking about Field Approvals, I have always heard that about Alaska, Sam, and also, you can do more at some FSDO’s than others in the lower 48. There doesn’t seem to be any ryhme or reason for it. There is nothing that requires an inspector to do a field approval and doing an approval that ends up causing an accident or incident would probably cost an inspector his job, so you can see why some might be hesitant to do one. The FSDO in my area is great by the way and very helpful.
Sam’s comment below is the correct comment. Regulations cost freedoms – period (read that “Obamacare”, etc. etc.). On the other hand Len’s comment below is indicative of the mindset “well one more regulation isn’t going to hurt THAT much” and before you know it we end up with toooooooooo many regulations in the end – read that “elt’s, ads-b, third class physicals, etc. etc. etc. etc……………………………”
I find it interesting that Rep. Graves’ review covered only the last 5 years, suggesting they were somehow different than the past several decades. While I agree with the general point that regulations often have unforeseen consequences and may be ill-advised, I doubt things have been radically different the last 5 years.
I can’t help but laugh when congress tries to solve the problems they create. I think a key thing to remember is Liberty is not the safest. In other words, you can create the perception that the regulations are creating safety or some kind of benefit, but at the end of the day you give up a lot of freedom to have that safety.