WASHINGTON, D.C. — The FAA is moving ahead with the rulemaking process to possibly expand the number of pilots eligible to fly without the need for a third-class medical certificate. This is in response to a petition from the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) and the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA).The two associations filed a […]
Warning signs in FAA forecast
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The recently released forecast by the FAA for 2014 to 2034 is generally upbeat for aviation, but when digging into the big report it had a picture not so rosy for much of general aviation. This should send an alert to GA’s alphabet groups and those in the industry to rev up […]
Light at the end of a long tunnel of decline
WASHINGTON, D.C. — General aviation might be seeing some light at the end of the long tunnel of decline, according to comments from officials from the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) at their annual “state of the industry” press conference. GAMA, which now reports world-wide data, shows that 50% of GA deliveries last year were […]
FAA forecast shows growth in turbine planes and sport pilots
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The long-term outlook for general aviation is favorable, even though the slow growth of the U.S. economy has affected near-term growth, according to the FAA, which released its forecasts for the years 2014 to 2034 today. According to the forecast, the growth in numbers of aircraft and hours flown will be primarily […]
Déjà vu in president’s latest budget proposal
WASHINGTON. D.C. — Anti-general aviation measures in President Obama’s proposed budget for 2015 will keep GA’s alphabet groups busy working Congress to once again defeat the same issue they have fought in past years. The main proposals affecting aviation are: A $100 fee for some GA flights; a reduction in time for business to take […]
Bill to eliminate medicals for more pilots introduced in Senate
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Three members of the U.S. Senate introduced a bill Tuesday, March 11, which mirrors one introduced in the House of Representatives last December, which would eliminate the medical requirement for non-commercial pilots flying day VFR below 14,000 feet in aircraft weighing less than 6,000 pounds and carrying no more than six people. […]
President Obama’s 2015 budget slaps aviation — again
WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Obama’s budget for fiscal year 2015 is not one most in aviation will like. It again contains a $100 per flight fee for some GA flights —the same proposal that has been rejected in the past by Congress. Only days before the budget was released, four members of Congress in positions […]
Sell the sizzle, not the steak
WASHINGTON, D.C. — There is not much talk openly about it here, but the steady decline in the number of general aviation pilots has some GA advocates concerned. General aviation has had several boom and bust periods. From the time the Wright brothers’ first flight until the first commercial airline began flying from St. Petersburg […]
NextGen over budget and behind schedule
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Pilots and aircraft owners at all levels of aviation are reluctant to invest in the necessary new equipment for the Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen). One reason is that the FAA has not clearly defined what benefits will be achieved and when. A recent report from Calvin Scovel III, Inspector General […]