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FAA Extends Comment Period for Medical Certification Exemption
In the wake of an overwhelming flow of comments from aviators, the FAA has granted a request by EAA and AOPA to extend the public comment period for the organizations' third-class medical certification exemption request, which had already prompted more than 14,000 comments in a brief 20-day period that closed last week. The overwhelming majority expressed support for the proposal, which would lower barriers for those wishing to fly recreationally while ensuring a high safety standard in aviation. Thank you to those who commented and shared this effort with your fellow aviators. Click here to leave a comment on this important issue if you haven't done so already.
Pilot's Bill of Rights Passes Senate
On June 29, we received good news from the office of Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-OK), a longtime pilot, EAA member, and AirVenture attendee. The U.S. Senate unanimously passed the “Pilot’s Bill of Rights,” which Sen. Inhofe unveiled at AirVenture 2011 and reintroduced in the Senate earlier this month. EAA and AOPA had compiled the list of legal issues and enforcement procedure background that led to the bill’s text, and also helped recruit co-sponsors for the measure. We thank Sen. Inhofe and the bipartisan group of Senate co-sponsors who supported the bill, which will now go to the House of Representatives for consideration. This is an important win for GA and protecting aviators’ rights.
The Rocketeer Highlights Fly-In Theater's 'Disney Night'
Last week, we formally announced that “Disney Night” would be part of the Fly-In Theater lineup at AirVenture. The special evening on Thursday, July 26, and will include a showing of The Rocketeer, a movie that has been requested by EAA members and AirVenture attendees for several years. Special thanks go to the Ford Motor Company, the Fly-In Theater sponsor, for its efforts to make this possible. Disney rarely, if ever, allows its movies to be shown for public outdoor screenings such as this, so we’re very pleased to work with Ford to make this happen at Oshkosh in 2012.
EAA Helps 'Keep 'Em Flying'
EAA Vice President of Advocacy and Safety Sean Elliott was in Washington, D.C., recently to participate in the "Living History Flight Experience" public policy meetings, which focus on flight operations such as those EAA conducts with the B-17 Aluminum Overcast. The sessions included aircraft operators and FAA representatives, and were three days of in-depth policy discussions. More than 30 policy items were reviewed, and Sean reported that the outcome exceeded expectations. Additional information could be released during AirVenture.
Work on Unleaded AvGas Continues
FAA recently released the final report of the Unleaded Avgas Transition Aviation Rulemaking Committee (UAT ARC), which included representatives from government agencies, aviation groups, and the petroleum industry. The report includes the challenges in developing an unleaded aviation fuel that has a minimum impact on the current piston-engine GA fleet. … One other FAA report that was recently released focused on compliance issues in the light-sport aircraft industry. This was an expected, systematic evaluation of the LSA industry since its creation in 2004. The vast majority of those compliance issues regarded documentation matters, not safety and airworthiness problems. |
