Yasmina Platt
by Yasmina Platt, Manager
AOPA Central Southwest Region
Since my last report, I have attended Missouri’s State Aviation Day at the Capitol in Jefferson City, spoke at the state aviation conference organized by the Missouri State Aviation Council (MoSAC) and Missouri Airport Managers Association (MAMA) in Lake Ozark, and attended the Iowa Aviation Conference in West Des Moines. Hopefully you were able to attend the event in your state and I met you there. If not, I look forward to meeting you at a later date. I also expect to visit Kansas in the near future.
Regarding legislative issues… Nebraska’s Unicameral adjourned on April 18 without passing LB352, which would have extended the approach zones from the current three (3) miles to 10 miles from the end of every IFR runway in the state to increase safety and promote good land use planning. Unfortunately, the legislature ran out of time, but Senator Kris has committed to reintroducing it again next year.
Kansas, Missouri, and Iowa are scheduled to adjourn sometime in May, but we are still hopeful that Missouri’s SB769 will pass the House (it was already passed by the Senate) and head to the Governor for signature before adjournment. SB769 would require safety markings on anemometer towers that are located outside of city limits and that are 50 feet or more in height. These towers currently create a serious safety hazard for pilots as they are small, unmarked, unscheduled, and very difficult to see.
On a more exciting note… the airshow season has geared up and so has registration for the AOPA Summit to be held in Palm Springs, California from October 11 to 13. From the return of the highly anticipated Parade of Planes, a Palm Springs exclusive, to resort parties and outdoor adventures, the AOPA Summit offers an experience like no other. For more information and to register, visit: http://www.aopa.org/summit/.
As a great excuse to fly this summer, AOPA recently launched the Keep ‘Em Flying Challenge. Read Bryan Budds’ column for more information, as this is a very exciting initiative based on last year’s Georgia Air Challenge.
As always, feel free to contact me should you have any questions or concerns at yasmina.platt@aopa.org. I also want to hear about all the exciting aviation activities and flying in your area.
