by Mark R. Baker, President & CEO
Aircraft Owners & Pilots Association
If you follow AOPA—in our magazines, newsletters, and websites for example—it’s easy to imagine that we spend all our time focusing on the big national issues that affect general aviation—things like FAA reauthorization and third-class medical reform. Believe me, those big issues do claim a great deal of our time and resources. But sometimes it’s the “little things” that can make a big difference for pilots, and we invest a lot in addressing those issues, too.
AOPA is actively engaged just about everywhere decisions that affect GA are being made, whether it’s at the airport, local, state, or federal level. Many of the issues we deal with affect only a small portion of our members, but they’re still important because every loss is a little chip away at our freedom to fly. And every victory provides a little reinforcement that helps strengthen GA.
So what sort of smaller efforts has AOPA been engaged in lately?
In the course of just a few weeks, AOPA persuaded the FAA to delay its plans to switch to the ICAO flight planning form, got Mexico’s aviation authority to extend a deadline to require GA aircraft to carry 406 MHz ELTs, convinced the FAA to keep publishing WACs while working with stakeholders to find alternatives, and won a commitment from Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to collaborate on simplifying cross-border travel for GA. During that same brief period we saw California’s GA Caucus grow; money returned to the Ohio aeronautical fund redirected toward airport improvements; and pilots in Nevada, Oregon, Washington, Missouri, Iowa, Texas, Michigan, and South Carolina benefit from pro-GA legislation in their states.
AOPA took an active role in making every one of these wins happen. We sent people to testify in state legislatures; meet with officials from the FAA, Mexico’s civil aviation authority, and CBP; educate lawmakers about pro-GA bills, and more.
Some of these issues may affect you—and if they do, you know why they’re important. Others may not impact you directly, but the ripple effects can be huge.
Take a South Carolina tax cut on aircraft repairs and maintenance, for example. When a state cuts taxes, neighboring states feel pressure to follow suit or lose business as aircraft owners take their planes elsewhere for maintenance. Not only does the tax cut save money for owners and even renters in South Carolina, it encourages other states to cut taxes, too.
AOPA is here to protect the freedom to fly, and that means doing everything we can to keep airports open, reduce the cost of flying, prevent overregulation, welcome newcomers to aviation, and much, much more. It’s true that these issues won’t directly affect as many pilots as, say FAA funding or user fees, but they still matter. The next tax break we win or airport we save could be yours.
www.aopa.org
800-872-2672
