Reauthorization Influences

In this past month, the House and the Senate of the United States passed the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Reauthorization Act of 2012. President Obama signed the Reauthorization Act on February 14^th 2012 therefore binding the new rules implementation. The Act funds the FAA $63 billion dollars to through 2015 allowing the FAA to continue streamlining the traffic method with Next Gen technology as well as refining airports and safety.  Three issues I would like to shed light on are the user fees, the UAS development, and the tail end time limits.

Many aviation enthusiasts are supportive of the bill and its motive concerns but not all made it through the political viewpoint. AOPA, Airport Owner’s and Pilots Association, from the General Aviation perspective were very pleased with the new bill, because government vetoed user fees and increased taxation on fuel. General aviation would have to incur these costs and therefore impact the industry in a negative manner and impede on the economic revenue achievable.  As we are well aware here in Michigan the economy doesn’t need any more acquired costs. AOPA wrote an article about their support with President of AOPA, Criag Fuller, stating, “AOPA thanks the Senate for approving this long-overdue legislation.”  From the flight student and soon to be Certified Flight Instructor the user fees could have impeded on flight training student and prospects by raising the flight costs per hour. Therefore influencing the jobs of flight instructors and many CFI on their stepping-stones to larger operations. General aviation is the food for corporate and commercial. Luckily for the most part legislation understand this small but crucial fact.


The Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS or UAV) issue really opened my eyes to the concept. I did not know UAV regulations have been in discussion since 2005 until this assignment. In fact I quite honestly had no concern for the development and production of UAV’s at all. However, as a pilot I did have concern for their influence on the airborne traffic, prospective risks and accidents, and communications. Therefore, I do agree with the development of strict regulations like the other airborne objects. The FAA released a memorandum of the UAS policy number AFS-400 on September 16, 2005 to be used in the evaluation or UAS’s. This policy outlines some current concerns with UAV and the parameters their operations are contained within. I was amazed to find within the policy UAS’ can operate on an IFR flight plan if abiding by certain rules. The Reauthorization Act would revise and develop these standard to include certification standards. The most interesting thing about this new technology is that this will allow those interested in being airborne, but are medically, financially or physically unable, to make a sufficient income being as close as they can get to their dreams. I’m intrigued to see if there will be an age restriction on UAS operations implemented in the new regulations. In short I feel this concern and development will greatly change the industry by opening it up to more options but also giving the skies foreign ground for accidents. Over the next twenty years and the popularity bursts even more I am very interested to see the impact.

Tail end ferry flights are the third issue I would like to address, as they have been a concern for the aviation community for over ten years. The CEO of Air Transportation Association in 2001 wrote an article published by USA Today about the FAA’s lack of rest and duty time concern. She mentions her recommendation to count ferry flights into duty time and rest limitations on all carriers. It amazes me that this been a concern for over ten years and even after extensive research and a major amendment involving rest and duty times takes place the ferry flight were not included. There is sufficient concern from a pilot, management, and passenger standpoint of the intensity these Part 91 flights can cause on the 121 industry. As a result I am extremely pleased to see ferry flight time to be consider in the 121 operation restrictions. Even though there is a benefit and disadvantage to the rule I feel the mitigation on risk outruns the profits and have either the pilot or company.