Apparently $448,000 Doesn’t Get You Much

Aero-Commentary By Bruce Brandon

ANN would like to report to you from the tower at OSH but your “open government” said no. Two ANN journalists approached the OSH control tower seeking permission to see what EAA’s $448,000 was getting by going to the tower and observing to be able to report. To state the FAA was less than helpful or cooperative would be an understatement. After being told “NO” and ANN suggesting that the reasons for the response were just bureaucratic replies, the brief meeting quickly deteriorated to being unpleasant. Bottom line, FAA doesn’t give no stinking tours, at least not to ANN.

Of course, this is in keeping with an FAA that has lost touch with the community it regulates and, at times, seems to hold in contempt. It was reported this morning that the FAA Administrator had a “scheduling conflict” that occurred several months ago that prevented him from attending the largest General Aviation gathering in the world that has been scheduled for years.

This “indictment” is not of the majority of FAA personnel who are some of the finest people in aviation. It is in no way intended to impugn these outstanding FAA people who work hard and go the “extra mile”. They rarely, if ever, receive the acknowledgment they deserve.

The FAA, systemically, has morphed itself into an imperial agency that doesn’t respond to the needs of those who have no choice but to deal with it. Here at Oshkosh, there are many stories about the lack of responsiveness and obstructionism of the FAA, of how it is a hindrance to GA advancement and difficult to work with.  (There will be more articles on this in later editions).

Unless it changes and changes soon, General Aviation is in grave danger of going the way of the dinosaur. Absent change, perhaps the FAA will become the poster child of why monopolies are bad. Isn’t it a shame that General Aviation doesn’t have an alternative to dealing with the FAA?  Competition is good. Unfortunately, all monopolies eventually start to operate like the FAA.

FMI: www.faa.gov