FAA Reauthorization: No, Ma'am, We Don't Like It
AOPA President Phil
Boyer kicked off the third and final day of AOPA Expo 2003
answering FAA Administrator Marion Blakey's critique of the
association in her remarks at the opening general session on
Thursday. Blakey said then she was surprised that AOPA did not take
part in a Washington, D.C., news conference on Wednesday in support
of the FAA reauthorization bill. "We didn't take part
because we can no longer support it," Boyer told
hundreds of pilots at Saturday morning's Team AOPA general
session.
The latest version of the bill, which the U.S. House of
Representatives passed on Thursday, contains absolutely no
protection to keep the government from privatizing the air traffic
control system. "The original bill would have made all jobs at all
levels of ATC government jobs," said Boyer. "This current bill
leaves all jobs open for privatization. And the two things you
members have told us over and over again are your biggest
concerns are a privatized ATC system and user fees. This
bill makes both possible. And so we don't support it." The audience
applauded in response to the AOPA stance.
Team AOPA is an
opportunity for AOPA's leadership to let members know what's going
on inside their association and to answer members questions.
AOPA Senior Vice President of Publications Tom Haines received
rousing applause when he demonstrated AOPA's newest free member
benefit, the Real-Time Flight Planner.
AOPA Senior Vice President of Government and Technical Affairs
Andy Cebula explained the nuts-and-bolts relationships that AOPA
has developed not only with the FAA, but with security agencies
such as the Transportation Security Administration, the Department
of Homeland Security, and the White House Council on Homeland
Security. He explained the daily behind-the-scenes work that helps
protect pilots' rights.
Karen Gebhart, AOPA's senior vice president of Products and
Services, told members that every time they use AOPA Member
Products, they help keep the annual dues down. Working with its
partners, AOPA receives a portion of the proceeds from every Member
Product sale. Gebhart also highlighted AOPA's medical certification
staff, who annually help thousands of pilots resolve medical issues
with the FAA. As she sat down, Boyer introduced the secretary of
the Georgia State Senate, Frank Eldridge, a pilot and 40-year AOPA
member, who praised the work of the medical certification staff in
helping him sort out a medical problem.
AOPA Air Safety Foundation Executive Director Bruce Landsberg
dispelled a common misconception about ASF — that AOPA
provides most of the foundation's funding. "Only 10 percent of the
foundation's funding comes from AOPA," said Landsberg. "Almost all
of the rest comes from donations from individual members." He
presented an award to one of ASF's major individual donors, Lessing
Stern, saying that his generous gift allows ASF to offer a number
of important safety programs.