Fri, Sep 25, 2009
AOPA Reiterates, GA is Ready To Do Its Part
The Federal Aviation
Administration (FAA) on Thursday hosted a meeting near New York's
LaGuardia Airport to discuss proposed changes aimed at reducing
ripple-effect delays caused by congestion in the Northeast,
especially into and out of the New York Class B airspace. AOPA
President and CEO Craig L. Fuller, Assistant to the President and
Vice President Melissa Rudinger, and Vice President of Regulatory
Affairs Craig Spence all attended to ensure general aviation's
point of view was adequately represented.
The meeting was moderated by Hank Krakowski, chief operating
office of the FAA's Air Traffic Organization. U.S. Secretary of
Transportation Ray LaHood and FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt
attended, in their words, to listen.
Fuller spoke up early, noting that although GA traffic in the New
York area is down 30-40% in recent years, GA pilots are willing to
do their part. Fuller told Krakowski, "If the FAA will aggressively
pursue equipment certification and take full advantage of the
technology by publishing precise GPS-based approaches that give
more airports all-weather capability, then GA pilots would have
alternatives to landing at the three main New York airports."
He also said that the FAA's recent experience in quickly
drafting effective new rules for New York's Hudson River by drawing
together representatives from the FAA, air traffic controllers and
key industry stakeholders can serve as a template for finding a
remedy to the New York airspace congestion issue.
A representative from an airports association reminded the
Transportation Secretary that any discussion of mitigation has to
include runways, taxiways, and terminals.
Secretary LaHood stressed that a commitment from the
stakeholders to help Congress understand the benefits of and the
need to fund all of the components of the Next Generation Air
Traffic System (NextGen).
"It was encouraging that AOPA and general aviation had a seat at
the table," concluded Fuller. "While the numbers show that we are
not a part of the problem, we are clearly viewed as part of the
solution."
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