Aviation Organizations Give A Peek At What 2006 Will Hold
By ANN Correspondent Aleta Vinas
Here is what the “alphabet groups” and other
aviation organizations say is in store for the coming year.
National Business Aviation Association
(NBAA)
The look ahead into 2006 by NBAA President and CEO Ed
Bolen:
Business aviation safety will remain a key focal point for NBAA.
While we will continue to promote the industry's safety record, the
Association will also support the development of new industry
products to support safe flight.
NBAA will also continue working with government officials to
make the procedure for accessing National Airport more workable,
and we will continue to push for implementation of the
Transportation Security Administration Access Certificate (TSAAC),
a voluntary general aviation security program that could help bring
common sense to TFR policies.
NBAA will keep fighting to preserve the affordability of
airspace system use for business aviation. There is a growing
inevitability of a user fee fight on Capitol Hill, and NBAA will
oppose attempts to implement user fees. NBAA will also oppose
onerous tax policies and other proposals that threaten the
viability of business aviation.
National Air and Space Museum (NASM)
Some of the new things we’ll see in 2006 according to
Michael Marcus Public Affairs Specialist:
2006 - The Air Transportation gallery at the National Air and
Space Museum's flagship building on the National Mall in Washington
will close on Jan. 9, 2006, in preparation for a new exhibition the
following year.
The gallery is home to an array of airplanes representing the
development of early commercial air travel, from the Douglas M-2
biplane, used for moving mail in the 1920s, to the forward fuselage
of a 1950s Douglas DC-7 airliner, which has an interior accessible
to visitors.
After the gallery closes, aircraft will still be visible over
barriers erected on the museum's first floor and from the gallery
overlook on the second floor. Some of the airplanes are suspended
level to the second floor.
The exhibition "America by Air," opening in 2007, will present
an expanded history of commercial air travel, from early attempts
to form airlines only a few years after the invention of powered
flight to the commercial challenges and technical sophistication of
the 21st-century jet age.
Aircraft Owner’s and Pilot’s Association
(AOPA)
The issues for Phil Boyer and AOPA in the coming
year:
Looking forward, AOPA is girding for what promises to be the
most bruising battle yet over the issue of the FAA’s funding
and their transparent push for user fees — a
“new” revenue source tied to the services rendered.
Although the FAA’s
next reauthorization legislation is not due for nearly two years,
the agency is already laying the groundwork for a fee-for-service
funding system, claiming that the aviation trust fund is going
broke, even though numbers from the White House’s own Office
of Management and Budget disagree. AOPA contends that Congress is
-- and must remain -– the board of directors for the FAA. The
Congressional budgeting process works, as does the fuel tax -- a
highly efficient way to collect funds from the general aviation
community. In addition, because the entire nation benefits from a
robust aviation system, it’s appropriate for some 25% of the
FAA’s funding to come from the general tax fund, and
including that general tax funding would provide the FAA with the
money it needs — without resorting to user fees.
With the crippling effects of user fee systems around the world
serving as vivid evidence of the concept’s innate failings,
AOPA believes that user fees are absolutely the wrong way to fund
America’s air traffic control system – the busiest and
the safest ATC system in the world. For that reason, even though
the FAA’s reauthorization bill won’t even be considered
until 2007, AOPA is already taking on the FAA for rhetoric that
obscures the true funding situation.
The Association will also keep pressure on the FAA to deliver
more WAAS instrument approaches. The Wide Area Augmentation System
(WAAS) uses Global Positioning Satellites augmented by ground
stations to provide very precise vertical guidance in bad weather
conditions. WAAS approaches cost about one-twentieth as much as the
current instrument landing system, and have the potential to turn
nearly every airport in the United States into all-weather
facilities.
AOPA will also work with the FAA in 2006 as the agency explores
the possible benefits of using ADS-B – Automatic Dependent
Surveillance-Broadcast – nationwide. As demonstrated in the
Capstone project in Alaska, ADS-B can greatly enhance a
pilot’s situational awareness by providing traffic and
weather displays in-cockpit, and can give air traffic controllers
radar-like coverage in areas that otherwise have no radar
capabilities. ADS-B may provide a relatively low-cost replacement
for aging radar infrastructure. But AOPA is also working to ensure
that the system is relatively low-cost for pilots, and the any
timeline for equipage is reasonable.
Of course, AOPA will continue to try to improve general aviation
safety through the efforts of the AOPA Air Safety Foundation.
During 2006, the Foundation will greatly expand its offering of
online safety courses, seeking to continue the decades-long
downward trend in aviation accidents and fatalities.
The bottom line as we head into 2006 is that for most pilots
nationwide, general aviation is in strong shape, , but there are
significant challenges – and opportunities – that AOPA
is preparing to face in order to protect the interests of general
aviation owners and pilots.
Women in Aviation International (WAI)
Eyes are on the WAI Conference in 2006:
WAI International Conference Energy Revs Up
There are just three months left before the 17th Annual
International Women in Aviation Conference ribbon cutting at the
Opryland Hotel, March 23-25, 2006, and the offices of Women in
Aviation, International are beginning to buzz with that contagious
conference energy. The brochures have gone out, sponsorships are
coming in, the Conference program is in production, and we are busy
collecting items for our famous WAI Endowment Fund Silent Auction
(wait until you see the great treats we have for bidding on this
year!).
So, are you ready to hobnob with the denizens of the budding
commercial space business? Want some advice from a corporate
executive who's been there on how to get to the top of your career?
Are you a student confused about where the most opportunity will be
in the aviation and aerospace industries of tomorrow? Are you a new
or fledgling pilot unsure where the women are at the airport? Are
you a teacher who seeks to inspire and excite students with great
math and science lesson plans? Are you an executive or business
owner looking for ways to network with other women in your field?
If you can attend only one conference this year, the 17th Annual
International Women in Aviation Conference is the one for you.
The theme says it all - our speakers, from the President of
Virgin Galactic, the first commercial passenger carrying orbital
company; to NASA Commander Col. Eileen Collins, the first to take a
space shuttle back into orbit after the Columbia disaster; to
Boeing's Nicole Piasecki and the head of the FAA, the Honorable
Marion Blakey, are ready to help you "Reach New Heights of Success"
in your personal and professional life.
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)
The FAA projects for 2006:
In Q1 the focus will be achieving a voluntary and fair solution
in the Air Traffic Control contract negations.
The FAA will be unveiling several new runways throughout the
year, helping to alleviate delays. New runways and runway
extensions provide the most significant capacity increases. The
planned openings include Philadelphia (PA), St. Louis (MO),
Washington D.C. and Atlanta (GA).
Starting work on the next reauthorization for the FAA will begin
in 2005 though not due until 2007. The FAA will work closely with
the administration on Capitol Hill. One of the items of importance
to be covered will be the current state of the aviation trust fund.
Talks will focus on modifying the fund to create a more stable
account.
Public meetings on the Notice of Proposed Rule Making (NPRM)
regarding the Washington ADIZ will continue into 2006. The FAA will
be working with the Law Enforcement Security Agencies to make a
more workable form for the current ADIZ
International Women’s Air and Space Museum
(IWASM)
New exhibits and education the focus in 2006 according to
Toni Mullee, Director of External Affairs:
We have wonderful plans for 2006. Focus will continue on
education and will be expanded to include programming for high
school girls. We will continue to engage the local community
through programs both on- and off-site.
We have exciting plans for exhibits in 2006 as well. Our planned
exhibits include: the History of Flight Attendants (scheduled to
open June 2006), the Mercury 13, and a GAT 1 Flight Simulator,
which will provide a hands-on opportunity for all visitors.
As always, admission to the museum is free. Exhibits are open
during regular airport hours, generally 8 am - 8 pm 7 days a
week.
Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA)
There is much to eagerly anticipate in the coming year for
recreational aviation. There are, naturally, many challenges as
well.
Some of the constant challenges include:
- Addressing the medical certificate backlog, an issue that
affects every pilot from Private Pilot rating and up (EAA has
already advanced proposals from its Aeromedical Council to assist
the FAA in solving this problem);
- Defending airspace use against punitive restrictions on general
and recreational aviation, such as in the Washington D.C. ADIZ
situation;
- Vigilance against any attempt to make user fees a part of the
general-aviation system, which would throw a huge economic hurdle
in the path of individual pilots and the aircraft;
- Education of the public on how GA aircraft are not a threat to
the nation’s security and supply safe, efficient
transportation and recreation for millions of people.
An increase in amateur-built aircraft accidents in the past year
also warrants watching. While the trends over the past decade show
a decreasing number of accidents and fatalities, a single
year’s increase reminds everyone that safety is the most
important factor in flying. While there are no indications that the
past year’s increase is more than a statistical blip, EAA
will continue to develop and support its safety programs that have
been a major part of the overall accident rate decline.
Also, EAA will continue to monitor the “51 percent”
rule, what Poberezny calls “the crown jewel” in the
nation’s homebuilt aircraft regulations. This rule has been
in place for more than 50 years, and created an innovative and
successful community of designers, builders and businesses that
have brought ideas to the entire aviation world. For the good of
the entire community, EAA will work to ensure that both the letter
and the spirit of the 51 percent rule are followed.
In sport pilot/light-sport aircraft, education and
implementation will continue to play a major role in the next year
for EAA. Now that the interest in the sport pilot certificate has
been established, making sure adequate resources are available for
those who want to pursue sport pilot flying is an essential goal
for EAA. In addition, making light-sport aircraft affordable to all
who are seeking this opportunity is possible as the market
develops. Opening the way for more people to fly as sport pilots by
overcoming medical setbacks is also on EAA’s list of goals
for 2006.
EAA AirVenture 2006 will again be The World’s Greatest
Aviation Celebration, and the planning has already started for the
event, which will take place July 24-30. There is much excitement
already about next summer’s event as the world of flight
comes together once again at Oshkosh, as it does no place else on
earth.
In all, the achievements in recreational aviation over the past
year, and the challenges that remain, give EAA staff, members and
volunteers a tremendous amount of motivation to encourage and
support aviation participation in all its forms during 2006.
Careers in Aviation
Careers in Aviation Chairman Shawn Raker and National
Spokesman Jamail Larkins look forward to 2006.
Careers in Aviation will be a recipient of scholarship money
through the Delta Airlines Foundation. The Foundation is very much
operational and Careers in Aviation is hopeful the Delta’s
Foundations donations will be an impetus to the rest of the
industry. Though Delta Airlines is in Chapter 11, their Foundation
grants are making sure funds are available to help the future
aviation work force. Whether it be via Careers in Aviation or other
worthy aviation organizations that promote aviation to
today’s young people the aviation industry will reap the
benefits.
The availability of the Delta Connection Academy will continue
to be a huge boost to Careers in Aviation’s ability to answer
inquiries. The additional manpower will allow Careers in Aviation
to be a presence at more career fairs, school functions and other
community events that are aviation career oriented all around the
country.
The new website which is under a total revamp is scheduled to be
operational in Q1 of 2006. Plans have the website being easier to
use. More information will be available for students and teachers
on aviation careers. Also on the site will be the ability to link
up with an aviation professional who can help steer the user
towards a program geared towards the individuals desires.
The Careers in Aviation jets, while definite attention grabbers,
will be sold and the proceeds redirected into the educational
programs (photo above by Erik Hildebrand).
Careers in Aviation is open to requests or ideas people may have
on how to get more people involved in the industry.
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