By ANN Correspondent John Ballantyne
The Grand Ball room of
the Long Beach Convention Center is techno-futuristic with jumbo
screen monitors on each side of the generous stage, sweeping
background props creating a sense of wind and motion, and two
manned video cameras on platforms out in the audience area. We are
in Long Beach, California, as more than 1,100 aviation folks fill
the room before 9:00 am in anticipation of the opening presentation
of AOPA Expo 2004.
AOPA President Phil Boyer's opening comments are in his usual
rapid-fire manner as he welcomed everyone to the annual event. AOPA
Expo is an impressive gathering with more than 250 exhibits, 75
hours of seminars plus banquets, award ceremonies and notable
speakers all packed into 3 uplifting days.
Boyer then introduces FAA Administrator, Marion Blakey, who is
in remote attendance via a video link with FAA headquarters in
Washington, DC.
Blakey provides a synopsis of FAA successes and issues. She
includes subjects such as the Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS)
which is offering GPS approaches to airports where ILS just isn't
financially or technically possible. She said that industry is now
providing GPS units that provide both lateral and vertical guidance
allowing Localizer Performance with Vertical guidance (LPV)
approaches. Blakey encouraged pilots to begin to use these
approaches as continued funding for FAA to establish LPV approaches
requires that they are being utilized.
The Administrator also speaks about airspace restrictions and
the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) involvement since
9/11. She commended AOPA for scheduling an open membership meeting
Friday with Rear Adm. David Stone, USN (Ret.), Assistant Secretary
of Homeland Security for TSA. She even hinted on how best to
influence him on behalf of private aviation in America.
Administrator Blakey applauded general aviation for such a safe
last year, with only 340 fatalities, somewhat lower than the "very
ambitious year's target" of 348. However, she cautions that more
improvement is necessary to prevent runway incursions and
penetration of TFRs.
Then she candidly fields many wide-ranging audience questions
from the need for FAA to increase on-line application forms all the
way to how FAA can begin to re-open facilities, such as control
towers, to groups like the Boy Scouts. One deaf person expressed
frustration at the inability to communicate with FAA services and
asked if FAA is planning to provide information using methods
suitable for the hearing impaired.
Blakely and Boyer interact about the European GPS system
(Galileo) and stress its compatibility with existing GPS receivers
and that even the European version of WAAS will also work with U.S.
equipment. A question of possible ATC privatization is met with
assurances that FAA is seeking the best value for the public, not
the cheapest bidder. Also, Blakely and Boyer emphasize that
privatization of FAA services does not mean user fees.
Instead, ATC will remain funded by aviation trust fund which comes
from all tax-payers, not just users of the ATC system.
Finally, a question to the Administrator from the Senior Editor
of this publication [and we do mean "senior"] about the "kinder,
gentler FAA" promised by FAA with regard to medical issues with
Sport Pilot. Blakey assures the audience that FAA wants to help
quickly resolve simple problems of partial or incomplete
applications, but FAA does not expect to allow those with medical
problems known to FAA to be flying without resolution.
The session closes with AOPA President Boyer welcoming all, and
thanking each one who came. Boyer said it, "I think you'll agree
it's a challenge to keep up our fast-changing
industry…There's so much to know!"
To meet this challenge, AOPA has provided a venue which is much
more than high tech glitter and pretty stages.