FAA Tells EAA AirVenture to Pay Up

CalPilots

eaaThe Experimental Aircraft Association, on notice from the FAA to expect a bill for air traffic services at EAA AirVenture this summer, is looking to Congress for relief from the user fees that put “a price tag” on safety.

In a June 3 message, EAA Chairman Jack Pelton told EAA members that it was time to speak out against the FAA’s bid to charge air traffic fees at aviation events. EAA members should urge their U.S. senators to sign a letter to FAA Administrator Michael Huerta “in support of GA and opposed to putting a price tag on GA safety,” he said. The letter is now being circulated among senators.

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FAA Discusses Safety Issues Surrounding Tower Closures

CalPilots

faaIt appears the FAA is backtracking on an earlier directive that forbade at least some of its FAA Safety Team (FAAST) representatives from talking about pending tower closures. On Wednesday the FAAST Safety Team issued a general note of advice about operating at non-towered airports (the FAAST Team doesn’t like the term “uncontrolled”) and touched on all the points covered by myriad other sources on the topic since the closures became a real possibility. (Click here for a PDF of the e-mail.) Closures of 149 towers were supposed to start April 7 but on April 5 the FAA delayed that until at least June 15 citing the spate of legal challenges to the closures. Also on April 5, a regional FAAST assistant manager on the East Coast told his safety team that any discussion of tower closures was off limits. (Click here for the PDF.)

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FAA's 149 airport-tower closures

CalPilots

FAA’s 149 airport-tower closures cleared for takeoff – WASHINGTON – The Federal Aviation Administration is moving ahead with plans to close 149 small air-traffic-control towers across the nation as part of mandated spending cuts.

“We don’t have the money to keep them open,” Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood told the House Appropriations subcommittee on transportation Tuesday.”It’s a big headache for us.”

 

The FAA on April 5 postponed the closures until June 15. LaHood said was mostly so lawyers could review the decisions and give local governments a chance to find the money to keep them open.

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Non-Tower Airport Operations Review

CalPilots

As we approach the April 7th “non-essential” airport tower closures the FAA has published a review on how to operate at non-tower airports. If you haven’t been operating at non-tower airports, it might be a good time to review procedures and pointers. To review the FAA’s document go here.  http://www.faa.gov/news/media/Contract_Tower_Closure_Guidance.pdf

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F.A.A. Delays Closings of Airport Towers Forced by Cuts

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LEESBURG, Va. – The Federal Aviation Administration said Friday that it would delay closing control towers at 149 airports until June to allow forsafety analyses and “to attempt to resolve multiple legal challenges.”

The closings had been planned as part of a $637 million spending reductionat the agency required under the across-the-board budget cuts known as thesequester.

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California Control Towers Closing as of April 7th

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FUL: FULLERTON MUNI – FULLERTON, CA MER: CASTLE – ATWATER, CA OXR: OXNARD – OXNARD, CA RAL: RIVERSIDE MUNI – RIVERSIDE, CA RNM: RAMONA- RAMONA, CA SAC: SACRAMENTO EXECUTIVE -SACRAMENTO, CA SDM: BROWN FIELD MUNI- SAN DIEGO, CA SNS: SALINAS MUNI- SALINAS, CA VCV: SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA LOGISTICS – VICTORVILLE, CA WHP: WHITEMAN – LOS ANGELES,…

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Why get upset about towers closing?

CalPilots

Starting April 7, the FAA will close 149 contract air traffic control towers to help reduce expenditures as required by sequestration. General aviation uses thousands of airports that do not have towers, so why are GA advocates getting upset over the closing of these towers? That’s a question many pilots are asking. Answer: The closings…

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Do we need this control tower?

CalPilots

General Aviation News – There is a lot of chatter about the pending tower closures. Yet I don’t hear anyone asking, “Do we need this control tower?” Immediately after the FAA released its tower closure list, the newly elected Congressman from my district, Denny Heck, issued a press release regarding Olympia Regional (OLM) and Tacoma…

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