Onerous security regulations, insufficient funding, and encroachment: The challenges to general aviation loom large, and three California legislators are asking their colleagues to call on those on Capitol Hill to protect this vital part of the economy and transportation infrastructure.
California Assemblywomen Connie Conway and Jean Fuller met with AOPA President Craig Fuller in January at a Plane Crazy Saturday event at the Mojave Air and Space Port, and they later met with AOPA California Representative John Pfeifer in Sacramento. On Feb. 17, the two legislators, along with Assemblyman Danny D. Gilmore, introduced a resolution to recognize the vital role of general aviation and ask the U.S. Congress and president to “abstain from legislation and policies that impact this industry’s ability to continue to function effectively.”
“Pilots in the area can count themselves lucky to have representatives in Sacramento who know aviation well and are supportive of GA,” Fuller wrote in his blog after visiting with the assemblywomen.
The resolution would cite GA’s contributions to “the economy, health, safety, and protection of the nation,” and it explains challenges to GA such as urban encroachment, which contributes to “reducing the number and availability of airports throughout California and the United States.” It would ask Congress and the president to abstain from policies that would harm the industry.
