Aviation Interest

A Los Osos developer who hopes to see the Oceano County Airport closed so that it can be redeveloped met with substantial opposition at a meeting on March 17. And, while the developer attempted to keep out most of the pilots who showed up, he didn’t succeed in barring AOPA
(Editor’s Note: This developer stated in advance that he was going to limit the number of pilots attending the meetings. The important point here is for pro-aviation people to attend every meeting he has scheduled and to inform all non-aviation people attending the meetings just how important the airport is).

Local groups stand firm against encroachment
The city of Watsonville, Calif., violated state law when it approved a plan to eliminate safety zones around Watsonville Municipal Airport to develop the area, an appeals court affirmed March 15.

A little over one year after local (L) notams were reclassified as distant (D) notams, the FAA wants to know how the new system is working for pilots. The agency has created an online survey to get feedback from pilots and uncover any operational issues the change might have caused. All responses will remain anonymous,…

Unusual Attitudes Everyone who obtains a pilot’s license receives training in how to recover from unusual attitudes–potential loss-of-control situations in which there is an excessive aircraft bank or pitch angle. But reporters to ASRS sometimes note that “unusual attitude” can convey another meaning that occasionally surfaces in ASRS reports-a state of mind that can lead…

Bill introduced to correct FAA’s TTF policy

The “Community Airport Access and Protection Act of 2010” was introduced March 11 to Congress by the Sam Graves (R-Mo.) and Leonard Boswell (D-Iowa) to correct the FAA’s recent policy to prohibit “through the fence” access at any airport receiving Airport Improvement Grant funds. Senator James Inhofe (R-Okla.) has introduced a similar bill on the Senate side.

HOLLISTER, Calif. — A new air show is coming to Hollister. Organizers jumped at the chance to hold an air show after the Watsonville Fly-In moved from Memorial Day weekend to the Labor Day weekend.

You will LOVE this Eastern Airlines Silver Falcons production that includes Arthur Godfrey and Capt. Eddie Rickenbacker reminiscing about flying. It’s the first time I’ve ever heard Capt. Rickenbacker speak. It is a combination of an old commercial for Eastern Airlines, as well as military aviation, and aviation in general. Please plan accordingly because it…

TSA Planning to Inspect Shops that Repair Jets
Thousands of airplane maintenance shops would get increased scrutiny to make sure they are not easy prey for terrorists looking to sabotage U.S. jets during routine repairs, according to a story in USA Today, which notes:

“Some experts and lawmakers have warned for years about potential terrorist saboteurs infiltrating airplane repair shops, and have urged security oversight. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) says the greatest danger is posed by repair shops that are on or next to airports because a terrorist could take control of an airplane.”

Editor’s Note: It appears that TSA is a bureaucracy which can do anything it wants and that USA Today continues to distort the facts to sell papers.

New aviation user fees aren’t in the Obama administration’s budget, but they still may be packaged elsewhere, AOPA’s Lorraine Howerton told AVweb Thursday. Howerton is AOPA’s vice president of legislative affairs, and while she said AOPA’s efforts had created some breathing room, the country’s fiscal woes may become a serious influence on future funding decisions. As the budget deficit soars, legislators are under increasing pressure to shrink federal spending wherever possible. Currently, the general fund for the FAA is down 30 percent, said Howerton. She added that the decrease may translate into a greater draw on the Aviation Trust Fund, and that draw may in turn drive legislators to seek alternate forms of funding — potentially, user fees. There are other concerns.

To read the letter the California Pilots Association sent in response to the TSA’s proposed Repair Station Security, known as Docket No. TSA-2004-17131/RINI652-AA38/Aircraft Repair Station Security, click Read More below.