Aviation Regulation

California Senate OKs Message To Obama, Congress On Helicopter Legislation – Urges President And Congress To Adopt Helicopter Noise Relief Act For The State

The California Senate has passed a resolution offered by state senator Ted W. Lieu (D) urging President Obama and Congress to adopt the Los Angeles Residential Helicopter Noise Relief Act.

Reporting on a recent meeting with FAA Administration Michael Huerta, AOPA President Craig Fuller said support in the agency for the third-class medical certificate exemption seemed to be waning. “High-level FAA staffers told us the exemption was not a priority for the agency,” Fuller said, referring to a meeting earlier between FAA executives and leadership teams from AOPA and EAA. The two associations jointly petitioned the FAA last year to allow pilots of four-place, 180-horsepower fixed-gear aircraft and smaller to fly in day VFR conditions using only a driver’s license as a medical certificate. The proposal included a requirement that pilots regularly complete online training courses that educate them on their health and how it relates to flying safely.

A NOTAM has been issued that will restrict flight in the area during President Obama’s planned visit.

==> 30 NM RADIUS TFR <==
Location:
On the SAN FRANCISCO VOR/DME (SFO) 290 degree radial at 0.3 nautical miles.
From the surface up to but not including 18000 feet MSL

Times:
5:00 PM local until 6:00 PM local Wednesday, April 3, 2013
1:00 PM local until 2:00 PM local Thursday, April 4, 2013

Requirements for flight and operations not authorized
( http://www.aopa.org/whatsnew/notams-special.html )

The U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia court has dismissed a lawsuit by environmentalist group Friends of the Earth pushing the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to decide whether lead emissions from general aviation aircraft endanger public health and welfare. The court said the issue is not one that it can take up under…

If you have already replaced your paper pilot certificate, then this message is not for you. On the other hand, if your pilot certificate is still printed on paper, please read carefully.

The FAA is under a mandate to replace all paper certificates with plastic certificates. In fact, paper pilot certificates have already expired!

If you are a mechanic, on the other hand, and do not replace your paper certificate on or before March 31, 2013, you will no longer be able to exercise your privileges!

After a somewhat lengthy delay, we have finally heard back from NOAA – Office of Marine Sanctuary.

As you may know, the California Pilots Association has written to NOAA – Office of Marine Sanctuary – regarding last year’s west coast airspace change, which the we believe was implemented without justification.

One of our requests was simple –”Supply us with the documented verification that there were in fact numerous violations which justified the marine sanctuary airspace change from voluntary to a forced disciplinary violation.”

The Federal Communications Commission has revived a plan to ban 121.5 MHz emergency locator transmitters (ELTs) in a proposal that could cost aircraft owners hundreds of millions of dollars.

In the Jan. 30 document, the FCC proposes to discontinue sales of the older-model ELTs and asks for input on whether to allow those already installed in aircraft to continue to be used. Prohibiting use of 121.5 MHz ELTs would force aircraft owners to discard perfectly functional units and replace them at a cost of $1,000 to $1,500 per airplane—regardless of what other tracking technology the pilot uses. AOPA urges pilots and aircraft owners to speak out on how a ban would affect them.

On January 31, 2013, in Springfield, there will be held a public meeting regarding the new rules for seaplane operations on Waldo Lake. We need as many pilots as possible to attend and support access for seaplanes to Waldo Lake.

We need to be there in support of the Oregon Department of Aviation Board of Director’s new rules regarding seaplane operation on Waldo Lake. THERE WILL BE GROUPS OPPOSING THIS ACTION IN ATTENDANCE AND WE NEED TO BE THERE TO SUPPORT ODA.

Congressman Issa’s Office has advised us that it would be best to summarize what the issue is that the California Pilots Association has with the NOAA change of airspace along the entire west coast. Click Read More to read the letter.

A Nov. 15 transition to International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) flight plans triggered some confusion, with AOPA Pilot Information Center staff fielding calls from members concerned that a major shift in flight plan filing procedures had taken effect.

The date marked the completion of a long-planned transition from the FAA domestic flight plan format to an ICAO format for international and domestic IFR operations using performance-based navigation (PBN). General aviation IFR pilots can still use the older FAA domestic flight plan form that remains available through electronic flight planning applications for operations that do not utilize GPS-based procedures and routes.