GREETINGS! First,
Here’s some information from Washington, D.C. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA), in its long-awaited
guidelines for enhancing security at general
aviation airports, reaffirmed that it does not consider general
aviation aircraft and airports to be a threat, in and of themselves. The
guidelines are intended to offer a consistent set of
quot;t practices that
provide a level of security appropriate to each airport’s situation.
“Now that the federal guidelines are out, we need
to make sure decisions by state and local authorities reflect the guidelines
and are appropriate to each GA airport’s
individual situation.” Said AOPA
Senior Advisor Vice President of Government and Technical Affairs Andy Cebula.
The TSA guidelines
state several times that they are not regulatory. However, we should be
concerned about how the guidelines might be interpreted and implemented
locally. Specifically, there are two appendices that assess security
characteristics of airports and offer suggestions for security enhancements.
The guidelines themselves note, “Airport owners and
operators should rely on their on experience and intimate knowledge of their
facility, applying those items that are both reasonable and effective.”
Secondly, FAA forms
the Joint Planning and DevelopmentõH˙Hffice, Executive
Branch officials, to develop a vision statement for the U.S.
Air Transportation System to meet traffic demand in 2025.
In other news, FAA
agrees to hold two regional public hearings in Washington and Las Vegas,
on its National Air Tour Safety
Standards Proposal.
Thirdly, In
the current security environment, pilots who hope to retain their certificates
know enough to check Notams for TFRs and other critical data, even if they don’t get the
line-by-line weather briefing. But occasionally, even a diligent effort to
check Notams won’t be enough. The
system is simply too haphazard and difficult to decode. Even ATC
drops the ball from time to time.
Fourthly, Here’s
an update Concerning Missouri Aviation. The only Airports and Aviation Bills
are as follows:
Missouri House
of Representatives
92nd General
Assembly, 2nd Regular Session (2004)
Bills Indexed by Subject
AIRCRAFT AND AIRPORTS
HB 1244 --- Sponsor: Dempsey, Tom --- CoSponsor: Spreng, Michael
Changes governance of the St. Louis International Airport.
HB 1584 --- Sponsor: Phillips, Susan C. --- CoSponsor: Brown, Jason
Revises the crime of unlawful use of weapons by making it a class B misdemeanor to, with criminal negligence, carry a firearm or other weapon into certain areas of an airport.
SB 1276 --- Sponsor: Vogel, Carl
Classifies noncommercial hangars as within the residential property class.
SCR 33 --- Sponsor: Kinder, Peter
Urges the Secretary of Transportation to grant approval to the application of Primaris Airlines to operate a twice-daily service between Washington, D.C. and St. Louis.
Last Updated July 26, 2004 at 10:06 am _Now, In Conclusion, Remember, we as USPA,
MPA, EAA, AOPA, or any other Pilot Associations of which you may be a
member, all have a powerful voice, be it here in Missouri, Indiana, Texas, or
whatever state you may represent. Every group of pilots and taxpayers carries
a strong voice to Washington, D.C. and on the state and local level.
So Let’s not forget to exercise our privileges, and
continue to make a “Difference for
General Aviation.”
UNTIL NEXT
TIME!
SAFE FLYING!
Larry G. Harmon
Missouri Pilots
Association
Legislation
Chairman
E-mail address:
MPALHARMON228@aol.com