EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S REPORT
SEPTEMBER 2012
Jim Timm
In these “Dog Days” of summer, it’s pretty hot to do much flying and things have been pretty quiet.
This year I made my annual trip to the Oshkosh EAA AirVenture fly in via the airlines. It wasn’t very much faster nor nearly as much fun as flying my own airplane, but it was cheaper. Remember when commercial air travel was enjoyable? AirVenture this year was again interesting and a lot of fun and the weather was generally pretty good. This year, it appeared to me, that the Airventure attendance was down significantly, and in the display hangars there were many vendor display spaces that were vacant. I guess we all can draw our own conclusions as to why. As usual there were a lot of interesting products and airplanes to see. The sea of yellow Cubs celebrating their 75th anniversary was a sight to behold. I guess the strangest item for me this year was a roadable kit, PD-2, for the Glasair Sportsman airplane. The Sportsman with it’s normal folding wings had retractable steerable front wheels and brakes and for ground propulsion, a modified motorcycle power pod that attached near the tail. Turn indicator lights were attached to the horizontal prop tips. It was a sight to behold, seeing it driving around the airplane parking area. When asked about the conversion from auto to airplane, I was advised it took about an hour and two strong men because the motorcycle power unit weighed about two hundred pounds, but don’t worry. It was explained that it was a work in progress to lighten it all up and still fit in the large luggage area provided. (good luck). The Glasair, a four place airplane, reverts to a two place when carrying the power pod.
There seemed to be two major topics of interest this year. One was ADS-B and the other was the Pilots Bill of Rights legislation. People were looking at, pricing, and asking questions about ADS-B equipment. What it boils down to, is that by January 1, 2020 we will be required to carry and use ADS-B equipment if we want to continue accessing the same airspace in which a Mode C transponder is required today. According to FAA Administrator Huerta, ADS-B will significantly reduce controller workload and general aviation will benefit by having better access to controllers. In my opinion, this really means they will be able to reduce the number of controllers to save money and we will be where we are now. (perhaps an unwarranted cynical view point).
The Pilots Bill of Rights, Notice 8900.195, which was signed into law and became effective on August 8, 2012, will change the way FAA investigations are conducted. This bill of rights contains various reforms of the FAA’s enforcement process against pilot violations including a new path for appeals. The bill also contains a mandate that the FAA improve the Notice To Airmen (NOTAM) system and also rework the medical certificate application to minimize confusion and speed up the process.
Misc Notes:
Intrusions are a serious problem with the Goldwater Restricted areas R-2301W, R-2301E, R-2304 and R-2305. In an attempt to help reduce the number of intrusions into the range restricted areas, consideration had been given to changing the identifier of either the Gila Bend VORTAC (GBN) or the Gila Bend Auxiliary Field (GBN) located five miles south. It is thought, pilots on occasion, may have used the wrong GBN identifier, resulting in a navigational error placing them inside a restricted area. We have been advised that since the GBN VORTAC is part of the National Airspace System, the National Flight Data Center will be assigning a new identifier to the Gila Bend Auxiliary Field. Hopefully, this will appear on the next charting cycle. Please be very aware of your position when you are flying near restricted airspace boundaries.
Interest continues to increase in the testing and use of UAVs or Drones. In addition to the State of Arizona submitting a test site proposal to the FAA, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University is also preparing a proposal for a test site extending from Prescott airport to the Chino Valley Model Aviators landing strip in Chino Valley. It will be interesting to see how many proposals will be submitted from Arizona for UAV test sites
Time is running out! If you didn’t get your comments in concerning the AOPA & EAA medical petition, you still can. The comment period has been extended to September 14. This is a proposal that will let pilots fly recreationally with a state drivers license in place of a Class 3 medical certificate. The exemption would allow pilots to fly fixed-gear aircraft with 180 hp or less with 4 seats or fewer, but limited to one passenger. They would be limited to VFR - day only recreational operations. They would also be required
to complete a free online course about medical conditions and how to assess their fitness for flight.
Aviation fuel will no longer be available from the Executive Terminal at Tucson International Airport. Fuel will only continue to be available at an FBO. There have been rumors that the Executive Terminal may be closing down, however, the rumor is not true. Plans are under way to determine if can remain open unstaffed.
Notice has been received from the FAA Air Traffic Organization, Mission Support Services, directing that all FAA facilities terminate same-runway, opposite-direction operations effective August 7, 2012. This directive will affect all Part 139 airports, so we will very likely see a significant impact on instrument flight training operations at IWA.
In the past, the FAA has taken a dim view of through-the-fence operations at airports receiving FAA funding. The FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012, signed into law last February, included authorization for GA airports to enter into access agreements with residential property owners adjacent to or near the airport - Residential Through The Fence (RTTF). The FAA has published a RTTF revision that complies with the new law.
We are continuing to work with airports around the state, by providing the general aviation user input in the planning process of updating their Airport Master Plans.
Since my last report to you, the NTSB had reported five aviation accidents in Arizona. Three accidents had no injuries, one had two injuries and one accident had three fatalities. See my September Accident Report for a summary of the details.
For places to fly for breakfast on the weekend.
The breakfast at Casa Grande Municipal Airport is still being held on the last Saturday of the month. Worth noting, the breakfast is served inside the air conditioned airport terminal.
The event is put on by a Community Service Group to raise funds.
Jim Timm
Executive Director