IAOPA eNews October 2011
In this issue:
The Island Aircraft Owners Association (AOPA-Trinidad and Tobago) Granted Provisional Membership | European Plans for the Revitalisation of General Aviation | IAOPA Submits Two Working Papers in Advance of the ICAO 12th Air Navigation Conference | APPA/AOPA-Brazil Named to Working Group with ANAC | AUSFLY an Outstanding Success, AOPA-Australia Says | Aviation Working Group Response to FAA Regarding Non-Citizen Trust | Brazil Over-flight Information | IBAC Announces Appointment of New Director General | ICAO Runway Safety Events | UAS in the USA | AOPA Summit Reminder | Stories of International Interest on AOPA-US Website this Month
The Island Aircraft Owners Association (AOPA-Trinidad and Tobago) Granted Provisional Membership
IAOPA Headquarters has received an application for membership from the
Island Aircraft Owners Association (AOPA-Trinidad and Tobago). IAOPA
Headquarters’ staff has examined the information provided with their
application and has certified that the Association meets the requirements
for admission as specified in the IAOPA Constitution and Bylaws.
Therefore, based on the quality of their application, IAOPA has granted
provisional membership to AOPA-Trinidad and Tobago effective September 24,
2012.
If approved by the IAOPA Board, AOPA-Trinidad and Tobago will
become the 71st affiliate of the International Council. Please take the
time to reach out and welcome our new affiliate at ttaopa@gmail.com.
European Plans for the Revitalisation of General Aviation
In 2008
the Council of the European Union issued a communication in response to
the European Transport Commissions paper on A Sustainable Future for
General and Business Aviation, which provided a clear overview of the
sector as well as a coherent and structured position with regards to
future development.
It is worth recalling what Mr. Kallas once
said, “Transport is and must be for people. As Commissioner responsible
for transport, my guiding principles over the next five years will be to
promote transport services that truly benefit Europeans. Free movement is
one of the greatest freedoms for the citizens of Europe and good transport
is essential.”
The Council also recognised the specific social and
economic benefits provided by European general and business aviation. In
particular the Council highlighted the benefits associated with increasing
the mobility of people, the productivity of business and how its
developments benefit the cohesion of peripheral regions of the Community.
Importantly, the Council drew attention to the framework regulation
216/2008 and the need for flexibility and proportionality in Regulations
with regards to different kinds of operation. It was further stressed that
general aviation needs access to airspace and airports. The Council of
Europe’s communication supported the Commission’s own paper toward A
Sustainable Future for General and Business Aviation and the general
aviation community felt that there was a ‘wind of change’ blowing across
the region. Furthermore, members of the European Parliament (MEPs) passed
a number of resolutions in support of a sustainable future for the general
aviation sector. However, nothing actually changed in Europe regarding the
development of new rules. The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) is an
agency of the Commission and it is required to achieve a high uniform
level of safety. To achieve this it has adopted an approach which is based
on a more stringent tightening of regulations, which are directly
applicable across all of the 27 member States of the European Union for
aircraft that have a certificate of airworthiness.
The management
of EASA is overseen by two boards—the Management Board (MB) which is made
up of representatives from the 27 member States of the Commission and the
EASA Advisory Body (EAB) which is made up of industry representatives.
Through continued lobbying and with the support of the EAB, the French
DGAC under the direction of the MB established a working group to look in
more detail at how general aviation should be regulated in Europe. The
paper that was produced took several months of dedicated effort but it
reflects the industries concerns which, I have to say, were also shared by
some of the member States. Then principles and guidelines which form the
actionable items in the paper were endorsed by the MB at its meeting in
September. The question is, how soon can EASA adopt these guidelines into
the process of rulemaking?
IAOPA Europe feels that little will be
achieved without an amendment to the Regulation 216/2068 which sets the
legal obligations for EASA. So the MB has asked EASA to publish before
July 2014 guidance material to ensure that the new rulemaking process is
implemented consistently with the guidelines. However, the European
Parliament breaks next year for the purpose of re-election and by the end
of 2014 there will be a new transport commissioner.
By 2014 work on
Flight Crew Licenses will be complete as member States must be compliant
with the FCL legislation by April 2014. The Bilateral Aviation Safety
Agreement (BASA) between Europe and USA should also be reaching
conclusion. This is important for owners and operators of November
registered aircraft in Europe and again highlights the importance of
amending the 216/2008 regulation. Progress is slow, but it is
progress.
IAOPA Submits Two Working Papers in Advance of the ICAO 12th Air Navigation Conference
IAOPA
will be introducing two Working Papers for consideration by the States
that will be attending the ICAO 12th Air Navigation Conference that will
restate ideas and concepts that are important to general aviation
worldwide. The first is designed to reinforce and draw attention to the
Foreward contained in Annex 6 – Part II, International
General Aviation – Aeroplanes that allows for an appropriate level of
safety and recognizes the difference that exists between general aviation
and commercial operations. The second Working Paper stresses to member
States that are in the process of implementing the block upgrades that
access and equity needs to be a cornerstone of any airspace modernization
effort and that all system users must continue to be accommodated. Copies
of the Working Papers are located on the IAOPA website homepage at: http://www.iaopa.org/. IAOPA affiliates
are asked to review the documents and make sure that representatives from
their governments that will be attending the 12th Air Navigation
Conference have visibility to the documents and encourage their support
and passage.
Keeping general aviation at the highest discussion level on the Brazilian regulatory scenario, APPA/AOPA Brazil was asked by the ANAC (Brazilian Civil Aviation Authority) to reappoint one of the two general aviation representatives to the agency board, based on ANAC´s bylaws and its Council procedures. Following the strong work of George Sucupira in the last decade, now, Humberto Branco, APPA/AOPA-Brazil Strategy Director is formally nominated by ANAC´s President for a three-year mandate before the Agency´s Board.
A very clear, focused, and step-by-step agenda is on-course before the Agency and being conducted by APPA/AOPA-Brazil who is also in charge of presenting the current general aviation scenario, its challenges, opportunities, and related policies to the Board. On top of the discussion, is the principle of making the Agency responsive to the need for proportionality on all regulatory affairs involving general aviation. At the present time Brazilian GA is being strongly pressed and threatened by overregulation in several aspects, especially in the operational and medical requirement areas. Some basic matters such as encouraging general aviation pilots to get their IFR licenses in order to improve skills and safety, and to allow GA pilots to use new GPS technologies and up-to-date electronic flight bags are being threatened by over-regulation, extra aircraft equipment, certification costs, higher medical requirements, and lower level of service in the airspace, including terminal areas, RNAV environment and airports.
In some ways, the Brazilian regulation is going in the reverse direction of general aviation’s current needs and perspectives. Brazil is experiencing a paradox—GA sales are booming despite the regulation pressure that is creating new and low-efficient rules—instead of motivating general aviation growth and compensating for decades of stagnation.
APPA/AOPA Brazil is trying to find a productive and rational working environment at the Agency and other regulatory entities and is counting on strong support from IAOPA, especially on the exchange of information coming from ICAO and the FAA. Their main goal is to protect general aviation and keep everybody flying safer, wiser, and easier.
AUSFLY an Outstanding Success, AOPA-Australia SaysAUSFLY, the fly-in event for general aviation aircraft and pilots, was held over the weekend of 14-16 September at Narromine, NSW. The event was organised by the Sport Aircraft Association of Australia (SAAA) and co-supported by the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association of Australia (AOPA) and the Australian Warbirds Association (AWAL).
AOPA President Andrew Andersen praised the event as an enormous success. "More than 350 general aviation aircraft flew in for the inaugural AUSFLY event", Andrew said. "It surpassed our expectations and we are ecstatic about the warm welcome and friendship extended to us by the SAAA at their home airport”. As a major co-supporter, AOPA contributed extensive advertising of the event in the Australian Pilot magazine, as well as by e-mail and through its website.
"It's clear that many AOPA members responded to our call and took part in a fun, safe and educational weekend." Andrew said. "We've had many comments in support of our involvement and look forward to joining again with leading GA organisations at the next AUSFLY event." For more information about AOPA-Australia, and its role in the AUSFLY event, email to mail@aopa.com.au.
Aviation Working Group Response to FAA Regarding Non-Citizen Trust
A
working group has issued its response to the FAA regarding the
registration of N numbered aircraft to non-U.S. Citizen Trustors and
offered further recommended changes to the initial FAA proposal to modify
existing rules and regulations. In 2010, the FAA issued a moratorium on
non-citizen trusts that if enacted would have severely impacted the
industry, as a result an industry coalition was formed to provide guidance
to the FAA on better ways to restructure its program without crippling an
already struggling industry. A public meeting was held in June of 2011 to
seek comments from the industry and in response, on August 17th of this
year, the industry coalition submitted extensive comments to the FAA on
ways to improve the program. For a copy of the entire recommendations
contact IAOPA.
APPA/AOPA-Brazil has advised that the Brazilian Civil Aviation Authority has published relevant information for general aviation aircraft desiring to operate in the country. The document contains a list of frequently asked questions and provides links and additional guidelines for requesting landing rights and staying in the Brazilian territory. APPA/AOPA-Brazil recommends that anyone interested should check http://www2.anac.gov.br/portal/cgi/cgilua.exe/sys/start.htm?sid=390 for information regarding the rules and services provided to civil aircraft with destination to Brazil.
IBAC Announces Appointment of New Director General
Washington,
DC, September 10, 2012 – The National Business Aviation Association (NBAA)
is pleased to welcome Kurt Edwards, who was appointed by the International
Business Aviation Council (IBAC) on Sept. 7 as its new director general.
IBAC is the international non-governmental organization (INGO) that
represents the interests of business aviation operators from around the
world in international forums, primarily ICAO (the International Civil
Aviation Organization).
IBAC’s members, including NBAA, are
national and regional associations that work together to coordinate global
policies and positions for the business aviation community and to
represent the community in international rule-making and policy-making
work. IBAC’s principal office is located in Montreal, Canada, in the
headquarters building of ICAO.
“Mr. Edwards brings to the
organization substantial experience in international aviation issues,"
said IBAC Chairman Peter Gatz. "Previous to coming to IBAC, Mr. Edwards
served in high-level capacities with the International Affairs and
Environment Offices of the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). He
also led FAA outreach efforts while based in Brussels and Paris, as well
as at ICAO on environmental matters.”
Edwards commences duty with
IBAC effective immediately. He replaces Donald Spruston, the previous
director general who served from 1999 to the present. Spruston announced
last year his intent to step down. Since that time the IBAC board has
conducted a comprehensive global search to find a new director general
with the capability of continuing the development of business aviation
policies and interests on issues such as safety, security, air traffic
management and the environment.
For more information, contact the
IBAC director general at (514) 954-8054 or dg@ibac.org. Visit the IBAC web site at http://www.ibac.org/.
ICAO
has two runway safety events coming up in the next 45 days at locations in
South Africa and Russia. ICAO and its Runway Safety Partners are committed
to presenting Regional Runway Safety Seminars (RRSSs) across the globe
over the next two years to promote the establishment of Runway Safety
Teams (RSTs) as a means of addressing runway safety issues. Be part of an
important regional event that will bring together experts from diverse
professional domains to promote a multidisciplinary approach to improving
runway safety outcomes throughout the globe. For more information click on
the corresponding links:
Cape Town RRSS, 29-30 October 2012
http://www.icao.int/MEETINGS/CAPETOWNRRSS/Pages/default.aspx
Moscow RRSS, 6-8 November 2012 (additional information to be added
soon)
http://www.icao.int/MEETINGS/MOSCOWRRSS/Pages/default.aspx
UAS in the USA
Can manned and unmanned aircraft safely share the airspace? If you’d believe the news, you’d be convinced that small, homebuilt unmanned aircraft are haphazardly overtaking the National Airspace System (NAS) without any boundaries or rules. The truth is far from that. Sure, there are innovative commercial designs making the news. But in reality, it takes more than a back yard, a gizmo, and a remote control to make the transformation from the design lab into the NAS. Yet, as numerous Unmanned Aircraft Systems return from combat in the Middle East, military training operations in the United States are expected to increase dramatically in the near future. And with this proliferation of UAS, unfettered NAS access—as opposed to expanding special-use airspace—would allow military UAS pilots to train and stay proficient. But, what are UAS and how will they impact general aviation? Can manned and unmanned aircraft safely share the airspace? Let’s explore further in the Air Safety Institute’s brand new course, Unmanned Aircraft and the National Airspace System (NAS). The course was developed in partnership with the Department of Defense (DoD).
AOPA Summit Reminder
Those international members attending AOPA-US Annual Summit in Palm Springs, California, October 11th through the 13th, are reminded and encouraged to participate in an IAOPA International Open Dialog, to be held Friday, October 12th, from 10:30 to 11:30 AM in the Hilton Hotel, Palm Canyon A located adjacent to the Convention Center. Additionally, an International Member/Attendee area is set aside in the Hilton Hotel, Palm Canyon B for the duration of the Summit that will have internet connectivity (bring your own computer or device) so that our international participants have an area to go to and check emails or catch up with other pilots from around the globe. For a full list of activities and information regarding Summit, visit http://www.aopa.org/summit/schedule/schedule.cfm.
Stories of International Interest on AOPA-US Website this Month
Heathrow
replacement a floating airport?
New
Brazilian aircraft based on cutting-edge design
Hawker
Beechcraft hopes to close China deal soon
JAARS
rebuilding low-time 182 for Australia
China
conference hears how to build GA
90-day
old airport hosts first fly-in in China
Pass on
This Newsletter to Your Members - Nothing can keep existing
members, and attract new members by reminding them of the great work that
AOPA affiliates, and IAOPA, are doing on national, regional, and
international levels to keep them flying. Great work is being done in all
parts of the globe to advance the interests of general aviation and the
best way to share the message is to make sure that this newsletter gets to
as many members and non-members alike. So I encourage you to publish this
on your website, send on via email to your members, and do what you can to
help spread the word.
The
International Council of Aircraft Owner and Pilot Associations represent
the interests of more than 470,000 pilots and aircraft owners in 68
countries. Formed in 1962, IAOPA is dedicated to promoting the peaceful
uses of general aviation and aerial work worldwide.
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