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United States Pilots Association |
Reminder: The deadline for your $20 discount to register for the MPA/USPA combined annual convention meeting in Branson is drawing near. See the attached registration form. If your registration is received by April 7, you receive a $20 discount.
As usual, if you find at the last minute that you’re unable to attend, only the portion of money that’s unrecoverable (already spent in your behalf) will be retained. If all is recoverable, you’ll receive a full refund.
Interest in the air show is fantastic, so register today!
Jan Hoynacki, Executive Director
USPA
The original meeting was scheduled for 12-15 March, but a late winter storm from New Mexico through to Mississippi and running from the Gulf of Mexico into Missouri forced USPA to cancel the meeting. This is the first time in the history of USPA that a meeting was cancelled. A shorter version of our meeting will be held on 3 and 4 April.
To reschedule the meeting required a considerable amount of adjusting personal timetables, and many USPA members who had originally registered for the March meeting were not able to reschedule.
To accommodate those who will be able to come to Tyler, the following information is presented. USPA will be in Tyler starting Thursday afternoon, 2 April, but the business meeting will not be held until Friday afternoon. The Aviation Career Day will end around 1 pm on Saturday. There will be no formally scheduled USPA activities after that program, so USPA members may depart for home Saturday afternoon.
FBO: Johnson Aviation at Tyler Pounds airport (TYR). Phone: 903 593 4343. Free parking and discounted fuel.
Hotel: Marriott Residence Inn $100/night plus tax. Reservations at 903 595 5188.
Complimentary full breakfast each morning. Call in your reservation ASAP.
Schedule: 2 April Thur. USPA hospitality room open late afternoon and evening.
3 April Fri. morning open
3-5 pm USPA business meeting.
6:30 pm Group dinner at the Potpourri House restaurant
4 April Sat. 9 am- 12:30 Aviation Career Day at the Historic Aviation
Memorial Museum. Museum open to USPA members.
Afternoon and evening open.
Registration Cost: Hospitality suite, Friday evening dinner and Museum…..$45
For those attending please let Bob Worthington know when you will arrive and when you intend to depart. Ph 575 522 6785 or rworthin@zianet.com NLT Thur. 26 March.
Bob Worthington, VP
USPA
Once again referring to information brought to USPA from NewsMax.com, we now learn that Sterling Payne, a spokeswoman for the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), told Fox News: “This program continues to grow. TSA continues to recruit and put new FFDOs (Federal Flight Deck Officers) on planes, and we continue to train them and do recurring training.”
And the Airlines Pilots Association International, representing more than 52,000 pilots in the U.S. and Canada, issued a statement saying the Washington Times story (where the information originated) “couldn’t be further from the truth.” Union representatives “met with TSA executives and were told in no uncertain terms that TSA embraces the FFDO program, that there are no plans to reduce or restrict its growth, and that in fact the agency fully intends to grow and expand the program,” according to the union statement.
“Government representatives acknowledged that the program needs additional funding to achieve these goals, and that they are actively seeking same.”
Congress authorized the gun program following the 9/11 attacks to help prevent terrorists from turning jetliners into flying bombs that could be used to attack key sites like the White House.
So there you go. USPA regrets that we picked up on an issue before we learned “the rest of the story.”
Jan Hoynacki, Executive Director
United States Pilots Association
According to a story in NewsMax.com, Obama is quietly taking steps to shut down the program that qualifies commercial airline pilots to carry firearms in cockpits in order to ward off 9/11-type attacks, by diverting $2 million from a program which trains and certifies carrying pilots. Instead, the money is going to finance more inspectors to discipline pilots who step out of line.
Since Obama took office, the certified carry program for pilots has been halted, and pilots aren’t speaking out for fear of retaliation.
Paul Valone, a Second Amendment advocate who directs Grass Roots North Carolina (GRNC.org), is calling for citizens to contact their congressional representatives to protest the administration’s anti-gun actions.
Pilots are already required to pay for their own room and board during training, and use paid leave for the time they’re off the job. Every six months, the program requires them to be requalified for firearm use. Valone says the Obama administration is “dismantling yet another layer of defense against terrorism and defying the will of the American people.”
According to the Washington Times, about 70 per cent of airline pilots have military backgrounds. And with airport screening less than 100 per cent effective, armed pilots provide a second layer of defense.
It appears only anti-gun extremists are happy. I’m not. Are you? Maybe you should call your elected officials.
Jan Hoynacki, Executive Director
United States Pilots Association
The FAA reauthorization bill has passed Congress and provides funding for the 2009 year. No user fees are included. A big thanks to Dem. Rep. James Oberstar for his work in getting this through.
That was the good news. The bad news is once again our new President reneged on a campaign promise, well published in AOPA Magazine and elsewhere. He has submitted his 2010 budget which includes $7 Billion in new user fees with no reduction in fuel taxes or ticket taxes currently used to fund the FAA.
I saw a great bumper sticker yesterday. It stated, "The only place Democrats want to drill (for oil) is in your wallets. So true.
The LASP bill is running into opposition in Congress, and TSA has been told if this is implemented, TSA officials will be brought to the Hill for hearings. I suspect this one may die from opposition, much as the veterans paying their own war injury medical bills died from the huge outcry across the country.
Apparently we CAN make a difference. Contact your state, and federal representatives and keep the pressure on. Join the Alliance for Aviation in America (no cost). Stay tuned in to what is really going on. www.aviationacrossamerica.org
Steve Uslan, President
United States Pilots Association
USPA has been notified of the passing of IPA President Brian Borecky’s mother. We extend our heartfelt sympathies.
Jan Hoynacki, Executive Director
United States Pilots Association
Some corrections to yesterday's release. The Acronym TARP actually stands for Traffic Analysis and Review Program." It can be found at www.faa.gov on page 13 of the FAA 2007-2011 Flight Plan under the title of "Increased Safety."
I have more information. But at first blush, I would say this. Limiting an airport with multiple runways to only one active at a time will increase safety. Closing the airport entirely would make the airport even safer.
A safety meeting co-sponsored by USPA and Flightsource, LLC will be held at Odessa-Schlemeyer Field (KODO) on Saturday, May 2, 2009, at 9:30 a.m. Guest speaker will be Mack Harvey, tower supervisor at KMAF (Midland International). Steve Uslan, President of USPA will co-present the latest FAA runway safety program. Refreshments will be served.
Come and learn how our government will spend more and give less. I promise this will be one of the most informative safety events you will ever attend. Door prizes will be awarded by drawing.
Steve Uslan, President
United States Pilots Association
We are all familiar by this time with the Troubled Assets Relief Program involving monetary bailouts to banks and insurance companies and auto manufacturers. What many of you do not know is the FAA, flying extremely low under the radar, has come up with their own TARP program and it does not involve bailouts. Quite the contrary.
This TARP stands for "Traffic Automated Reporting Program" and has to do with aircraft spacing including arrivals, departures, and ground control, allegedly to keep aircraft from getting too close to each other. The issue came to light after a Learjet departed from Midland Airpark under IFR conditions and reportedly almost ran into a regional jet landing at Midland International. Both were under positive radar control.
The new system will not permit automatic releases. Furthermore, simultaneous approaches to different runways are now forbidden. This creates havoc among the flight schools and really restricts the utilization of all of an airport's resources. It causes long taxi times for bizjets and of course does not allow "position and hold" instructions. It increases fuel burns for all aircraft.
I spoke to Michael Harvey, tower manager at MAF. He advised that an FAA "Internal Safety Audit" team came through Midland and began monitoring procedures, etc. The end result was the implementation of this new program which, if applied equally at all airline served airports and airports with control towers, will inevitably lead to even longer delays while other concrete stands idle and unusable. Another FAA inspector who shall remain nameless, stated that this comes about after all of the "near misses" came out that occurred frequently at DFW in Dallas.
My take on all this is the FAA traffic control system is gearing up to fight for more money to help fund the NextGen system wanted so badly by the feds. Essentially NexGen takes the human factor and discards it in favor of computers. We are already seeing "facts" stating that tax revenues are diminishing as a result of less usage and fewer airline seats being sold. My take is that all of this is posturing--something the FAA should not be doing.
Think about all of this the next time you are number 21 in line to take off from a non-hub airline served airport, just because regs do not allow the controller to utilize all of the runways available. Those of us that fly into airports like Las Cruces, NM, and Odessa, TX, are used to seeing aircraft routinely do just that with no dire consequences. Why does an operating control tower make a difference?
Are you an airline pilot? USPA would like to know if you have experienced delays of this type. Please email airone@troychesnut.com. Your information will be kept confidential.
Steve Uslan, President
United States Pilots Association
So that all my be aware, MPA and USPA have been notified that due to the economy, Garmin will not be giving us a 696 for a door prize. However, the Boze headset and a headset from Kings Avionics in Olathe, KS, are still planned.
Jan Hoynacki, Executive Director
USPA
AOPA has begun issuing a web based publication called Aviation E-Brief. I find it very informative and highly believable as respects issues that ultimately will affect GA pilots, etc.
For example, The Wichita (Kan) Eagle has rebutted President Obama and the Congress over their continual bashing regarding the use of private jets. An editorial stated that Obama is not the only "President" that uses aircraft. House majority leader (?) Nancy Pelosi uses an Air Force G-5 and occasionally a Boeing 767 for her frequent trips back and forth across the country.
A new wrinkle has appeared in the mysterious ways of the border drug smugglers. They are now using ultralights to illegally cross the border, carrying drugs. I am sure the pilots are filing FAA/TSA flight plans, so the fact that they become invisible on radar is not relevant. Three of these have crashed in the past several days and with fatal consequences to the pilots. What do you bet we will not hear a word from TSA/HSA on this issue?
Last week I wrote about the ultimate results if TSA were to be allowed to commence their plans concerning private jets and all operators on airline served airports. I concluded that TSA would run off operators who could not afford to comply with the onerous security requirements. This week in Rochester, NY, it was reported an FBO at Greater Rochester International Airport had gone out of business. Fuel prices shot up as I am sure did ancillary services. Local officials formed a committee to review FBO pricing, fearing that many folks might move their aircraft to smaller airports in surrounding communities. TSA’s answer is to badge everybody and install unneeded security plans to further drive up costs (and increase TSA’s staff).
User Fees. It is too coincidental that the Government Accountability Office now states that the Airport and Airway Trust Fund has been on the decline since 2001. Why, you ask? Supposedly because of lower ticket prices and reduced demand for airline travel. It is expected (according to GAO) that anticipated revenues this year will be further reduced. I find it interesting this comes out after our President reveals some $7 Billion in requested user fees to help fund the FAA. I wonder if he considered the depressed economy he has helped to fuel might be contributory to the drop in revenue. In other words, if revenue goes down, raise taxes. My opinion is, if the FAA would stop outsourcing and do what Congress originally intended them to do, their funding would not be an issue.
Steve Uslan, President
United States Pilots Association
This email came to USPA from Greg Hunsicker of KPA (Greg Hunsicker [greg@furnacesafetyconsultants.com])
Please join us for an FAA Safety Meeting at Lawrence terminal on Monday March 30th 7PM. This meeting is sponsored by Hetrick Aircraft and Kansas Pilots Association. Everyone is welcome to attend so tell a friend.
You have received this email from the Kansas Pilots Association website www.KansasPilots.org [Email by Chapter] function
For the first time in the almost 30-year history of the United States Pilots Association a directors meeting had to be cancelled. Freezing rain, thunderstorms, and very unfriendly IFR weather across all of Texas (that is an area covering 350,000 square miles…larger than most of the East Coast) deemed it necessary to postpone the meeting. It would have been impossible for USPA members from NM, West TX, and MO to ever get to Tyler. After spending most of the morning discussing the weather with FAA weather specialists and using the Internet, USPA VP Meetings Bob Worthington made the decision to say no. In regards to safety and not wanting members to attempt to challenge the stormy weather, USPA decided to just be safe and cancel the weekend.
Because most of the attendees to the Thursday evening FAA safety seminar would be local, and the fact that one speaker, Bruce Chance, lives in the area, and the other speaker, USPA Safety Chair Bruce Hulley, was already in the area, the seminar was not cancelled. Fifty-six pilots have already signed up for the seminar.
All of the USPA fun activities have been cancelled, as well as both the Aviation Career Day and the EAA free airplane rides for 8-17 year old young people. Both events were scheduled for Saturday at the Historic Aviation Memorial Museum on the Tyler Pounds Regional Airport.
USPA is now seriously considering holding this meeting on 2-5 April. It all depends on if the same USPA members will attend this changed date. All the events will be rescheduled and the hotel will honor the same room rate. All registration fees paid will be held until registrants notify Bob Worthington, by 17 March, what they want done. If you cannot make the 2-5 April meeting, all your money will be refunded. If you will attend the new 2-5 April date, your money will be retained. Please contact Bob Worthington at rworthin@zianet.com or rworthin@q.com by 17 March. Hopefully with this new date even more USPA members will email Bob and indicate they will attend the April meeting.
USPA thanks those who registered for understanding the reasoning for cancelling the meeting. We hope you will join us in April.
Bob Worthington, VP Meetings
USPA
THUR 12 MARCH: Afternoon: Hospitality Suite
6-7 pm Tour Historic Aviation Memorial Museum on
airport @ 2198 Dixie Dr.
7-9 pm FAA Safety Seminar; Bruce Chase, Avn Instructor, LeTourneau Univ will discuss Decision-Making and Risk assessment. Bruce Hulley, USPA Safety Chair, will address Directional Control of airplanes.
FRI 13 MARCH: Comp breakfast at Residence Inn
8:30 to noon: USPA Board meeting
Afternoon at the Caldwell Zoo. 2203 Martin Luther King Jr Blvd with supper at the Zoo from 4:45 to 6:15. A menu is at the bottom of this page for you to select from so it can be ordered during the Fri morning meeting. Fill it out and turn it in Fri morning to Bob Worthington
Evening open or the hospitality suite.
SAT 14 MARCH: Comp breakfast at the hotel.
9:15 USPA speakers will be ready at the Museum
9:30 to noon USPA Aviation Career Day seminars at the Museum
12:30 to 1 pm The local EAA Chapter will offer free Young Eagle airplane rides for young people ages 8-17. We need USPA volunteers to help process the waivers for the airplane passengers. Please volunteer to help.
1 to 2 pm USPA members will show off their planes to attendees of the morning session. Instructions will be given during the USPA Fri morning meeting.
7-9 pm. Banquet at the Potpourri House at 3320 Troup Hiway (sort of across the street from the hotel). The guest speaker will be USAF Command Pilot Lt Col (retired) Bill Halbert who flew over 120 combat missions in three wars. He flew B-26s in WW II, the F-86 in Korea and the F-100 in Vietnam. His decorations include the Bronze Star, the Air Medal with several clusters, the Meritorious Service Medal and other service medals.
SUN 15 MARCH: Comp breakfast at the hotel and then head for home.
_______________________ tear off here ________________________________
MENU SELECTIONS FOR THE ZOO
NAME: ______________________________________________________
Select by number of orders: hamburger____ Chicken salad sandwich _____
Grilled chicken salad_____
Bob Worthington, VP Meetings
USPA
8 March 2009
Press Release from the United States Pilots Association
For immediate Release
Contact: Dr Bob Worthington, Vice President, USPA 575 522 6785
E-mail: rworthin@q.com
AVIATION CAREER DAY IN TYLER ON SATURDAY 14 MARCH
The US Pilots Association and the Tyler Chapter 972 of the Experimental Aircraft Association will host an all-day event on careers in aviation at the Tyler Historic Aviation Memorial Museum on Saturday 14 March on the Tyler Pounds Regional Airport. The morning will host a series of presentations on various careers in the aviation field while the afternoon will be devoted to free airplane rides for young people between the ages of 8 to 17. While this event is primarily for students in the Tyler area, anyone interested in a career in aviation is invited. It is free and open to the public.
The morning session begins at 9:30 am and ends at noon. There will be nine speakers, all USPA members and all pilots. Each speaker will take about 15 minutes on his or her specialty in an aviation career. There will be several handouts, brochures, and aviation magazines providing additional information on various careers in aviation to include a booklet by USPA covering each speaker’s topic.
The morning presentations begins with Dr Bob Worthington, Vice President of USPA and President of the New Mexico Pilots Assoc who will explain how to become a pilot, the training required, and what it costs. Following will be Dr Don Smith, Professor at the University of North Texas, who will discuss aviation scholarship opportunities. Next is Bruce Hulley, a Certified Flight Instructor and owner of Hulley Aero Training in Colorado, on being a flight instructor. Retired Airline Captain Richard McElroy, Chief Instructor of the US Flight Academy in Texas will present flying for the airlines. USPA President and former owner of a charter aircraft business in Hawaii, Steve Uslan, will discuss charter and commercial flying. Owner, publisher, and editor of the aviation magazine, AMERICA’S FLYWAYS, Jim Harley will describe opportunities in the field of
aviation writing. Federal Aviation Administration employee Ron Keller will describe various careers flying for the FAA. Jan Hoynacki, Executive Director of USPA and former manager of the Branson, MO airport will present what an airport manager does and how to become one. USPA Vice President Duane Smith will talk about careers in aviation maintenance; Smith is currently completing requirements to be an FAA Certified aircraft mechanic. These presentations will end with what it takes to become a pilot flying for the military by retired Army Lt Col Bob Worthington who has 180 hours of combat flying as a non-pilot crewmember.
All presenters will be available after the morning session to respond to questions from the audience.
The Tyler Civil Air Patrol will have a table display for attendees who may want to join the CAP.
At 12:30, all young people who attended the morning session and want to fly and their parents must attend a 30-minute safety briefing at the museum presented by the Tyler EAA Chapter 972, which will be giving the free airplane rides. There will be about 10 to 14 EAA member airplanes available to fly, with some EAA pilots coming from out of town. The airplane rides are part of the EAA Young Eagle program, which was created to allow students to enjoy an introductory flight.
Each flight will be about 15 minutes with the plane taking off, flying around Tyler, and returning to the airport for the landing. The last EAA flight will conclude Aviation Career Day at Tyler. For information on the free EAA airplane rides contact Bill Vawter at 903 769 4031. For information on the morning session at the museum, contact the museum at 903 526 1945. For information on USPA go to www.uspilots.org and the EAA web site is www.eaa.org.
******USPA******
Press Release from the United States Pilots Association 8 March 2009
Immediate Release
Contact: Bob Worthington, Vice President, US Pilots Assoc 575 522 6785
E-mail: rworthin@q.com
Thursday 12 March FAA Safety Seminar at Tyler Aviation Museum
On Thursday evening, 12 March, at the Tyler Historic Aviation Memorial Museum the United States Pilots Association and the Federal Aviation Administration will host a pilot safety seminar. It will be from 7 to 9 pm and is free to the public. The Tyler Marriott Residence Inn will provide refreshments.
Two speakers will do the presentation and those pilots who have signed up via the FAA SPANS web site will receive 1 credit for the FAA WINGS program. The topics are: Pilot Judgment and Risk Assessment by Bruce Chase and Maintaining Aircraft Directional Control by Bruce Hulley.
Mr. Chase is on the faculty of LeTourneau University (Longview, TX) in the School of Aeronautical Science as an Assistant Chief Flight Instructor. He has both Bachelors and Masters Degrees in Aeronautics and is an FAA Certified Flight Instructor. His discussion involves ways to improve pilot decision making by assessing flight risks and by using better judgment skills. Chase will present some strategies that will reduce the risk of making poor flying decisions.
Mr. Hulley is a Certified Flight Instructor and owner of Hulley Aero Training, a flight school in Colorado. Hulley has Bachelors and Masters Degrees in Education and has an Airline Transport Pilot certificate. His discussion will be on maintaining directional control of an airplane, focusing on take-offs and landings.
This pilot safety program is the beginning of the US Pilots Association weekend in Tyler. On Saturday, 14 March at the Museum the US Pilots Association and the local Experimental Aircraft Association Chapter will host a daylong Aviation Career Day. There will be a series of short seminars on various careers in aviation in the morning and free airplane rides for young people between the ages of 8 to 17. For more information contact the Museum at 903 526 1945.
*******USPA*****
Last night several Branson area people joined the Boone County Pilots Association at their meeting held in the terminal building at the Boone County Airport in Harrison, Arkansas. Since President Andy Anderson and his members join us up in Branson occasionally, and he knew we were concerned about the new TSA security requirements imposed on GA pilots operating out of air carrier airports, he especially invited us down for this meeting where the guest speaker would be from the TSA. So Paul, JC, Dr. Phil and I drove down and joined other Branson folks and a good number of Arkansas pilots for a delicious fish fry with all the trimmings and spent a little time visiting with our neighbors to the south.
Since Great Lakes Airlines will be operating Part 129 at HRO in June, the GA pilots flying out of that airport have a particular concern about what the new TSA requirements will mean to them. What we’ve been hearing isn’t good to say the least. Andy started out by saying that we have strong feelings for what he sees as an interference to our freedom to fly. So he invited TSA to give us the straight information about how this affects the Harrison Airport and other airports. He said these guys are just the messengers. He encouraged everyone to contact their Representatives and Senators in writing (hand written preferred) if we don’t like it.
Randy Reddin, Transportation Security Inspector for TSA, distributed some “Airport Watch” publications and DVDs, information on the proposed Large Aircraft Security Program (LASP), and the new GA security directive. He had Rich Hamm, Deputy Director for the Little Rock Hub, TSA, on the phone and hooked up the speaker system in the building, which made for good two-way communication, we just couldn’t see him. Rich’s information was backed up with a Power Point presentation.
The first item presented was the Alien Flight Student Program, which is pretty much a past issue. Flight instructors need to document students’ identity in both the flight instructor and student log books.
The second issue was Repair Stations, which is still under review.
The third issue was the Commercial Airport Security Enhancements, which is where most of the meeting time was spent. The fourth (and last) issue was LASP, on which the jury is still out.
Rich said we can find the new security language on the Internet by Googling “49 CFR” and then selecting “1542.” He said most of the information is there. However, only airport managers get some sensitive information. He said some of the new rules are in effect now, but some directives have been pushed out a couple of months. The size of the airport determines which rules apply. In response to questions, he said he doesn’t know of any airport that has the intent to require badges for pilots flying in. However, it’s up to the individual airports how they deal with their based pilots. I brought out the fact that giving individual airports so much leeway in how they treat based GA pilots could provide a new tool for those airports wanting GA out of the way. Of course, he said he couldn’t speak to that. He just said it’s not the intent of TSA to get GA off airports.
The purpose, according to Rich, is to identify people who have access to the air carrier airports, not to include tenant pilots, but airports can make it more restrictive if they want to. He said because of input by industry and alphabet groups, there are some changes being made. Clarification and updates are in the works. The airports are required to come up with a system that works for them—which could include valid pilot certificates and a badge and even background checks. The airports are responsible for all costs associated with the new security, as well as initiating enforcement of the rules.
In response to a question about what security or terrorist threats have occurred that these new directives are designed to eliminate or reduce, Rich said he doesn’t have such a list, but he would see if that information could be made available to the Harrison Airport Manager. And all questions pertaining to why and its effect on GA were basically answered by saying that he can’t speak to our concerns about GA going away with all these new security directives. As nice as the TSA men were, and as polite as the pilots were, it was obvious that these TSA representatives were not in a position to discuss anything other than how the mandated rules are to be implemented.
I believe the Harrison pilots are somewhat relived since Rich told them they would not see any noticeable changes at their airport (an airport with the least amount of commercial air service). However, it left me feeling “raped.” We have no control and we still don’t know how much damage this will do to GA, what costs will have to be endured by pilots and airports in order to comply, what it will mean to us as we land at our destinations around the country and try to get back to our planes on those airports, and how much further GA will be depressed because of new rules for the “security” of the public, when we feel that GA is not a disproportionate threat. What about trucks, boats, shipping containers, etc.? General Aviation in the U.S. will soon be reduced to the low levels of Europe and the rest of the world, and a multi-billion dollar industry will have dumped more unemployed on the rolls and decimated more investment portfolios. I hope we all enjoy being more “secure.”
Jan Hoynacki, Executive Director
United States Pilots Association
February was a great month for General Aviation. Our new President has outdone himself in adding to the woes of small plane owners and pilots. Lets start with holding hearings on the new proposed rule requiring all aircraft 12,500 lbs GW and up being subject to airline security procedures including pre-screening of passenger manifests and forcing operators to institute an approved security program. Never mind that compliance is almost impossible. What we do not need is TSA X-Raying our baggage and us removing our shoes before we go through the metal detector.
Then comes the replacement for the voted down proposal to ban small planes from airline served airports (some 450 at last count) around the country. We all remember Northwest Airlines CEO stating that we were the cause for the delays of the airlines because we share concrete and ATC with the big iron. They lost that battle. Now TSA is back with an emergency Security Directive that does not need Congressional approval. Beginning early in February and compliance mandated by June are new regulations requiring every one of those airports to institute a security program with mandatory badging of all pilots and owners utilizing the AOA areas of these airports. This little darling comes complete with a TSA background check (no fingerprints yet) and comparison with our names to the current "No Fly" list. Transient pilots must be met and escorted upon landing or return to their aircraft. One guess who is paying for all this. Try to understand why the fuel price at these airports will continue to rise as the airport authority seeks additional revenue to pay for all of this "security.” Watch and see how many FBOs and service companies depart from these airports because of the additional costs in labor and expenses involved in implementing these programs.
A number of years ago, well before 9/11, I operated an FBO and a Part 135 charter service at Honolulu International Airport (HNL). We were all required at our expense to obtain AOA badges accepted at every airport in the state. We were also responsible for any security breaches as leaving gates unlocked or giving access to someone who was not badged. These new rules will not recognize the AOA badge at any airport other than the one which issued it. Once again I ask, what additional benefit is the general public obtaining by this massive intrusion into our lives? Do we really think increasing TSA's payroll is beneficial to the country? I do not.
Last but no means least was the releasing of the new proposed national budget. It includes billions of dollars in "User Fees" to help fund the FAA. Was there any talk of reducing fuel taxes to the users? Of course not. There will be debate in Congress. What President Obama wants, generally he will get.
What we will get is the bankrupting of our country, the loss of our ability to fly at any reasonable cost, and boatloads of abuse heaped on us for opposing this man's drive down the road of Socialism. I bought and am paying for my airplane myself. I did not and will not ask others to help me pay for it. When are we as free thinking Americans going to realize that what is happening in this country is downright wrong?
This is how I see it. Feel free to offer rebuttal. Better still, come to the USPA meeting in Tyler, TX, March 12th through the 15th and give us your opinion in person.
Steve Uslan, President
United States Pilots Association
432-556-0120
432-362-6187 FAX