Warbirds of America and
FAA work together to “keep ’em flying”
By David Sakrison
Staff Writer/Government Affairs
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Flight's a gas. T-6 Texan pilot Bill Elkins tops off the right wing tank of his World War two trainer after arriving in the Warbirds area at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2006. Elkins, of South Carolina is part of a large contingent of T-6 drivers participating in this year's fly-in.
Photo by Dave Higdon
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Officials from the FAA’s
Flight Standards Office and members of the Warbirds of America (WOA)
Governmental Affairs Committee will meet Monday at EAA AirVenture
Oshkosh to update each other on programs and issues associated with the
operation of vintage and surplus military aircraft.
WOA Executive Director
Bill Fischer said his organization’s goal is to work with the FAA to
make it easier for pilots to get training and credentials to fly
warbirds, and to maintain the high levels of proficiency those aircraft
demand. "We want to reduce the amount of red tape required without
compromising safety," Fischer added.
The relationship between
the WOA and the FAA has been a cooperative one, Fischer noted. "The
FAA wants industry input," he said.
"Our members have
more expertise about these aircraft," said WOA Safety Chairman Rick
Siegfried, and the FAA looks to WOA members to help set policies and
rules.
Fischer noted that many
FAA "old hands" have retired in recent years, and others have
moved to different positions within the agency or to the parent
Department of Transportation. As a result, a lot of warbird-related
knowledge and experience has been lost to the agency. These annual
meetings at AirVenture, and other contacts throughout the year,
"help keep the lines of communication open," Fischer said.
"From the FAA’s
perspective, this [AirVenture] is a unique forum" for working on
warbird issues, Fischer added. "The FAA brings a lot of people here
and they can meet with a lot of members of the aviation community and
get a lot of work done in a very short time." That work includes
reviewing and refining the FAA’s "roadmap" for regulating
warbird operations for the next five to 10 years.
Working out all the
issues related to ex-military aircraft and their operations takes time,
effort, and cooperation, said Fischer, and it is all driven by WOA’s
primary mission—to "Keep ’em Flyin’," at air shows, on
aircraft tours, through museum programs, and through private ownership
and support— "so the American public can continue to enjoy seeing
these historic aircraft in flight."
The Warbirds of America
is a non-profit member organization affiliated with EAA. Formed in 1966,
it became a division of EAA a year later. Its 6,800 members help each
other with information and technical expertise, as well as flight
training, safety, and maintenance programs. Membership is open to all
warbird owners, pilots, and enthusiasts.
To learn more, visit the Warbirds area,
on the north end of AirVenture, or stop at EAA Member Village, just west
of AeroShell Square.
