with creating ideas for
improving the special issuance process, along with information
technology investments at the FAA, is making the improvement possible.
Outside of process
improvements, Blakey reported that she just signed off on the start of a
rulemaking process to extend the term of a first-class medical
certificate from six months to one year, and will extend the term of
third-class medicals for pilots under the age of 40, from two years to
five.
"These changes are
consistent with the kind of changes we are seeing internationally,"
Blakey said. "It is estimated that these two changes alone will
reduce annual applications by 75,000. That will result in quicker
service for everyone."
Blakey also reported that
the number of conditions for which participating aviation medical
examiners (AMEs) can now approve special issuance medicals has increased
from 20 to 35. The FAA is also working with EAA and others to encourage
more AMEs to participate in the special issuance program.
General aviation safety
has been a topic at most, if not all, of Blakey’s prior appearances,
and this year’s was no exception. She reported that GA accidents are
down for the first six months of 2006 and, in particular, are down in
Alaska, an area where the distances are great, the facilities are
limited, and the safety challenges are unique.
Blakey also said the
expected introduction of up to 5,000 very light jets (VLJs) into the
system by 2017, along with a projected two- to three-fold increase in
traffic over the next 20 years, requires that safety programs must
continue to evolve and improve.
 |
|
FAA Administrator
Marion Blakey took time out during her visit to AirVenture to take
a short ride in EAA’s Travel Air biplane. Photo by Hilary
Lawrence |
Blakey’s other main
point addressed the topic of user fees and funding for the airspace
system.
"The system as we
know it right now cannot handle [the expected] growth," she said.
"It is not scalable. We are going to have to transform the system
and increase capacity. Without modernization, congestion will increase
and the entire aviation community will suffer."
Questioning how the
needed modernization would be paid for, and noting that the current
10-year funding plan for the FAA expires September 30, 2007, Blakey
specifically addressed the issue of user fees.
"This new funding
system does not, and I repeat, does not have to include broad user fees
for the general aviation community," she said drawing applause from
the audience.
She went on to add,
"There are multiple ways to recover the costs, and I for one do not
believe that a one-size-fits-all approach is going to be the right
solution. While it’s important that each group pay its fair share of
costs, let me be crystal clear, we do not want to create a funding
system that stifles general aviation."
Blakey also stated there
needs to be strong ongoing support from the government’s general funds
to recognize the contribution the aviation system makes to the general
public.
She was also emphatic
that any proposed plan will require that Congress be in control of the
funding mechanism.
EAA President Tom
Poberezny introduced Administrator Blakey and noted that under her watch
at the FAA, two significant new segments of general aviation were born
and are growing. Those two segments are light-sport aircraft (LSA) and
the very light jets (VLJ).
FAA Administrator’s
Q&A
After Administrator
Marion Blakey’s prepared remarks, the floor was opened for questions.
The following are edited questions from attendees and responses from the
Administrator and her staff.
Q: We
understand there are proposed changes to rules that affect individuals
building homebuilt aircraft. Can we get any comment on that?
BLAKEY: Yes. I’ve just
signed off an aviation rulemaking committee that will be looking at the
fact that we’re seeing ever more sophisticated aircraft coming into
that arena. What we have to look at together is the 51-percent
requirement. It’s there for a good reason: to encourage this activity
as recreation, as an exciting area for individuals. But it should not be
one where commercial entities are circumventing or finding themselves in
the position where they really are doing much more of this than was
originally intended so that in some cases it is a commercial enterprise.
We really need to think together about how this is developing and what
we need to put in place to safeguard that activity, and at the same time
not change the nature of this.
Q: Congress
bypassed the Airport Improvement Program with a bill to allow the
closure of Rialto Airport in the Los Angeles area. Is it possible for
the FAA to get involved when these city councils try to close airports?
BLAKEY: We feel very
strongly that we in the FAA do and should spend considerable resources
on protecting airports by reinforcing the statutory authority we have if
federal funds are involved in an airport. We’ve done this on multiple
occasions.
DAVE BENNETT (FAA
Director of Airport Safety and Standards): Rialto proves the
rule. It took an act of Congress to get the airport closed. We’ve
worked to protect airports at Concord and Hawthorne in California; we’re
working on Oceanside and St. Petersburg (Florida). On land around the
airport, we can’t control it; it’s a local land use issue. We do
expect the airport to do everything in its power to minimize development
near the airport and keep it safe for aviation.
Q: Regarding
the FAA’s user fee proposal: How much of a fair shake will general
aviation get when there seems to be a cozy relationship between the FAA
and the ATA [Air Transport Association, an airline trade group], to the
extent that one of your senior staffers winds up on their payroll?
BLAKEY: I take exception
to that comment. People would also say we have a very close relationship
with the general aviation community; certainly we do with EAA and AOPA.
We try to work very closely with the associations that represent the
aviation community. But it’s not a question of a cozy relationship.
Obviously people leave the FAA and they go to work for all sorts of
places.
There is no proposal. For the last year
and a half I’ve worked very closely with the staff here to try to come
up with a good strong proposal that will be a starting point to get this
discussion going. But I felt we did not have a consensus of what that
proposal would look like, and I felt we needed to work more with you
all, and we went back to the table to discuss what can work. And that’s
where we are.
Listen
to audio of the Meet the Administrator session. (62.6 mb .mp3)
