IAOPA News

·         Automated infringement detection mechanisms should be subject to a cost vs. benefit study prior to implementation.

·         Strong support to recommendations to initiate universal airspace type standardization.

·         Recommended improvements to aeronautical and flight information services be funded with existing fuel tax revenues and not new user charges.

ICAO Facilitation Panel Recommends Efficient Airport GA Services

After years of effort by Lars Hjelmberg of AOPA-Sweden and Frank Hofmann, IAOPA Representative to ICAO, the ICAO Facilitation Panel has recognized the unique needs of general aviation in navigating the intricacies of international arrivals and departures at airports. A major change has been proposed to ICAO Annex 9, Facilitation, at the April 2008 Facilitation Panel meeting that, in part, provides direction to airport operators in dealing with the comings and goings of general aviation aircraft: 

6.19 Recommended Practice — Airport operators and public authorities should provide efficient services for general aviation operators or their agent(s) concerning their operational and administrative requirements.   

While this is a recommendation (versus a standard) and general in nature, it provides valuable guidance to governments and airports regarding the treatment of general aviation aircraft at international facilities.

Affiliates should mention to their national authorities and airport operators that this proposal represents essential guidance for the treatment of general aviation operations. Facilities and clearance processes for general aviation operations are often overlooked or neglected at international facilities; this addition is a clear statement that will draw attention to our needs.

GAO Report Encourages FAA to Expedite UAS Plans

The US General Accountability Office recently released a report that looks at the issues involved in integrating a large number of unmanned aircraft and their associated systems (UAS) into the national airspace system.

The report notes, “…Understanding the issues, trends, and influences of UASs will be critical in strategically planning for the future airspace system. FAA is making progress in addressing the challenges.…Moving forward, issuing FAA’s long-awaited program plan should benefit the aviation community by communicating FAA’s strategy of how it plans to address the interactive complexities and unique properties of UASs and how it plans to leverage the resources of multiple entities that have expertise and experience in this area.… However, analyzing the data that it already has collected from recent UAS operations would further support decisions on the new regulations. FAA’s new estimate that the regulatory framework is not likely to be completed until sometime near 2020—about 8 years later than the date assumed by the industry forecast cited in this report—could further delay the time frame when civil-use UAS production begins to increase.”

Action steps mentioned in the plan include: “Congress should consider creating an overarching body within FAA, as it did when it established JPDO, to coordinate federal, academic, and private-sector efforts in meeting the safety challenges of allowing routine UAS access to the national airspace system. To obtain further benefits from UASs, we are recommending that the Secretary of Transportation direct the FAA Administrator to expedite efforts to ensure that UASs have routine access to the national airspace system….”

Radio Spectrum Allocation Conference Approaches

Every four to six years the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) meets to determine how to reallocate the electromagnetic frequency spectrum.  While seemingly a vast number of radio frequencies are available, commercial demands on this spectrum has created a growing scarcity of communications channels to be available. This means that aviation interests, among others, must increasingly compete for these scarce resources.

The next World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC), to be held in 2011, is set to reallocate these frequency assignments. Aviation interests  will have to work with their State telecommunications agencies to ensure that existing aviation frequencies are not reallocated to other interests and to ensure that emerging aviation technologies requiring additional spectrum are fully support in the WRC.

Affiliates should work with their national authorities to understand existing and emerging requirements and work to ensure aviation, in particular general aviation, needs are adequately accommodated. IAOPA will publish frequency allocation issues as they become known over the next few years.  2011 may seem like it is far into the future but the amount of coordination and negotiation required to provide a coherent proposal to the WRC often takes many years to accomplish.

Plan to attend the 24th IAOPA World Assembly
in Athens, Greece 9 - 14 June 2008 http://www.aopa.gr/en

The International Council of Aircraft Owner and Pilot Associations represents the interests of more than 470,000 pilots and aircraft owners in 66 countries. Formed in 1962, IAOPA is dedicated to promoting the peaceful uses of general aviation and aerial work worldwide.

IAOPA eNews is published monthly by the International Council of Aircraft Owner and Pilot Associations for the use of its affiliate members in representing and advocating general aviation and aerial work interests worldwide.