AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2014 - 100

NEWS & NOTES
ACTION IN THE STATES

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Tower marking bills advance
across the country
AT LEAST THREE ACCIDENTS involving meteorological evaluation towers
(MET) have occurred over the past
decade, resulting in four fatalities.
These accidents, involving both agricultural operators and private aircraft,
prompted the NTSB in 2011 to issue a
safety alert, and in 2013 to call on the
states to require marking and registering these towers in a directory.
METs are used for evaluating
wind conditions to determine the
suitability of a given location for
wind turbine installation. With the

recent growth in wind energy development, the towers have proliferated
and are hard to spot. According to the
NTSB, METs can be put up quickly,
and often are erected without notice
to the aviation community. In a matter of hours, the navigable airspace for
low-flying aircraft can change without
notice-and with potentially disastrous results.
AOPA, the National Agricultural
Aviation Association, and many state
agriculture and pilot groups joined an
effort to pass legislation that would
follow the NTSB recommendations
and mitigate this risk to low-altitude
flying. In March, Washington Gov. Jay
Inslee signed legislation that requires
lighting and high-visibility markings on the towers, joining Montana,
Idaho, Wyoming, California, Missouri,
and South Dakota with some tower
marking requirements. Legislation
is under consideration in Colorado
and Oklahoma, and in development
in several other states.

AVIATION USES ADVANCE WITH
RECREATIONAL USE STATUTES
WISCONSIN LAWMAKERS have joined a growing movement to promote recreational use of private landing strips by protecting private airfield owners
from liability under the state's recreational use statute. More than 20 states
have enacted similar legislation, thanks to grassroots support driven nationally by AOPA and the Recreational Aviation Foundation.
The national effort to protect private landowners from liability related
to aircraft use is driven by the need to keep as many backcountry strips and
private fields available as possible. While campgrounds, parks, and similar
recreation facilities have long enjoyed such protection, the extension of liability protection to property owners who welcome airplanes is a more recent
phenomenon. By adding aviation to the list of covered sites, these states now
provide the same level of liability protection for private landowners whose
property is used by pilots flying recreationally as it does for private land used
by skiers, hikers, people riding ATVs, and other uses.

100 | AOPA PILOT June 2014

AIRPORT SUPPORT NETWORK

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STATE AND LOCAL ACTION

COLORADO SPRINGS
PILOTS WIN LOCAL
TAX EXEMPTION
AT COLORADO SPRINGS Municipal
Airport in Colorado, Airport Support
Network volunteer Steve Ducoff spearheaded an effort to win a local sales tax
exemption for aircraft materials and
parts installed on an aircraft in the city's
current airport commercial zone, a great
way to help lower costs for aircraft owners while supporting airport businesses.
With help from AOPA and ASN,
Ducoff began educating the local community and leaders in 2013 and, in April

2014, the city passed the new legislation.
"The effort to develop this legislation,
gather support, and see its passage was
a concerted effort of the entire aviation
community at the Colorado Springs
Airport. The group also worked to support the interim director of aviation,
Dan Gallagher, to see him confirmed
as the permanent director. These two
positive efforts have unified the aviation community more than ever. It has
strengthened the economic base and
will make the Colorado Springs Airport
more enticing to general aviation, more
competitive to attract aviation related
businesses, and welcome guests to visit
the Pikes Peak Region," said Ducoff.
ON THE

WEB

"AOPA Resources for You" is ideal for
educating community groups such as
city officials, fraternal organizations,
community groups, or the media. The
presentation describes general aviation,
its impact on the community, and how
airports help local areas thrive (www.
aopa.org/advocacy/get-involved/
AOPA-Resources-for-You.aspx).
http://www.aopa.org/advocacy/get-involved/AOPA-Resources-for-You.aspx http://www.aopa.org/advocacy/get-involved/AOPA-Resources-for-You.aspx http://www.aopa.org/advocacy/get-involved/AOPA-Resources-for-You.aspx http://www.aopa.org/advocacy/get-involved/AOPA-Resources-for-You.aspx
AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2014

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2014
