AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2011 - 14

AOPAACTION
AOPA MEMBERSHIP PRODUCTS
NATIONAL ACTION
Pressure builds on FCC
to revisit network’s
threat to GPS
(FCC) failed to balance a
satellite network operator’s
claim of public interest
against the “massive problems”
that expansion of its
network could cause for the
aviation industry and other
GPS users.
AOPA, working with a
multi-industry coalition, is
urging the FCC to reverse a
waiver it granted to communications
network
operator LightSquared to
“repurpose” a portion of the
satellite spectrum adjacent
to that used by GPS. By
granting the waiver, the
FCC failed to give proper
weight to the “substantial
evidence” in the record that
the network expansion—
with its 40,000 required
ground stations—could
cause “significant desensitization”
of GPS receivers
“and massive problems that
issue would create for the
aviation industry,” AOPA
said.
Concern has been grow-
T
ing about the threat to GPS
in the aviation community
and other industries since
LightSquared applied
for the waiver. AOPA
announced recently that it
has joined the Coalition to
Save Our GPS, whose goal
is to protect the national
utility that GPS represents
against the threat of signal
degradation or interference.
Federal officials have also
expressed concerns about
the impact on GPS, as well
as the working group set up
by the FCC.
AOPA PILOT • 14 • JUNE 2011
he Federal Communications
Commission
Is your certificate at risk?
S
ummer is nearly here and for many
pilots that means less time on the
ground and more time in the air. Unfortunately,
in today’s climate for general
aviation, every flight you take could put you
at risk of violating any one of at least 700
relevant federal aviation regulations with
which pilots are required to comply.
Fortunately, as the thousands of AOPA
members enrolled in the Legal Services Plan
already know, for as little as $33 per year
you can enjoy peace of mind every time
you fly, knowing that if the FAA initiates an
enforcement action against you, you’ll have
the best legal advice and support available
anywhere. Enroll today (www.aopa.org/
info/certified/lsp/).
CFIs: Protect yourself and your
livelihood in a nonowned aircraft
A
s a flight instructor you can be held
liable for incidents involving your
students, even if you weren’t on board
the aircraft at the time. This startling fact
makes having the right insurance policy a
necessity.
The AOPA Insurance Agency under-
stands that your needs as a CFI are unique
and without the right policy you could be
putting your livelihood on the line. That’s
why, when you get your CFI nonowned
policy through the AOPA Insurance Agency,
you can rest assured that you are personally
protected during flight instruction.
FAA’s flight-tracking
plan puts security,
privacy at risk
to curtail pilots’ use of a
program that shields information
about their flights
from public view. National
security and personal
privacy will suffer if the
FAA proceeds with its plan
to limit access to the Block
Aircraft Registration Request
(BARR) program, said AOPA
Senior Vice President of
A
OPA is urging the FAA
to reconsider plans
And unlike many other policies that have
tricky sublimits that can restrict coverage
for your spouse, children, and other family
members, a CFI liability nonowned policy
through the AOPA Insurance Agency offers
family coverage without sublimits.
You’ll even be provided with defense cov-
erage (legal fees) should the need arise. Plus,
your coverage is based on when the claim is
made, not when the incident occurred—so
your policy will
cover you for any
claims made during
the policy period,
even if the incident
happened prior to
your coverage.
The AOPA Insur-
ance Agency can
also put money
back in your pocket by offering a 5-percent
AOPA member discount and a 10-percent
discount at renewal if you have maintained
a good flying record and have had no
claims.
When it comes to your livelihood, don’t
take chances. Contact the AOPA Insurance
Agency for your free quote at 800-622-AOPA
or visit the website (www.aopaia.com/
cfi_insurance.cfm).
As with all AOPA-endorsed products, a
portion of the revenue generated is returned
to AOPA and reinvested to fund our efforts
to maintain the freedom, safety, and affordability
of general aviation.
Government Affairs Melissa
Rudinger.
“The proposed changes
are dangerous, invasive, and
noncompetitive, and the
implications are far reaching,”
she said.
The FAA had solicited
comments on its proposal to
restrict BARR use to operators
who can submit written
certification of a “valid
security concern”—defined
as “a verifiable threat to
person, property, or company,
including a threat of
death, kidnapping, or serious
bodily harm against an
individual, a recent history
of violent terrorist activity
in the geographic area in
which the transportation is
provided, or a threat against
a company.”
Currently, operators with
privacy or security concerns
can block flight information
from being made available
to several vendors via
Aircraft Situation Display
to Industry (ASDI) data,
provided by the FAA.
http://www.aopa.org/info/certified/lsp/ http://www.aopa.org/info/certified/lsp/ http://www.aopaia.com/cfi_insurance.cfm http://www.aopaia.com/cfi_insurance.cfm
AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2011

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2011
