AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2012 - 14

AOPAACTION

AOPA MEMBERSHIP PRODUCTS

NATIONAL ACTION FAA, Industry to meet about future digital chart costs
he FAA’s decision to begin charging for digital chart products and only distribute them to individuals and companies that have an agreement with the agency’s AeroNav Products branch beginning April 5, 2012, has sparked concern throughout the general aviation industry. AOPA has been following the FAA’s plans and working with data providers to assess the potential impacts on the GA community. “We are anxious to see the FAA’s proposal and will work to mitigate any impact on our members,” said Heidi Williams, AOPA senior director of airspace and modernization. Congress has given the FAA authority to charge for its products in order to recoup investment costs associated with producing and distributing the materials. The agency has long charged for its paper products. When digital aviation products were introduced to the industry, the agency gave them away for free. However, with the explosive growth of the products’ use, the agency plans to apply its model for charging for paper products to its digital ones. Pilots are concerned about how much they would have to pay to use digital products from providers who currently get the aeronautical information for free from the FAA. But Congress has set some boundaries: The FAA isn’t allowed to turn a profit on its products.
AOPA PILOT •

AOPA Medical Services Plan keeps professional pilot flying
Medical reinstated within two weeks

ould “Stretch” Ryder is director of operations for Ventura Air Services Inc. He described his job this way: “I’m a professional pilot who flies helicopters in and out of Manhattan and throughout the Northeast Corridor.” He’s belonged to AOPA since 1973 in an effort to support AOPA’s lobbying efforts on behalf of general aviation. Although the need has never arisen, a few years back, Ryder enrolled in AOPA’s Legal Services Plan. “I believe that anyone who is flying should have this legal service,” he said. He believes the Legal Services Plan is the best investment to prepare for any number of legal situations, and since he is flying daily in some of the most complex airspace in the country, it is a must. Ryder said he’s witnessed some colleagues encounter flying issues, and AOPA’s panel attorneys defended them. A recent medical issue provided an occasion for Ryder to take advantage of another AOPA member service: AOPA’s Medical Services Plan. A diagnosis of Type 2 diabetes required a waiver that called for periodic medical exams. That waiver also required him to report any medical situa-

tions that could affect his flying. He developed kidney stones, grounded himself, and reported it to the FAA. Stretch was told by the FAA that it could take up to three months to reinstate his medical. He contacted an industry consultant who said he could help him for about $1,000. That’s when he remembered AOPA’s Medical Services Plan. For only $99, AOPA’s medical services team got his information, according to Ryder, “to the right people with the right forms, in the best way.” He went on to say, “AOPA knew how to work with the meticulous FAA. For example, they told me to put my name and case number on every faxed page of my medical records.” Within two weeks, Ryder was flying again. “AOPA got me my medical back for a lot less time and a lot less money,” he said. AOPA’s Medical Services Plan is an option available to all members who are experiencing difficulty with their FAA medicals. What’s more, membership entitles you to access resources on maintaining good health. For information on how to enroll in this affordable program that just may keep you flying, see the website (www.aopa.org/ info/certified/medical/index.html).

Aviation groups: Costly proposals won’t work
ebt-reduction proposals that would hike fees on all aviation “would lead to significant job loss across all sectors of the industry and the nation,” a coalition of nearly 30 aviation organizations recently told Congress. AOPA and organizations representing all aspects of aviation urged Congress to reject two proposals that

would add significant cost to users of the National Airspace System: a $100-perflight departure fee, and an increase in the passenger security fee to $5 per oneway trip in 2012 and $7.50 by 2017. The White House proposed the two charges, and the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction is now considering them. AOPA has long maintained that the current system of supporting the

aviation system with per-gallon fuel charges works and that per-flight fees would put an unnecessary burden on operators while creating a costly new government bureaucracy. At a new website (www. stopairtaxnow.com), visitors can urge Congress to reject punitive taxes and fees on aviation and, at the same time, “save American jobs and air service to their communities,” the groups said.

14 • JANUARY 2012

http://www.aopa.org/info/certified/medical/index.html http://www.aopa.org/info/certified/medical/index.html http://www.stopairtaxnow.com http://www.stopairtaxnow.com

AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2012

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2012