AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2012 - 17

5 Washington

Park Service preserves Ross Lake seaplane access recommendations

6 South Dakota

Builders beware
Homebuilt aircraft owners are facing double taxation in South Dakota. Currently, all aircraft registered in the state pay an initial registration fee of 4 percent of the aircraft’s value in lieu of sales or use taxes. However, owners of homebuilt aircraft that have paid the aircraft registration fee are now being pursued by the Department of Revenue (DOR) for back sales and use taxes on their aircraft’s individual components. AOPA is working in support of House Bill 1209, which would provide a clear sales and use tax exemption for all components of a homebuilt aircraft. “Conventionally built aircraft don’t receive sales or use tax bills for their engines or propellers, so why is the DOR pursuing homebuilders?” Regional Manager Bryan Budds said. “We need the Department of Revenue to see homebuilt aircraft are no different than their conventionally built counterparts.”

Small success for safety
Even in Alaska’s wide-open spaces, a badly placed cell tower can create problems for aviators. On the Talkeetna Spur Road, a cell tower under construction posed a potential hazard. This is on the busy air route into Talkeetna—the premier gateway airport providing access to Denali National Park and Reserve, and near an active floatplane lake.

Aviators were cheered by the National Park Service decision to change course and include seaplane access to Ross Lake in Washington state’s Cascades in the preferred alternative of its master plan update to the final general management plan and environmental impact statement for the Ross Lake National Recreational Area. AOPA commended the NPS for meeting with the association and the Washington Seaplane Pilots Association, and for following up by incorporating the organizations’ ideas into the park service’s preferred alternative for the recreation area’s future management. That decision eliminated concerns registered by AOPA and others in September 2010 about a prior version of the plan that would have sharply curtailed seaplane access to the recreation area near Seattle. The new plan gives seaplanes access to several prime camping areas. It will also give the seaplane community the opportunity to develop voluntary noise-abatement procedures while educating pilots about the area, and keeping track of seaplane usage.

At 120 feet in height, the tower was not tall enough to meet FAA requirements for lighting. But Dave Earl, Airport Support Network volunteer at Palmer Municipal Airport, decided that conditions near Talkeetna warranted a higher standard. So he spearheaded an effort to persuade the local government authority—the MatanuskaSusitna Borough—to require the cellular company to light the tower. Enlisting the aid of Jane Dale, ASN volunteer at Willow Airport, the Mat-Su Aviation Advisory Board adopted a resolution that recommended lighting the tower. With that in hand, the borough’s Planning and Land Use Department made lighting a condition of the permit it issued for the project. Specifically, it required an aviation hazard beacon that conformed to FAA marking requirements. Earl’s concern for the safety of pilots was a driving force in being proactive, and is a great example of how a small success can make a big difference. Even when the law won’t require safety, as an ASN volunteer or as a concerned pilot, you can educate local decision makers to do the right thing.
For more information on learning how to volunteer for AOPA, visit AOPA Online (www.aopa.org/asn).
AOPA PILOT • 17 • MARCH 2012

JOHN HOLM

http://www.aopa.org/asn

AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2012

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