AOPA Pilot Magazine - November 2021 - 14

AOPA ACTION
TOP STOR IES /
Notam modernization effort underway
AOPA-led coalition surveyed need for changes
P ILOTS COULD START seeing improvements
in the notam system this fall, the
FAA has told AOPA. The improvements
include graphical airport construction
diagrams and a decrease in the number
of permanent notams as the changes are
incorporated into charts. In addition, the
notam system will become more resistant
to outages as it is moved into the cloud.
AOPA surveyed 30,000 members
about improving notams, and 77 percent
of respondents said making notams easier
to understand was important while 46 percent
said addressing the number of notams
was important.
" These are just the first tangible
improvements pilots will notice, " AOPA
Director of Airspace, Air Traffic, and
Security Jim McClay said, adding that " we
still have a long way to go in this modernization
effort. "
Pilots who read " confusing or erroneous "
notams should report them through
the FAA's Aeronautical Information Portal.
In addition, McClay said pilots should maintain
positive relationships with their local
airport management to directly alert them
about any local notams that are confusing.
The transition from the domestic to the
International Civil Aviation Organization
AOPA concerned over
Bahamas airport proposed
passenger fee
THE MANAGEMENT OF Lynden Pindling International Airport in
Nassau, the Bahamas, has proposed a $28-per-passenger fee for individuals
arriving on international flights aboard private aircraft. The fee,
if approved by the airport authority, would take effect February 1, 2022,
with the revenue generated from general aviation activity going " to
fund needed major construction projects to better serve GA passengers
and reduce their delay impact on commercial flights and passengers, "
according to the Nassau Airport Development Co.'s proposal. AOPA is
analyzing the proposal and intends to submit formal comments. AOPA's
initial concerns include the proposed fee creating a disparate cost burden
on GA flights based on the number of passengers aboard. It could
have an adverse effect on the affordability of GA flights to Nassau, likely
curtailing the economic benefit GA brings to the Bahamian economy.
AOPA is also concerned that the supporting data and justification for
a fee increase lacks relevant and accurate information, and questions
whether funds raised by the fees will benefit GA.
aopa.org/pilot/bahamasfee
14
AOPA PILOT / November 2021
(ICAO) notam format is expected to be
complete by the end of 2024. The transition
" will allow for more robust sorting
and make it easier for pilots to find relevant
notams, " McClay said.
Based on AOPA's survey, pilots are
concerned about the transition to the
ICAO format, and McClay said AOPA is
working with the FAA to develop training
on the new format. The good news,
he said, is that most pilots read translated
notams through their electronic flight
bags and other vendors and won't notice
the difference in the raw notams.
aopa.org/pilot/notamformat
'Do pilots a favor, and lose
the laser,' FAA says /
AOPA IS WORK ING with the FAA and aviation stakeholders
to inform the public about the safety implications of
aiming laser pointers at aircraft. The FAA is taking a datadriven
approach to attacking " the dangerously high rate "
of those incidents. There were 6,852 laser strikes reported
to the FAA in 2020, up from 6,136 in 2019, marking the
highest annual total since 2016. AOPA joins the FAA in urging
pilots to report laser encounters to the agency and to
local law enforcement as the campaign to curb the problem
continues. Getting caught misusing the inexpensive,
easily purchased devices could be pricey. " People who
shine lasers at aircraft face FAA fines of up to $11,000 per
violation and up to $30,800 for multiple laser incidents, "
the FAA said; of the $600,000 of fines levied since 2016,
$120,000 was assessed already in 2021.
aopa.org/pilot/laserstrikes
http://www.aopa.org/pilot/notamformat http://www.aopa.org/pilot/laserstrikes http://www.aopa.org/pilot/bahamasfee
AOPA Pilot Magazine - November 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of AOPA Pilot Magazine - November 2021
