AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - November 2017 - 13

PART 23 REFORM TAKES EFFECT

AOPA organized a
relief campaign to
help Florida residents
after the aviationrich state was hit by
Irma, a Category Four
hurricane with wind
speeds of 130 mph.
See "Sending Out a
Lifeline" on page 80.

Aircraft certification reforms long in the making (and backed by AOPA and other advocates) took
effect August 30, creating new ways to improve safety and affordability across the general
aviation fleet.
The final rule that reforms small aircraft certification standards was issued in December 2016,
and allows manufacturers to use performance-based consensus standards in lieu of "prescriptive"
standards that have long hindered the development and implementation of new technologies in
both new aircraft and the existing fleet. AOPA Senior Director of Regulatory Affairs David Oord said the new certification
rule and methods of compliance will reverse that situation, improving safety and reducing cost, and also speeding the arrival
of new aircraft and equipment.
"We are expecting to see new aircraft designs come to market that incorporate new and novel technologies at a price
point that was previously unattainable," Oord said. "General aviation is at a critical point in its history, and we believe that
this reform, now effective, will make significant improvements in both the safety and affordability of the GA fleet while serving as a catalyst for growth." 
www.aopa.org/Part23

ACTION IN THE STATES

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AOPA SUPPORTS CALIFORNIA
SEAPLANE BUSINESS
A California air tour company, which
won a round in its battle to stay in
business before a government board as
hundreds of supporters packed a public
hearing, continues its survival struggle.
The Marin County Planning Commission voted 5-0, with two members recusing themselves, to deny a formal recommendation that would have increased
operating restrictions for Seaplane
Adventures, a business that provides
sightseeing tours of the San Francisco
area and offers air charter services.
AOPA, which has approximately 34,000
members in California, wrote a letter of
support for Seaplane Adventures to the
planning commission, pointing out the
company's "impeccable" safety record
and its willingness to accommodate the
needs of others as the region has undergone change.
www.aopa.org/californiaseaplane

NEW JERSEY, AOPA TAKE ON
TFR INCURSIONS
Too many pilots violated the temporary
flight restrictions (TFRs) in effect during
President Donald Trump's 17-day vacation in Bedminster, New Jersey. During
the Friday-through-Sunday period of the
final weekend of the president's visit, 18
TFR incursions occurred, with 13 occurring on Saturday, said Nobuyo Sakata,
AOPA director of aviation security. AOPA
continues to work with security agencies
to reduce the impact of security TFRs
on GA, and these efforts are made easier
when AOPA can show GA's compliance
with current security procedures. In
emailed alerts and news reports posted
to AOPA Online, AOPA has notified
pilots before VIP TFRs take effect. AOPA
recently unveiled an app that delivers
a wide range of information to users,
including TFR advisories transmitted to
pilots based on their device's location.
"Pilots may not always check their email,
but if the alert shows up on their phones,
they are more likely to see it," said Sean
Collins, AOPA's eastern regional manager.
www.aopa.org/TFRincursions

NORTH CAROLINA DROPS
AIRCRAFT MAINTENANCE TAX
Legislation passed in North Carolina
puts the state on track to give its $230
million aircraft maintenance industry
a key tool in its bid to compete with
neighboring states' aviation businesses.
Gov. Roy Cooper signed Senate Bill 628,
a wide-ranging tax package that included
AOPA-backed language to provide an
exemption from sales and use taxes for
repairs, maintenance, and installation
services performed on aircraft with a
gross takeoff weight of more than 2,000
pounds. "This onerous tax caught many
aircraft owners and aviation business
off guard when it took effect in 2016,"
said Steve Hedges, manager of AOPA's
Southern Region. "AOPA worked hard to
get it repealed, recognizing that it doesn't
benefit anyone, including the state." The
bill takes effect in 2019. AOPA has more
than 8,000 members in North Carolina, a
state in which 60 aviation aircraft repair
businesses generate more than $230
million in revenue annually and employ
about 3,200 people.
www.aopa.org/NCtaxrepeal

www.aopa.org/pilot AOPA PILOT | 13
http://www.aopa.org/Part23 http://www.aopa.org/californiaseaplane http://www.aopa.org/NCtaxrepeal http://www.aopa.org/TFRincursions http://www.aopa.org/pilot
AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - November 2017

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