Urgent! Action needed now! ATC Privatization sneak attack

G-Man

G-Man

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Good thread with instructions here, but it lacked a sense of urgency. It is important to do this ASAP. Now. Tonight.
https://www.pilotsofamerica.com/community/threads/nbaa-eaa-aopa-req-to-help.110383/
(Thank you, Radar Contact, for the thread.)

Additional info:
AOPA and EAA are reporting a 'sneak attack' advancing ATC privatization, sponsored by Sen. Shuster and hidden in the FAA reauthorization bill. The amendment was announced yesterday and there is a strong possibility of a vote as early as tomorrow, April 25.

More info and ways to take action at: https://www.atcnotforsale.com/

For AOPA and EAA members, info at:
https://www.eaa.org/en/eaa/eaa-news...-24-2018-backroom-maneuver-against-atc-system
https://www.aopa.org/news-and-media...congress-today-to-defeat-last-minute-atc-grab
(Updated links per Flying Ron's post below)
 
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Thanks @G-Man. I like your post much better. I only had a couple seconds and didn’t put a good title nor was I able to get the EAA/AOPA links up, which for us here I prefer over NBAA. Thanks for getting the word out!
 
I tried, twice, but got this message both times:

We apologize for this inconvenience. There is a problem with the address. DPV No Match. The address was found in the Zip+4 data, but not matched in the DPV reference.

Please go back and try again later.
 
Done. Only an idiot tries to change the safest mode of travel ever invented by Man.
 
Radar Contact, thanks for your kind words and glad you weren't offended!
flyingron, thank you for letting me know about the links! I did not realize they took you through Facebook. Disingenuous and insidious, indeed.
Tim Winters, hope you did go back and try again later, or call, or use the NBAA link?
 
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Looks like Shuster backed off. From AOPA just now:

SHUSTER BACKS DOWN ON LAST-MINUTE ATC KERFUFFLE
AOPA MEMBERS MAKE A DIFFERENCE
April 25, 2018 By Thomas B Haines
Less than 24 hours after proposing an amendment that had shades of his previous effort to “privatize” air traffic control, Rep. Bill Shuster (R-Pa.) backed down on his plans thanks to an immediate outpouring of opposition by general aviation pilots. In response to calls by AOPA and other general aviation associations for action, pilots flooded the switchboard at the U.S. House of Representatives, telling their members of Congress to oppose Section 5 of Shuster’s “manager’s amendment” to H.R. 4, the bill to provide long-term funding to the FAA.

The Capitol is home to the U.S. Congress and its House and Senate. The legislative branch has significant influence over general aviation. Photo by David Tulis.
Shuster introduced the amendment late on April 23, just hours ahead of the planned vote on H.R. 4. The amendment included a plan to move management of the air traffic organization from the FAA to its parent entity, the U.S. Department of Transportation, which has no expertise in running such an operation. The amendment also called for the establishment of a 13-seat “advisory” board, the composition of which looked remarkedly like the one from Shuster’s bill for the so-called “privatization” of ATC. The chairman pulled that bill in February after two years of debate when he could not get enough votes to advance it in the House.


“Once our members weighed in to express their opposition to the amendment, we had a constructive dialog and we are grateful that Chairman Shuster withdrew the most troubling language in Section 5 of the amendment,” said Jim Coon, AOPA senior vice president of government affairs. “We hope now H.R. 4 can move forward. All of aviation will benefit from a long-term funding bill.”


“Once again, the power of a large, active, and engaged membership base proved important in stopping this onerous proposal,” said AOPA President Mark Baker. “AOPA members responded immediately Tuesday afternoon to our calls for action and House members quickly knew that general aviation was not going to allow this to pass. As always, we are thankful for AOPA members who took immediate action to get this last-minute deal stopped in its tracks. You made this happen.

“Let’s get this reauthorization bill passed to guarantee stable funding for the FAA for the next five years and then let’s call a summit of air traffic control stakeholders to develop a plan to modernize the system in a transparent and productive way,” Baker continued. “We are anxious to work with the Administration, the airlines, and others to continue to advance our air traffic system, which is already the largest, safest, and most complex in the world. But we all know we can’t rest on our laurels. The system must continue to advance, and we support that.”
 
Fantastic! Yesterday was the first time I ever called my representative (well, their office).

Glad that's done.
 
Mtns2Skies said:
Fantastic! Yesterday was the first time I ever called my representative (well, their office).

Glad that's done.
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You should call more often. The office of the senator has called me back on several occasions. I have been in contact with one person in the senators office that has been very helpful in helping me moving forward with a business idea I have been working on.
 
Just got done emailing my rep and decided to check the rest of the thread. Outstanding gents.
 
From the NBAA:


GA Community Defeats Latest Airline Attempt to Control ATC

Yesterday, NBAA members once again contacted Congress in record numbers to let elected officials know that any attempt by the big airlines to gain control of our nation’s air traffic control (ATC) system is simply unacceptable. Thanks to your efforts, we succeeded, and a dangerous amendment to the House FAA reauthorization bill that would have created an airline-dominated board to oversee the ATC system was removed. In addition, airline supported provisions to move the ATC system out of FAA to the Department of Transportation were also removed from the bill.

Both of these provisions were drafted in the dark of night, without any opportunity for public debate. Once NBAA learned of the threat, we quickly mobilized our members, who within hours, blanketed Capitol Hill with opposition and changed the debate on this thinly veiled airline attempt to advance their ATC takeover campaign.

While the FAA bill going to the House floor this week is not perfect, we want to see it passed, as a long-term reauthorization is critical to advancing our shared priorities. Now we have a bipartisan bill that will modernize, not privatize ATC, and we are grateful for the hard work of members of Congress, and their willingness to listen to constituent concerns.

As the FAA bill continues to move through Congress, we will keep members apprised of the latest developments.

Sincerely,

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Ed Bolen


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National Business Aviation Association
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I am just glad the general tax payer and airline ticket buyer get to keep subsidizing corporate jets.
 
Alright guys, I’m a little new to th GA scene so help me out understanding what is so bad about an industry advisory board? Because otherwise it’s completely in the hands of unaccountable beaurocrats...and I see a fair amount of bitching about FAA red tape on this board or others (AOPA). 1 of the 13 board members would be from GA, but how big a slice of the total aviation market does GA really equal? Seems like major airliners dwarf the GA business in terms of economic interest. I’m coming from a free market point of view and generally don’t believe government does the best job running things. So someone please help me understand this better so next time something like this comes along I’ll be able to enthusiastically participate.
 
Ben Sanford said:
Alright guys, I’m a little new to th GA scene so help me out understanding what is so bad about an industry advisory board? Because otherwise it’s completely in the hands of unaccountable beaurocrats...and I see a fair amount of bitching about FAA red tape on this board or others (AOPA). 1 of the 13 board members would be from GA, but how big a slice of the total aviation market does GA really equal? Seems like major airliners dwarf the GA business in terms of economic interest. I’m coming from a free market point of view and generally don’t believe government does the best job running things. So someone please help me understand this better so next time something like this comes along I’ll be able to enthusiastically participate.
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The air traffic control system is the exception that proves the rule about government not being the best at running things. The USA air traffic control system is the best in the world. The other seats at that table would be the airlines, and they would work for the airline's interest, not general aviation.

See: https://www.eaa.org/en/eaa/aviation...ation-issues/atc-privatization-myths-vs-facts
 
Ben Sanford said:
Alright guys, I’m a little new to th GA scene so help me out understanding what is so bad about an industry advisory board? Because otherwise it’s completely in the hands of unaccountable beaurocrats...and I see a fair amount of bitching about FAA red tape on this board or others (AOPA). 1 of the 13 board members would be from GA, but how big a slice of the total aviation market does GA really equal? Seems like major airliners dwarf the GA business in terms of economic interest. I’m coming from a free market point of view and generally don’t believe government does the best job running things. So someone please help me understand this better so next time something like this comes along I’ll be able to enthusiastically participate.
Click to expand...

Without getting this shut down...this is the farthest thing from a free market. It would be the largest transfer/gift of tax payer funded property to a non government entity ever. Not to mention there is zero wrong with ATC. Period. All they complain about is issues that the airlines have brought on by themselves. Not to mention I can't think of anything in recent memory that the FAA has done that is not for the benefit of the consumer/general public.
 
Cykoguy said:
Without getting this shut down...this is the farthest thing from a free market. It would be the largest transfer/gift of tax payer funded property to a non government entity ever. Not to mention there is zero wrong with ATC. Period. All they complain about is issues that the airlines have brought on by themselves. Not to mention I can't think of anything in recent memory that the FAA has done that is not for the benefit of the consumer/general public.
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Well, NextGen has been a ****show (over budget/past due), but that’s not ALL the fault of ATC per say. Plenty of Washington DC swamp rats have had their hands in it, too.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Cykoguy said:
Without getting this shut down...this is the farthest thing from a free market. It would be the largest transfer/gift of tax payer funded property to a non government entity ever. Not to mention there is zero wrong with ATC. Period. All they complain about is issues that the airlines have brought on by themselves. Not to mention I can't think of anything in recent memory that the FAA has done that is not for the benefit of the consumer/general public.
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Additionally, there's no oversight.
 
Ben Sanford said:
Alright guys, I’m a little new to th GA scene so help me out understanding what is so bad about an industry advisory board? Because otherwise it’s completely in the hands of unaccountable beaurocrats...and I see a fair amount of bitching about FAA red tape on this board or others (AOPA). 1 of the 13 board members would be from GA, but how big a slice of the total aviation market does GA really equal? Seems like major airliners dwarf the GA business in terms of economic interest. I’m coming from a free market point of view and generally don’t believe government does the best job running things. So someone please help me understand this better so next time something like this comes along I’ll be able to enthusiastically participate.
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To draw an analogy to roads, should there be a private highway commission where car drivers get 1 of 13 seats? After all, car usage is dwarfed by the economic interest of trucks, buses, and commercial vehicles. Should we limit access of cars from highways and impose toll rates that benefit trucks?
 
SoonerAviator said:
Well, NextGen has been a ****show (over budget/past due), but that’s not ALL the fault of ATC per say. Plenty of Washington DC swamp rats have had their hands in it, too.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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Not disagreeing that it had it's issues but it is largely in place meanwhile the airlines have largely made no progress on equipping their aircraft with ADS-B. Here is a good article from AOPA. As of it's writing earlier this year UPS had equipped 99%, FedEx, United and Jet Blue around 35%. SWA had equipped just 14 of it's around 700 737s.

"According to FAA data, as of December 1, 2017, 46,968 U.S.-registered aircraft had equipped with ADS-B Out. Of that total, 34,400 are certificated fixed-wing general aviation aircraft, and another 1,542 are registered to U.S. air carriers."

https://www.aopa.org/news-and-media/all-news/2018/february/pilot/pe-ads-b-face-the-mandate

murphey said:
Additionally, there's no oversight.
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By who? We do have congress...we the people, the other branches of government and the NTSB is a nonpartisan investigation agency.
 
Cykoguy said:
Not disagreeing that it had it's issues but it is largely in place meanwhile the airlines have largely made no progress on equipping their aircraft with ADS-B. Here is a good article from AOPA. As of it's writing earlier this year UPS had equipped 99%, FedEx, United and Jet Blue around 35%. SWA had equipped just 14 of it's around 700 737s.

"According to FAA data, as of December 1, 2017, 46,968 U.S.-registered aircraft had equipped with ADS-B Out. Of that total, 34,400 are certificated fixed-wing general aviation aircraft, and another 1,542 are registered to U.S. air carriers."

https://www.aopa.org/news-and-media/all-news/2018/february/pilot/pe-ads-b-face-the-mandate



By who? We do have congress...we the people, the other branches of government and the NTSB is a nonpartisan investigation agency.
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As orginally devised, there was no oversight for the New & Improved ATC. Not Congress. Not the FAA. The NTSB has zero involvement, in fact can't even dictate anything, only make recommendations. As for We the People....the board would be selecting its own membership.

Oversight, as defined and implemented in most governmental entities translates to Who Controls the Money. The original board controlled the $$$.
 
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