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From: keltro@att.net (Kelly Troyer)
To: "Rotary motors in aircraft" <flyrotary@lancaironline.net>
Subject:  FAA Attack on GA
Date: Tue, 08 May 2007 21:19:46 +0000
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Off subject.......Should be of interest to all of the group !!


-------------- Forwarded Message: -------------- 
From: keltro@att.net (Kelly Troyer)  
Subject: FAA Attack on GA 
Date: Mon, 7 May 2007 16:23:22 +0000 


Barnstorming: The FAA's User-Fee Stance Is An Attack On Us All Why Did The FAA 
Declare War On GA? 

There was a time in the "good old 
days" when the FAA was not only supposed, but was mandated, to be a 
close ally, (even a proponent) to all of aviation. 
Congressional intervention and concerns about the FAA's objectivity 
destroyed all that in the wake of an airline crash and the freakish 
fallout that occurred, thereafter. To many in the world of 
aviation, this was a mistake. 

And, to those of us who understand how media and politics work a 
little bit better than others (because of the fact that we are 
involved in it each and every day), it was more than a mistake, it 
was a sure path to disaster. 

That is where we find ourselves today. An FAA, devoid of any 
responsibility to promote or defend the industry it serves, appears 
to have gone on the attack and threatens much of what aviator s and 
aviation professionals hold dear. Aero-News, unlike many of the 
alphabet associations that have to work closely and kindly with the 
FAA, finds itself in a position to have to speak out in a somewhat 
unkind fashion. We've long had a love/hate affair with the FAA for 
as long as we've been in existence... we know well that the great 
majority of the people within the FAA are great advocates for 
aviation, true professionals, and lovers of the craft. However; the 
organization itself, (that great monstrous machine created by Uncle 
Sam), is not so kind and, today, not so professional. In what can 
only be seen as a power grab, and a political repositioning of 
itself within the government structure, the FAA has decided to 
shake up not only the way it is funded, but seems to be willing to 
buddy up, like never before, with the almighty airline industry... 
to the detriment of all else in aviation and aerospace. 

I must admit t o some 
head scratching over all that has occurred. The FAA's rationale for 
a new funding mechanism makes no fundamental sense, and numerous 
industry experts on both sides of the equation have cast more than 
sufficient doubt upon any changes in the current FAA funding 
scenario, too many see it as an accident waiting to happen. 
Further; there is no question that despite the fact that the FAA 
has an aggressive but yet unspecified agenda for a next-generation 
air transportation upgrade, that the current funding system (and 
the unquestioned growth that is expected to occur) has more than 
sufficient resources to see the FAA through the process of 
upgrading our, sadly, out of date air traffic system. Mind you, the 
FAA has given us precious little detail on what a new air traffic 
system will encompass. They've been short on detail, rarely answer 
cohesive questions, and have left much of Washington scratching 
their heads in bewilde rment over what is, or is not, coming our 
way. What everyone agrees with, though, is that we do indeed need a 
significantly more modernized way to move air transport from point 
a to point B.... and sooner or later, we expect the FAA to have to 
deliver it. But... how? 

More important, it behooves us to ask before the FAA shakes up 
everything that we know... what the hell are they thinking? 

The current strategy... whether you look at this proposals put 
forth by the FAA or the supposedly kinder/gentler Senate proposal, 
poses grave dangers to much of aviation. And while the current 
Senate proposal is seen as less toxic to the general aviation 
world, I must emphatically insist that all those in aviation who 
may not necessarily be affected by this proposal be aware of the 
cardinal rule of politics when it comes to user-fee/tax issues... 
"just because they're not after you today, doesn't mean they won't 
be after you tomorr ow." 

I have come to the inescapable conclusion that the FAA has lost 
all sense of objectivity where this proposal is concerned. I 
strongly believe that they have staked their reputation on seeing 
some measure of this proposal approved, and that the political 
destinies of many powerful people are linked to seeing this thing 
rammed down our throats. It is obvious to virtually everyone we 
have consulted, on both sides of the issue, that the airline 
industry has had a powerful effect on FAA decision making. This is 
an airline industry, of course, that has been in bankruptcy for 
most of the last several years, and has decimated its ranks with 
fraud, greed, misinformation, pension raids, employee abuse, poor 
management, and constant requests for the American taxpayer to bail 
them out of their many, self-inflicted, ills. 

I simply do not understand how 
anyone can give the airline industry any credibility after their 
pe rformance in the last few years. Even prior to 2001, the airline 
industry has been characterized by periods of gross mismanagement, 
and a growing dependence upon the government for handouts, special 
treatment, favorable rule-making, and all manner of favoritism. The 
industry can and will survive (and there are segments that do seem 
to have much of their act together), but it's time for a little bit 
of tough love, better management, and dealing with the stark face 
of reality. Giving the airlines preferential treatment, decimating 
much of general aviation (whom they apparently see as some type of 
threat, for no known reason), and eventually giving them power in 
FAA decision-making itself, clearly spells a doomsday scenario for 
much of this nation's valuable transportation infrastructure. 

No... I do not trust the airlines. And, I do not trust the FAA. 
What little credibility and trust I have been able to place with 
them in th e wake of 2001 has been virtually destroyed by some of 
the most shoddy reasoning and decision-making I have yet seen. 
Those of us in aviation who are opposing this current generation of 
proposals, in whatever form they may be presented, need to stand 
steadfastly together and resist all efforts to compromise. This is 
one of those circumstances when compromise does us little or no 
good. The inch we may give will grow to a yard in no time at all... 
and get worse with each step. 

Even if general aviation is not affected by upcoming compromise 
proposals, we need to signal our intensive solidarity with the rest 
of the aviation industry that may be under the microscope. The FAA 
and airline industry's 'taking on' of business aviation, and 
picking on those "fat cats in their business jets" is tragically 
flawed and myopic thinking. 

Business jets are not fat cat toys, they are tools of commerce. 
They make money. They make oppo rtunities. They grow the nation. 
They produce progress, jobs, income, and prosperity for the world 
around them. Yes, it's fashionable to poke fun at the big expensive 
business jet, but the big expensive business jet is rarely abused, 
and is (truly) only a pitifully small fraction of all the business 
in general aviation world. We need to do what ever it takes to 
stand together, to display a solid and steadfast front to the 
world, to make our case clear that all of aviation has value, and 
that all of aviation requires that heretofore available government 
services continue to be made available, and are modernized, within 
the present funding structure. If not, we're going to lose an 
incredibly vital resource while this nation and it's citizens, will 
suffer. 

It is also time to get in the face of the FAA decision makers, 
and their bosom buddies among the airline community, to let them 
know that alienating the business and ge neral aviation world can 
and should have severe consequences. We need to make some examples 
of some of the greediest and more flawed arguments and show any 
entity that threatens the rest of aviation, that this industry will 
not put up with it. 

We can do this on a 
number of scales... For instance, because of a speech given by 
United Airlines CEO Glenn Tilton (shown right) at the FAA Aviation 
Forecast Conference a few weeks ago, and his mischaracterization of 
GA as a bunch of Gulfstreams, I deliberately stood up and 
questioned him about his rationale and his thinking. I pointed out 
that most of GA does not fly a Gulfstream, I pointed out that 
Tilton's desire to see us pay our "fair share" made no sense when 
he was asking us to pay our "fair share" of a system that was 
designed for his industry and the myriad extra services that were 
made available to them, but are beyond our need or use. Finally, I 
pointed out that h is rationale for penalizing general aviation with 
user fees was akin to asking "the canoe to pay to raise the 
drawbridge." Tilton did not want to respond. Tilton copped out. 
Tilton obviously had his mind made up and no amount of facts or 
rationale were going to shake the hardened edifice of an opinion 
based on self interest and greed. 

As a result, I've struck back in my own way. Aero-News has not 
booked a ticket on United Airlines since his comments. Over the 
course of the next year I will be responsible for buying several 
hundred airline tickets for my staff, and for my associated 
businesses. Unless there is no choice, and I do mean NO CHOICE, it 
will be a cold frigid day in hell, at high noon, at the height of 
the summer season, before we book a ticket on United. I realize 
that much of the airline industry shares his viewpoint... but 
Tilton was the guy who got up on a podium and belittled a vast 
segment of aviation w ith his misunderstanding, arrogance, and 
factual misrepresentations. Let him pay for them and let him do so 
without a dime of our money. 

Folks... I've just come off one of the most extraordinary weeks 
of my life. This week has been steeped in all segments of aviation 
-- I flew in Zero Gravity (aboard a Boeing 727) with Professor 
Stephen Hawking... I looped and rolled my Glasair III off the 
Florida coast... I flew Cessna's new Citation Mustang... I checked 
a buddy out in his new Mooney... I traveled a good deal on 
America's airliners (NOT UAL) to get to and fro... and I got to do 
a little bit of soaring in a sturdy old Grob Twin II Acro 
sailplane. I loved and valued all the ways in which I 
aviated... equally and for unique/important reasons. I have never 
found any aspect of aviation to be any thing but synergistic with 
the rest. There is equal value in all of aviation and we should 
stand together, united, against all th reats. 

There should be no barriers, no 
jealousies, no schism, no antagonism, no competition, and no lack 
of support from one segment of aviation for another. I strongly 
feel that horrible damage has been done to the entire aviation 
industry by the fractious behavior of the FAA and the airlines, and 
I dearly desire to return to the good old days when the FAA had a 
responsibility to serve us, protect us, and speak of our value 
(collectively) to the world. In the meantime, though, the FAA needs 
to get off this ridiculous user-fee high horse, get back to 
reality, and quit attacking those whom it needs to protect and 
serve. 

Until then, the FAA has broken faith with the world of aviation 
-- and the aviators and aviation professionals who work and play 
with it. We cannot let them continue in this path for long. 
We either need a change of heart, or a change of 
leadership, so that the FAA can once again return to being 
a valued and trusted part of the aviation industry and an ally, 
rather than what they are now... the distrusted enemy and foe of 
much that we value. -- Jim Campbell, ANN Editor-In-Chief 
 
--NextPart_Webmail_9m3u9jl4l_20211_1178659186_0
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<DIV></DIV>
<DIV>Off subject.......Should be of&nbsp;interest to all of the group !!</DIV>
<DIV class=signature id=signature>&nbsp;</DIV><BR>
<BLOCKQUOTE style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #1010ff 2px solid">-------------- Forwarded Message: -------------- <BR>From: keltro@att.net (Kelly Troyer)&nbsp; <BR>Subject: FAA Attack on GA <BR>Date: Mon, 7 May 2007 16:23:22 +0000 <BR><BR><!-- BEGIN WEBMAIL STATIONERY --><!-- WEBMAIL STATIONERY noneset -->
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV class=signature id=signature>Barnstorming: The FAA's User-Fee Stance Is An Attack On Us All Why Did The FAA <BR>Declare War On GA? <BR><BR>There was a time in the "good old <BR>days" when the FAA was not only supposed, but was mandated, to be a <BR>close ally, (even a proponent) to all of aviation. <BR>Congressional intervention and concerns about the FAA's objectivity <BR>destroyed all that in the wake of an airline crash and the freakish <BR>fallout that occurred, thereafter. To many in the world of <BR>aviation, this was a mistake. <BR><BR>And, to those of us who understand how media and politics work a <BR>little bit better than others (because of the fact that we are <BR>involved in it each and every day), it was more than a mistake, it <BR>was a sure path to disaster. <BR><BR>That is where we find ourselves today. An FAA, devoid of any <BR>responsibility to promote or defend the industry it serves, appears <BR>to have gone on the attack and threatens much of what aviator
 s and <BR>aviation professionals hold dear. Aero-News, unlike many of the <BR>alphabet associations that have to work closely and kindly with the <BR>FAA, finds itself in a position to have to speak out in a somewhat <BR>unkind fashion. We've long had a love/hate affair with the FAA for <BR>as long as we've been in existence... we know well that the great <BR>majority of the people within the FAA are great advocates for <BR>aviation, true professionals, and lovers of the craft. However; the <BR>organization itself, (that great monstrous machine created by Uncle <BR>Sam), is not so kind and, today, not so professional. In what can <BR>only be seen as a power grab, and a political repositioning of <BR>itself within the government structure, the FAA has decided to <BR>shake up not only the way it is funded, but seems to be willing to <BR>buddy up, like never before, with the almighty airline industry... <BR>to the detriment of all else in aviation and aerospace. <BR><BR>I must admit 
t o some <BR>head scratching over all that has occurred. The FAA's rationale for <BR>a new funding mechanism makes no fundamental sense, and numerous <BR>industry experts on both sides of the equation have cast more than <BR>sufficient doubt upon any changes in the current FAA funding <BR>scenario, too many see it as an accident waiting to happen. <BR>Further; there is no question that despite the fact that the FAA <BR>has an aggressive but yet unspecified agenda for a next-generation <BR>air transportation upgrade, that the current funding system (and <BR>the unquestioned growth that is expected to occur) has more than <BR>sufficient resources to see the FAA through the process of <BR>upgrading our, sadly, out of date air traffic system. Mind you, the <BR>FAA has given us precious little detail on what a new air traffic <BR>system will encompass. They've been short on detail, rarely answer <BR>cohesive questions, and have left much of Washington scratching <BR>their heads in bewil
de rment over what is, or is not, coming our <BR>way. What everyone agrees with, though, is that we do indeed need a <BR>significantly more modernized way to move air transport from point <BR>a to point B.... and sooner or later, we expect the FAA to have to <BR>deliver it. But... how? <BR><BR>More important, it behooves us to ask before the FAA shakes up <BR>everything that we know... what the hell are they thinking? <BR><BR>The current strategy... whether you look at this proposals put <BR>forth by the FAA or the supposedly kinder/gentler Senate proposal, <BR>poses grave dangers to much of aviation. And while the current <BR>Senate proposal is seen as less toxic to the general aviation <BR>world, I must emphatically insist that all those in aviation who <BR>may not necessarily be affected by this proposal be aware of the <BR>cardinal rule of politics when it comes to user-fee/tax issues... <BR>"just because they're not after you today, doesn't mean they won't <BR>be after you tom
orr ow." <BR><BR>I have come to the inescapable conclusion that the FAA has lost <BR>all sense of objectivity where this proposal is concerned. I <BR>strongly believe that they have staked their reputation on seeing <BR>some measure of this proposal approved, and that the political <BR>destinies of many powerful people are linked to seeing this thing <BR>rammed down our throats. It is obvious to virtually everyone we <BR>have consulted, on both sides of the issue, that the airline <BR>industry has had a powerful effect on FAA decision making. This is <BR>an airline industry, of course, that has been in bankruptcy for <BR>most of the last several years, and has decimated its ranks with <BR>fraud, greed, misinformation, pension raids, employee abuse, poor <BR>management, and constant requests for the American taxpayer to bail <BR>them out of their many, self-inflicted, ills. <BR><BR>I simply do not understand how <BR>anyone can give the airline industry any credibility after their <B
R>pe rformance in the last few years. Even prior to 2001, the airline <BR>industry has been characterized by periods of gross mismanagement, <BR>and a growing dependence upon the government for handouts, special <BR>treatment, favorable rule-making, and all manner of favoritism. The <BR>industry can and will survive (and there are segments that do seem <BR>to have much of their act together), but it's time for a little bit <BR>of tough love, better management, and dealing with the stark face <BR>of reality. Giving the airlines preferential treatment, decimating <BR>much of general aviation (whom they apparently see as some type of <BR>threat, for no known reason), and eventually giving them power in <BR>FAA decision-making itself, clearly spells a doomsday scenario for <BR>much of this nation's valuable transportation infrastructure. <BR><BR>No... I do not trust the airlines. And, I do not trust the FAA. <BR>What little credibility and trust I have been able to place with <BR>them 
in th e wake of 2001 has been virtually destroyed by some of <BR>the most shoddy reasoning and decision-making I have yet seen. <BR>Those of us in aviation who are opposing this current generation of <BR>proposals, in whatever form they may be presented, need to stand <BR>steadfastly together and resist all efforts to compromise. This is <BR>one of those circumstances when compromise does us little or no <BR>good. The inch we may give will grow to a yard in no time at all... <BR>and get worse with each step. <BR><BR>Even if general aviation is not affected by upcoming compromise <BR>proposals, we need to signal our intensive solidarity with the rest <BR>of the aviation industry that may be under the microscope. The FAA <BR>and airline industry's 'taking on' of business aviation, and <BR>picking on those "fat cats in their business jets" is tragically <BR>flawed and myopic thinking. <BR><BR>Business jets are not fat cat toys, they are tools of commerce. <BR>They make money. They mak
e oppo rtunities. They grow the nation. <BR>They produce progress, jobs, income, and prosperity for the world <BR>around them. Yes, it's fashionable to poke fun at the big expensive <BR>business jet, but the big expensive business jet is rarely abused, <BR>and is (truly) only a pitifully small fraction of all the business <BR>in general aviation world. We need to do what ever it takes to <BR>stand together, to display a solid and steadfast front to the <BR>world, to make our case clear that all of aviation has value, and <BR>that all of aviation requires that heretofore available government <BR>services continue to be made available, and are modernized, within <BR>the present funding structure. If not, we're going to lose an <BR>incredibly vital resource while this nation and it's citizens, will <BR>suffer. <BR><BR>It is also time to get in the face of the FAA decision makers, <BR>and their bosom buddies among the airline community, to let them <BR>know that alienating the business
 and ge neral aviation world can <BR>and should have severe consequences. We need to make some examples <BR>of some of the greediest and more flawed arguments and show any <BR>entity that threatens the rest of aviation, that this industry will <BR>not put up with it. <BR><BR>We can do this on a <BR>number of scales... For instance, because of a speech given by <BR>United Airlines CEO Glenn Tilton (shown right) at the FAA Aviation <BR>Forecast Conference a few weeks ago, and his mischaracterization of <BR>GA as a bunch of Gulfstreams, I deliberately stood up and <BR>questioned him about his rationale and his thinking. I pointed out <BR>that most of GA does not fly a Gulfstream, I pointed out that <BR>Tilton's desire to see us pay our "fair share" made no sense when <BR>he was asking us to pay our "fair share" of a system that was <BR>designed for his industry and the myriad extra services that were <BR>made available to them, but are beyond our need or use. Finally, I <BR>pointed ou
t that h is rationale for penalizing general aviation with <BR>user fees was akin to asking "the canoe to pay to raise the <BR>drawbridge." Tilton did not want to respond. Tilton copped out. <BR>Tilton obviously had his mind made up and no amount of facts or <BR>rationale were going to shake the hardened edifice of an opinion <BR>based on self interest and greed. <BR><BR>As a result, I've struck back in my own way. Aero-News has not <BR>booked a ticket on United Airlines since his comments. Over the <BR>course of the next year I will be responsible for buying several <BR>hundred airline tickets for my staff, and for my associated <BR>businesses. Unless there is no choice, and I do mean NO CHOICE, it <BR>will be a cold frigid day in hell, at high noon, at the height of <BR>the summer season, before we book a ticket on United. I realize <BR>that much of the airline industry shares his viewpoint... but <BR>Tilton was the guy who got up on a podium and belittled a vast <BR>segment of a
viation w ith his misunderstanding, arrogance, and <BR>factual misrepresentations. Let him pay for them and let him do so <BR>without a dime of our money. <BR><BR>Folks... I've just come off one of the most extraordinary weeks <BR>of my life. This week has been steeped in all segments of aviation <BR>-- I flew in Zero Gravity (aboard a Boeing 727) with Professor <BR>Stephen Hawking... I looped and rolled my Glasair III off the <BR>Florida coast... I flew Cessna's new Citation Mustang... I checked <BR>a buddy out in his new Mooney... I traveled a good deal on <BR>America's airliners (NOT UAL) to get to and fro... and I got to do <BR>a little bit of soaring in a sturdy old Grob Twin II Acro <BR>sailplane. I loved and valued all the ways in which I <BR>aviated... equally and for unique/important reasons. I have never <BR>found any aspect of aviation to be any thing but synergistic with <BR>the rest. There is equal value in all of aviation and we should <BR>stand together, united, agai
nst all th reats. <BR><BR>There should be no barriers, no <BR>jealousies, no schism, no antagonism, no competition, and no lack <BR>of support from one segment of aviation for another. I strongly <BR>feel that horrible damage has been done to the entire aviation <BR>industry by the fractious behavior of the FAA and the airlines, and <BR>I dearly desire to return to the good old days when the FAA had a <BR>responsibility to serve us, protect us, and speak of our value <BR>(collectively) to the world. In the meantime, though, the FAA needs <BR>to get off this ridiculous user-fee high horse, get back to <BR>reality, and quit attacking those whom it needs to protect and <BR>serve. <BR><BR>Until then, the FAA has broken faith with the world of aviation <BR>-- and the aviators and aviation professionals who work and play <BR>with it. We cannot let them continue in this path for long. <BR>We either need a change of heart, or a change of <BR>leadership, so that the FAA can once again retur
n to being <BR>a valued and trusted part of the aviation industry and an ally, <BR>rather than what they are now... the distrusted enemy and foe of <BR>much that we value. -- Jim Campbell, ANN Editor-In-Chief&nbsp;<BR> <BR></DIV><!-- END WEBMAIL STATIONERY --></BLOCKQUOTE>
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