The rising cost of flying, coupled with shrinking discretionary income, combined with a weak economy and an unfriendly political environment has taken its toll on the industry. I read in a major aviation publication that 80 percent of the FBOs that were in business in 1980 are gone.
The General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) published that in 1978, GA produced something on the order of 17,035 piston powered airframes in this country. In 2012, total piston airframe production for the year was 881 units. That pretty much says it all.
So, if I were king, how would I fix General Aviation? Here are my thoughts.
- 1)I would exempt Avgas from EPA rules. Leaded Avgas constitutes about three-tenths of one percent of all the motor fuel consumed in this country. Clearly, it is no threat to the environment.
- 2)I would take the General Aviation Trust Fund out of the general budget and have it utilized as it was originally intended: to support aviation.
- 3)I would embrace the Small Airport Transportation System (SATS) program that NASA developed. Currently in the United States the airlines service about 34 hub airports and a couple of hundred satellite airports utilizing regional carriers. The other 4,000-plus airfields are underutilized.
- 4)I would create an investment tax credit program to stimulate demand for new airframes. It worked well for real estate and boats and aircraft in the 1970s.
- 5)I would exempt aviation from tort liability and apply strict liability rules, similar to those in place prior to about 1970. This way, if you run out of gas and crash, you can’t sue the airframe manufacturer, the gas company and any manufacturer of any component in the aircraft. This would encourage parts and airframe manufacturers to make parts and airframes, something we really need if we are to grow GA again. That was what the Aviation Tort Liability Act of 1994 was supposed to do, but it was an easily circumventable piece of legislation.
- 6)I would encourage more aerospace programs in more high schools. In the town I live in, we have an aerospace program in the high school that is supported by Embry-Riddle and gives college credits to the students. It is working, so let’s do more of that.
- 7)I would reinstate the FAA’s original mandate to foster and promote as well as regulate aviation. I would also order the FARs to be streamlined and updated to reflect the realities of today. And I would seriously consider creating another part to the FARs—something between Part 135 on-demand charter and Part 121 scheduled carriers—specifically for small aircraft, say, 6,000 pounds and under, single pilot, piston, turboprop and turbojets, to allow commercial services to be offered to the public. If there is commercial use, then there will be demand for these types of aircraft and they can utilize the small airports the air carriers can’t. I would keep it really simple: single pilot, single ship, and put just enough operating limitations on it to ensure it is safe for the traveling public. I would also streamline the certification process for innovative technologies so it doesn’t cost millions of dollars to get a sun visor approved for aviation use, for example. I would mandate that the FAA encourage its employees to treat the flying public as valuable customers. So when the Fed shows up and says “Hi, I’m from the FAA and I’m here to help you,” they really are.
- 8)I would order TSA to issue security IDs to all U.S. residents who hold a current valid certificate and medical if they want one, similar to a boater ID card. There is no reason that a licensed pilot who passes an FBI background check should be subjected to a search or an interrogation with the kind of frequency that is happening now. Yes, there is a legitimate need for homeland security. But there is no reason to make the pilot population feel as if their property and their freedom are at risk every time they walk across the ramp.
- 9)Lastly, I would institute a national advertising campaign promoting the virtues of General Aviation and its value to the economy, to small business and to an individual’s quality of life. We live in a country—possibly the only country—where General Aviation is within the financial and practical reach of a broad cross section of the population. This is a gift and it behooves us to take advantage of that. It needs to be “cool” again to be a pilot and own a plane.
If I were king, these are the things I would do. I believe if we do these things aviation will flourish again. Sure, there will be issues; there will always be issues. It would be nice to be king.
Michael Leighton is an 8,000-hour, three-time Master CFII MEI-ATP, as well as an A&P mechanic. You can find him online at web.mac.com/mkleighton. Send questions or comments to editor@www.piperflyer.com.
