"Talking about modernization is one thing. Implementing it
is another," explains Earl Lawrence, vice president of industry and regulatory
affairs for the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA), a growing and diverse
group of general aviation (GA) enthusiasts. Lawrence, a graduate of Northrop University and member of the Society of
Automotive Engineers (SAE), is busy patrolling the front lines of the Federal
Aviation Administration (FAA) funding debate. "It's really about money and who
gets to control the collection of it", Lawrence
recently told CR4's Steve Melito. "There's plenty of money now for the FAA",
but the regulatory agency is still seeking tax increases and user fees to fund
the so-called "modernization" of the nation's air traffic control (ATC) system.
The EAA vs. the ATA
Earl Lawrence's offices may be in Oshkosh,
Wisconsin, but he understands Washington D.C.
well enough. As the voice of an organization whose members include Steve
Fossett, the record-setting aviator who recently disappeared in the Nevada desert,
Lawrence knew the
FAA wouldn't cease operations when its funding expired last week. Lawrence also understands
the strength of the EAA's chief political rival, an airline-industry trade organization
called the Air Transport Association (ATA). In August, the ATA ran television
ads on CNN's Airport Network which featured a small airplane cutting in front
of a large airliner. As real-life passengers waited to board their flights, the
pilot in the TV ad's small plane barked: "Coming through - I've got a foursome here
with an early tee time".
Modernization and Taxation
The ATA has been "very deceptive", Earl Lawrence complains.
Its advertisements may play well with frustrated airline travelers, but FAA
rules prohibit aircraft from cutting in front of each other during takeoff or
landing. Pilots and air traffic controllers know better, too, but the stakes
are high in the FAA funding debate. According to Lawrence, the ATA is using "modernization" as
a way to "transfer control of the collection system" to a seven-member panel run
by the airlines and airline-industry lobbyists. At the same time, the FAA is telling
Congress to "give us the money" without detailing its plans for ATC
modernization, especially with regard to general aviation.
So what does the FAA (and Congress) have in store?
Editor's Note: Part 2 will run tomorrow, right here on CR4.
CR4 Aerospace Blog
Additional Resources:
http://www.eaa.org/
http://www.eaa.org/communications/eaanews/070920_fossett.html
http://www.faa.gov/airports_airtraffic/trust_fund/
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