H.B 4441, FAA Reauthorization Act (Including PBOR-2)

[S_Van]

If I didn't know better, (and maybe I don't), the Pilots Bill of Rights 2 has been attached to H.B. 4441, for what purpose? To kill it? Could be.

H.B.4441 is titled: A Bill to Transfer operation of air traffic services currently provided by the Federal Aviation Administration to a separate non-for-profit corporate entity, etc., etc. etc.

And when you see who gets representation on the new Board that will control ATC, its pretty clear that airlines and unions will control it. Its a long bill, 273 pages, and I've not had time yet to read it all. But airline control of ATC sounds a lot like user fees for all, to me anyhow. There is language in the bill for user fees for turbines, but once this new Board is up and running, can they really be limited?

So here we have a bill with a lot of contention in it, and they stick the PBOR-2 in with it. Call your Congress-critter and demand that the PBOR-2 be pulled from H.B. 4441 and handled separately. I think there is real grounds for concern that H.B. 4441 could stall and then we are back to the temporary authorizations for the FAA that Congress has been so famous for over the past 10 years, and with it, the PBOR-2 gets stalled too.

Here is a link to the bill:
http://transportation.house.gov/uplo...r_act_text.pdf

[Mike Switzer]

It also bans all in flight cell phone use. I have already seen lots of social media posts opposing it on this issue alone.

[martymayes]

lol, the camel's nose is in the tent.

[rv builder]

Interesting that there's a section 125 change to include aircraft *under construction* as "aeronautical activity" for grant assurance purposes...remember the big dust-up recently about non-aviation use of hangars, and how some airports were saying that planes under construction were not "aeronautical activities"?

[mikey]

section 417 covers 3rd class med reform, pretty much in the original "drivers license" proposal form, before the Senate rewrote it.

[S_Van]

What the House Transportation Committee has done, is said:

"If you want 3rd Class Medical Reform,
THEN you accept ATC privatization, with GA grossly under-represented on the controlling board,
AND user fees, for some, for now. (wink and smile)."

[cub builder]

As you all probably already know, these bills rarely make it through Congress intact, so there will be opportunities for the bill to be amended to delete things like user fees. There are a lot of members in the General Aviation Caucus. Whether they are there to have their names show up for political reasons, or are actually willing to stand up for GA is something we will see. There is a lot of good stuff in this proposed bill, but it's not one of those deals where you have to swallow the bad to get the good. It can be changed. That's what our representative groups are there to do; lobby and educate the congress critters.

-Cub Builder

[RFSchaller]

Given the record of Congress I doubt any of this will be done. They are all too worried about saving their phoney-baloney jobs in an election year to do anything but punt with a short term extension of FAA funding. We are just too small a fraction of their constituency for them to worry about benefits to GA pilots with medical relief. Pretty sad situation for our government to be in.

[Onex33]

I think you are absolutely correct S Van-it was added to H.B 4441 to kill it. Have to wonder if the DOT is behind that move since the original proposal is still sitting in their(DOT). clubhouse. It could have happened a long time ago if DOT hadn't held it up. Still have to wonder why??

[rv builder]

It could have happened a long time ago if DOT hadn't held it up. Still have to wonder why??

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

Follow the money...who benefits if there is no change to medicals?