Aren't You Happy You Voted For Baby Bush? (ATC Privatization)

On Thu, 31 Jul 2003 03:54:04 GMT, Newps wrote in
Message-Id: wp0Wa.15560$Oz4.5543@rwcrnsc54:

The user fees for an airplane that is 5000 pounds or less is a flat
$60 Canadian per year. In the grand scheme of things that is nothing,
I pay more than that to the state of Montana each year for my "tabs".

Have you any idea what you pay into the Aviation Trust Fund via
aviation fuel taxes annually?

Having said all that I still wouldn't want their whole system,
just parts of it.

My fear is that a privatized US ATC would be like putting the fox in
charge of the henhouse, because it will likely be run by airline
industry airplane manufacturer(s). I would have a hard time believing
Boeing or LockMart, or ... could reframe from influencing the redesign
the NAS to suit their customers' requests at the expense of the equity
with which GA is afforded in today's NAS.

Here's some supporting information about that notion:


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AOPA ePilot Volume 5, Issue 31 August 1, 2003
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AOPA PROTECTS PILOT INTERESTS IN FAA NAVIGATION PLAN
The FAA has put out its roadmap for the future of aerial
navigation, and the bottom line for general aviation pilots is
that today's avionics equipment will continue to serve GA pilots
well into the future, thanks to AOPA advocacy. The Roadmap for
Performance-Based Navigation is an air carrier-driven plan to
tighten navigation tolerances and increase airspace capacity. It
creates a system in which an aircraft must meet specific avionics
capabilities (Required Navigation Performance or RNP) to use
airways and arrival and departure procedures in busy terminal
airspace (Class B). AOPA battled to make sure that VFR aircraft
would be exempted from RNP requirements, that IFR aircraft could
participate using today's IFR-certified GPS receivers, and that
RNP would provide benefits for GA pilots. See (
http://www.aopa.org/whatsnew/newsite...03-3-046x.html ).

--

Irrational beliefs ultimately lead to irrational acts.
-- Larry Dighera,