Comments on: GA and the environment: Your chance to comment

By: John Howe

John Howe — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 05:39:29 +0000

AOPA by giving members of The Wilderness Society a ride will undoubtedly give them ideas as to a need to further restrict access to even bigger areas. The only way to deal with environmentalists is to not deal at all. Make no mistake, these people are zealots, and will keep pushing and spreading lies to further their agenda. This movement has taken over this entire country. Up until a few years ago, most all the burden was put on industry, thus we all have been paying but not directly seeing the costs. They are now reaching out in more directions that we all can see from stopping new development, creating more wilderness areas thus further restricting recreational access and imposing airspace restrictions.
This entire movement has been further empowered by by state and federal legislation that seems to have no end, the latest being the carbon legislation moving through congress now. The movement has virtually shut down California with no scientific basis to back it up.
AOPA is falling into the same trap, thinking that we all have to become green. This organization and the people of this country need to wake up, and get rid of their quilt feeling that is being constantly driven home everyday by the media. This country has nothing to feel guilty about! Unless you all want to be flying AirCam’s in the future, and be like Europe and fly within 5 miles of the airport, or not flying at all, we all need to change direction now.
John Howe, California

By: Doug Teeter

Doug Teeter — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 14:03:00 +0000

My wife and I have been thinking of getting back into Aviation, we sold our Cessna 340 a few years ago. We were thinking a 182 or a 180HP 172. I toured the local airports and checked gas prices, and talked to a lot of the local pilots. The vibes sure aren’t good. We live in Southern Arizona and the border patrol and Homeland Security think anyone flying an airplane is a drug runner and treat the aircraft owners like they are potential criminals. The Obama plan to redistribute the wealth of the country has given the local and state tax collectors new powers and they swarm the local airports checking tail numbers. FBO operators say the tax people invade their shops asking questions and writing down every tail number. If you have an airplane of any kind you are a rich person and should be taxed. I checked out Tucson Int and found it even more restrictive, a background check is required to get the required ID cards that you have to wear around your neck at all times.
Fuel prices are another issue, they are on ththe way back up, a few months ago 100LL was $5.61 a gallon here.
I don’t know what we as pilots can do about all of this. Obama certainly has no love for GA and it is everyone I talked to opinion that some sort of user fees will be passed during his administration. So we are going to hold off buying another airplane for a while longer. We love to fly and flying is jusy another one of the freedoms in this country that are under attack.
D. Teeter Green Valley, AZ

By: Tuck Colby

Tuck Colby — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 16:17:28 +0000

How about accentuating the positive? Blocking unnecessary regulation is not the whole story – you already know this – but let’s highlight the good we do, and show pilots how they can join in if they’re not already involved.

It’s can be about opportunities to use our skills and airplanes in efforts that benefit us all, require aviation expertise, and provide intense personal satisfaction to the pilots that fly in support of these public benefits.

Our parks, wildlife, our whole enjoyment of the outdoors benefit from pilots who fly for LightHawk, for instance. These pilots are paying something back to their fellow citizens and also to our grandchildren in their use of the unique perspective of flight to support positive environmental outcomes.

It’s a kind of flying that’s very different from point to point transportation. It requires a high level of skill from pilots and offers and special rewards. And it’s about affecting the environment and our enjoyment of it in positive ways, not just minimizing adverse consequences of our fuel use.

And…..it’s fun!

By: Debee Pulley

Debee Pulley — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 00:45:26 +0000

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE DON’T START IMPOSING MORE COSTS ON GENERAL AVIATION. I AM 50 YRS OLD, WANT TO FLY MORE THAN ANYTHING IN THIS WORLD, & ALREADY I’VE HAD TO SIT OUT FOR 2 YRS BECAUSE OF RISING FUEL COSTS AND OTHER COSTS. I lost my job, & had to go bankrupt (which means my chances just diminished), I’m not getting any younger, so the medical exam will be tougher to pass. THIS IS MY DREAM & HAS BEEN SINCE I WAS A LITTLE GIRL. I REALIZE THIS IS A “RICH MANS GAME”……BUT PLEASE PLEASE… NO MORE EXTRA FEES. THIS IS NOT JUST FOR ME, BUT FOR EVERY PERSON OUT THERE WHO WATCHES THE PLANES FLY BY (& THEIR HEART BREAKS A LITTLE) BECAUSE THEY ALREADY CAN’T AFFORD THE TRAINING LESSONS. I’M BEGGING FOR THIS BECAUSE I INTEND TO FLY ONE DAY….one way or another. PLEASE DON’T ADD MORE FEES. I KNOW OBAMA CAN FIND ANOTHER WAY TO FIND MONEY, THAN TO KEEP THE PLANES THAT DO SOOOO MUCH MORE FOR US THAN MOST PEOPLE REALIZE. IT KEEPS ME ALIVE WITH HOPE. THANKS FOR LISTENING