Louisiana Governor Signs ADS-B Billing Ban; AOPA Continues Effort Toward National Ban
In late June, Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry signed HB 730 into law, joining the growing number of states moving to stop the use of ADS-B, a safety technology, to collect fees from pilots. In a news release, the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association said it views this action as an important recognition that ADS-B, a technology used by pilots and air traffic controllers to prevent mid-air collisions, should not be used as a revenue generator.
HB 730 goes into effect on Aug. 1 and prohibits the use of ADS-B data to charge fees to pilots flying aircraft weighing less than 12,500 pounds under Part 91 (non-commercial operations). It passed the Louisiana Senate unanimously and passed the House on a 91-8 vote.
While more states are considering related legislation, AOPA is pursuing a national policy to avoid a patchwork of laws across the country. The nation’s top two transportation and aviation safety officials, NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy and FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford, have both testified before Congress that ADS-B should only be used for aviation safety and not as a fee generator.
Legislation to address last year’s mid-air collision at Ronald Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C., was overwhelmingly approved by the U.S. House of Representatives in April and would, among other things, prohibit any person, government agency or other entity from using ADS-B to identify aircraft for the purpose of collecting revenue from pilots without their consent.
“Some have tried to paint this as a way to not collect property taxes or fees imposed by airports – those assertions are flat-out false,” said AOPA Senior Vice President of Government Affairs and Advocacy Jim Coon. “Pilots were given assurances when the federal government required ADS-B that it would only be used for aviation safety and airspace efficiency. That assurance is not being kept.”
Coon further explained: “The bill passed by the U.S. House of Representatives does nothing to stop airports, local and state governments, or any other entity from charging or collecting fees and taxes – it just takes away the ability for tax collectors and airports to exploit a safety technology for their economic gain. General aviation pilots already pay fuel taxes and fees to help offset the costs of safety infrastructure and operations at many public-use airports today, and they will continue to do so when this becomes law – they just would not be able to use a safety technology that saves lives for economic purposes. Airports and governments have other means to collect what they’re owed.”
According to the Tax Foundation, Coon said, “tax assessors collect more than $3 trillion each year in local and state taxes, including property taxes – and that is without using ADS-B. If this practice continues unchecked, it will discourage pilots from equipping their aircraft with this safety technology. We remain hopeful Congress will address the safety concerns – from pilots, federal officials and the flying public.” Source: aopa.org
AOPA, Coalition Urge Congress to Provide Additional ATC Modernization Funding
AOPA, along with more than 50 other aviation organizations, sent a letter from their Modern Skies Coalition on July 16 to congressional leaders, requesting an additional $20 billion be allocated toward the ongoing Brand-New Air Traffic Control System initiative.
“Modernizing our nation’s ATC system is a national imperative. Enhancing the safety and efficiency of the National Airspace System is long overdue and will ensure the continued flow of people and commerce to maintain America’s global leadership role in aviation and aerospace,” the coalition wrote in its letter to House Speaker Mike Johnson, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Senate Majority Leader John Thune and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.
The funds would be in addition to the $12.5 billion “down payment” approved by Congress one year ago and would help the Department of Transportation and Federal Aviation Administration implement a sweeping overhaul of aging automation surveillance platforms.
The coalition points out that controllers currently rely on different platforms and that “the FAA has spent hundreds of millions for required ‘refreshes’ of these foundational yet aging systems that were developed decades ago,” according to the letter. Current estimates suggest a new common automation platform would cost $10 billion.
The letter points to progress made in the first year: the replacement of copper wire with fiber, replacing paper with electronic strips, adding surface awareness detection technology, converting analog voice switches and radios to digital systems and replacing hundreds of aging radars.
A new online dashboard at modernskies.faa.gov developed by the DOT and the FAA provides information about ATC modernization projects already underway and updates at more than 4,600 FAA sites across the country, accompanied by a map overlay detailing specific efforts. Users can also enter their zip code for more information about ATC upgrades and their benefits in their communities. Source: aopa.org
Sam Graves Receives 2026 EAA Freedom of Flight Award
Sam Graves, the longtime U.S. Representative from Missouri who as House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee chair led many efforts on behalf of general aviation, received during this year’s EAA AirVenture Oshkosh the Experimental Aircraft Association’s 2026 Freedom of Flight Award, the organization’s highest honor.
“Sam Graves’ congressional career has embodied his dedication to aviation and to public service,” Jack J. Pelton, EAA CEO and chairman of the board, said in a news release in advance of the award ceremony. “His bipartisan efforts and achievements have supported, preserved and advanced recreational aviation in America. EAA’s Freedom of Flight Award not only recognizes Sam for all that he has done, but it serves as a thank-you to him for his strong advocacy on behalf of aviators and the general aviation community.”
Graves is retiring from Congress at the end of the current term after representing Missouri’s 6th District since 2001. He has served as the top Republican on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee since 2019 and co-chaired the House General Aviation Caucus.
Among the many notable accomplishments on behalf of aviation are:
- Instrumental in the development and passage of the 2024 FAA Reauthorization Act, which for the first time included a general aviation title and encompassed such important items as a timeline for MOSAIC (Modernization of Special Airworthiness Certification) implementation, expanded BasicMed and increased Airport Improvement Program funding;
- ATC modernization and funding;
- Defending against ATC privatization;
- Pilots Bill of Rights;
- LODA/Experimental Flight Training.
The EAA Freedom of Flight Award has been presented since 1986 to recognize contributors to aviation who closely mirror the integrity, entrepreneurship and innovativeness of EAA members. Source: eaa.org
NBAA Salutes Doug Carr for Decades of Service as BizAv Champion
The National Business Aviation Association issued a news release in July thanking Doug Carr, NBAA’s senior vice president for safety, security, sustainability and international operations, who recently announced his decision to retire from NBAA at the end of August after 28 years of service to NBAA and the entire business aviation community.
“Doug has been a rock upon which NBAA has depended for nearly three decades,” said Ed Bolen, NBAA’s president and CEO. “Through his tireless work with the International Business Aviation Council and NBAA’s International Committee, his pivotal role in the formation of NBAA’s Security Council after 9/11, his leadership on countless safety initiatives with NBAA’s committees and the FAA that helped save lives and his indefatigable promotion of best practices in business aviation operations, Doug has made an indelible mark on NBAA and the entire business aviation industry. He will be greatly missed.”
Carr is a commercial, multi-engine, instrument-rated pilot and a certificated flight instructor. Source: nbaa.org
NBAA Signs Onto Industry Coalition Statement Opposing DHS Proposal to Curtail CBP Airport Operations
On May 29, NBAA joined a coalition of leading aviation and travel organizations – representing airports, airlines, hotels and other business and consumer stakeholders – in urging the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to avoid actions that would significantly reduce Customs and Border Protection operations at U.S. airport ports of entry.
The groups warned that disruptions at major international gateway airports would have nationwide consequences, negatively affecting travelers, businesses, supply chains and airport operations across the country.
“Any reduction in Customs and Border Protection operations at major U.S. gateway airports threatens to cause unnecessary chaos throughout the nation’s air transportation system,” the coalition’s statement reads. “International aviation networks are highly interconnected and operational changes at a small number of gateway airports will quickly ripple across the country, negatively impacting travelers, cargo shipments, supply chains and the communities that depend on those connections. Airports and airlines rely on stable, predictable federal inspection services to keep people and commerce moving safely and efficiently. We urge DHS to avoid actions that would create unnecessary operational and economic consequences for communities nationwide. As the United States prepares for growing international travel demand, DHS should avoid actions that would create unnecessary bottlenecks and economic consequences for communities across the country. Now is the time to strengthen America’s gateway infrastructure, not weaken it.” Source: nbaa.org