Advocacy With Adam
Adam White, Alaska Airmen’s Association Government Affairs
We continue to work with Federal, State, and local officials on behalf of our members, ensuring Alaska Aviation remains accessible and a viable means of transportation and recreation. The following issues are just a few examples of how we work towards those goals.
Anchorage Airspace Redesign
The Anchorage Terminal Area Airspace Redesign is moving forward. The Alaska Airmen’s Association served as a co-chair of an ad-hoc committee that reviewed the FAA’s proposal and provided feedback. This process took approximately six months. The FAA has our recommendations and will evaluate them to determine if they can be accommodated before entering the public review process, which could start as early as this Fall. Look for announcements on meeting dates and times for the FAA to discuss their proposal in the coming months. If you want more information on the possible changes coming to Anchorage, watch Adam’s YouTube presentation on the subject. https://tinyurl.com/yy4meudj
Check NOTAMs
Once again, the military is conducting large-scale exercises this summer. Be aware of restricted areas being active outside of normal hours, and make sure to check for any GPS Interference Testing (Jamming) NOTAMs. Additionally, it’s fire season, so Temporary Flight Restrictions (TFRs) can arise quickly and with little notice. Flight Service is your best resource for the most current information on these events.
The Alaska Airmen’s Association maintains an open line of communication with the military and the Fire Service about the impacts of their activities on General Aviation.
Beyond Visual Line Of Sight (BVLOS) Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM)
The Part 108 (BVLOS) proposed rules should be released by the time you read this. These rules will provide guidance for remotely operated aircraft (drones) on how to operate beyond visual line of sight. There is cause for serious concern with what could be in these rules. Primarily, how General Aviation could take the brunt of accommodating these operations, rather than those BVLOS operations bearing the cost and equipage burden for the “sense and avoid” requirements. Up to now, BVLOS proponents have recommended to the FAA that all crewed aircraft should be mandated to be ADS-B Out, regardless of the class of airspace they are in, so remote operators can sense their location. Rarely has the FAA mandated the rest of the industry to be equipped with technology so that one segment can be accommodated. It is usually the other way around. As we all know, ADS-B Out equipage is not very popular here in Alaska; yet, this is where a high volume of Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) operations will likely occur due to the vast distances between population centers and our dependence on aviation for delivering goods to our residents. The Alaska Airmen’s Association plans to submit formal comments when the NPRM is released.
ADS-B Privacy and the Aircraft Registry
The Alaska Airmen’s Association submitted a formal comment to the FAA concerning the removal of personal identifying information from the aircraft registry. Our comments centered on the safety aspects of how the public too easily accesses private information and how this is the primary reason people give for not equipping with ADS-B Out. The comment letter is published in this edition of The Transponder.
ADS-B Coverage
There are seven new ADS-B ground stations now operational in Alaska, with two more expected to go online before the year ends. This will significantly enhance ADS-B coverage across the state. Look out for improved ADS-B coverage in the Kodiak, Homer, Middleton Island, Johnstone Point, Tok, Glennallen, and Fort Yukon areas, with Galena and Coldfoot anticipated to come online before the year’s end. The Alaska Airmen’s Association has been advocating for years that Alaska needed better ADS-B coverage. This is a significant milestone, and we will continue to push for more stations to improve coverage at the altitude we fly.
If you would like more information on these topics or have any questions or comments, please get in touch with Adam White at adam.white@alaskaairmen.org or 907-245-1251. Additionally, please copy the Alaska Airmen’s Association when submitting your public comments.
Be sure to catch “Advocacy With Adam” on the third Tuesday of every month at 6 pm on our YouTube channel for more thorough and timely updates on what the Airmen’s Association is doing to “Protect, Preserve, and Promote General Aviation in Alaska.” Go to the Advocacy Playlist on YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/2r3xb5bu