May 2005

IAOPA President Addresses Eurocontrol Conference in Brussels

IAOPA President Phil Boyer was the featured speaker at the General and Business Aviation Day at Eurocontrol headquarters in Brussels. IAOPA Europe and Eurocontrol jointly sponsor the annual conference.

Key point of Boyer's presentation centered on user fees, access to airspace and airports, equipment requirements, and new technology beneficial to general aviation.

Eurocontrol Director General Victor Aguado told the more than 150 general aviation pilots, operators, and business and association representatives that, "We have cautious optimism for general aviation in the future, for the first time since 9/11." Aguado recognized that general aviation represents the largest group of aircraft and pilots, even in Europe. "What we want to try to achieve is maximum freedom for all airspace users," he said. "We know you need access to airports and airspace."

Boyer talked about the cost burdens for owners who have to install new equipment to meet the needs of air traffic control. Every aircraft in Europe will have to have a Mode S transponder within three years and have to upgrade radios to 8.33-kHz frequency spacing to meet current regulations.

"There should be a solid benefit for the user in required equipage," said Boyer, noting that in North America, most aircraft are now equipping with GPS, not because it is required, but because the benefits are so obvious.

He also spoke to the need to understand the best ways to harmonize equipment requirements between Europe and the rest of the world. "If Cirrus has to equip its aircraft one way for Europe and another way for everybody else, it only increases overall costs."   << Back to top

IAOPA Achieves Goals at ICAO Aviation Security Panel Meeting

IAOPA Secretary General John Sheehan and IAOPA ICAO Representative Frank Hofmann participated in the seventeenth annual ICAO AVSEC Panel Meeting, held from 29 March through 1 April 2005 at ICAO Headquarters in Montreal.

The meeting attracted 30 States and eight nongovernmental organizations meeting to consider approval of a complete redraft of ICAO Annex 17, Security. This task had taken more than three years, due in large part to poor leadership within the drafting team and administrative inertia. This marked the culmination of work that the International Business Aviation Council and IAOPA set out to do for general aviation and aerial work three years ago: carve out a place for general aviation and aerial work in ICAO security standards and recommended practices that provides for different treatment from those required of commercial air transport (CAT) operations.

Specifically, the Annex 17 draft approved by the AVSEC Panel requires screening of passengers and their baggage only for CAT. No specific measures are prescribed for GA and only recommended practices stated for GA over 5,700 kg and all aerial work operations (that they have a written security program conforming to the State's AVSEC program). IAOPA and IBAC were able to provide for the exemption of air-taxi screening requirements by specifying that only passengers and baggage boarded through a Security Restricted Area (SRA) were required to be screened. And States have the power to designate where SRAs are required.

Additionally, IAOPA provided the panel with recommended security practices for GA as a working paper; these will be used in the ICAO Security Manual as guidance material.

Now, the ICAO Council must approve the work of the AVSEC Panel before the new Annex becomes a standard.   << Back to top

ICAO Medical Provisions Amended

ICAO Annex 1 will be amended on 24 November 2005 to include the following major changes for the Class 2 medical certificate (for private pilots):

• Interval between examinations is extended to 60 months until age 40 when the interval becomes 24 months. The annex recommends that the interval decrease to 12 months after age 50.
• Hearing tests continue to be acceptable using whispered testing methods, however pure tone audiometry is recommended for applicants over age 50.
• Drug dependency and mental disorder exclusions have been redefined, principally modernizing the language to conform to current medical classifications.
• An electrocardiogram is required for the first physical after age 40 and every two years after age 50.
• Relaxation of requirements for non-insulin dependent diabetes patients.
• Restrictions for HIV positive applicants.

Additionally, criteria for Approved Training Organizations for flight training are now specified in appendix 2 to the Annex.

IAOPA was an active participant in restructuring this amendment, mitigating a number of its negative effects.   << Back to top

New ICAO Phraseology

As part of a comprehensive effort to improve runway safety, the phraseology "Taxi to holding position" has been changed to "Taxi to holding point." This change has been incorporated into the Procedures for Air Navigation Services - Air Traffic Management (PANS-ATM, Doc 4444), in order to avoid confusion with the non-ICAO phraseology "Taxi into position and hold" which continues to be used by some States and many pilots worldwide.   << Back to top

IAOPA Europe Display at Friedrichshafen Aero 2005

European IAOPA affiliates were represented 21-24 April at Aero 2005, the biennial general aviation exhibition held in Friedrichshafen, Germany. For the first time AOPA-Germany hosted an IAOPA Europe presence in their exhibit booth, signifying the link among the 35 IAOPA affiliates of the region. The regional presence provided more than 50,000 show attendees with the opportunity for a better understanding of the in-depth character of the organization. Regional Vice President, Klaus Zeh, Deputy Vice President Martin Robinson, Technical Director Michael Erb, Government Liaison Harald Kilper and IAOPA Secretary General John Sheehan answered questions and distributed literature about the regional organization to hundreds of AOPA members and interested parties who visited the display. Regional Vice President Zeh commented, "European pilots and operators now have a better understanding of what our regional organization has to offer in terms of strengthening and improving general aviation and aerial work activities."   << Back to top

AOPA-Pakistan President Opens New Airport

AOPA-Pakistan and the owners of first privately constructed and managed airport in the country, Sialkot International Airport, located in Northeastern Pakistan, conducted an inaugural ceremony for the new facility. The 26 March 2005 ceremony included presentations by officials of the Pakistani CAA, the airport's owners and Mohsin Syed, the President of AOPA-Pakistan. Syed in his Cessna 310 conducted the first official landing at the airport.   << Back to top

Lithuanian Newsletter Available

Arunas Degutis, President of AOPA-Lithuania advises that a new civil aviation newsletter featuring articles of interest about all civil aviation in Lithuania is available in English online. He says, "This is a good source of information regarding current aviation issues and events in our country. It will be of use to those wishing to visit Lithuania."   << Back to top

Ukraine Receives Provisional IAOPA Affiliation

The All-Ukrainian Aviation Association has been provisionally accepted as an IAOPA affiliate, pending acceptance by the IAOPA Board. Hennadiy Khazan, head of the Kiev based organization said, "We have many needs for general aviation and aerial work within our country. The All-Ukrainian Aviation Association currently has 72 members at various locations around the country and anticipates that many more will join. We look forward to working with IAOPA and its affiliates." The organization will take the name AOPA-Ukraine.   << Back to top

AOPA-Poland Elects Board

On 19 March 2005 a new Board of AOPA-Poland was elected. The members are:
President: Blazej Krupa
Vice President: Wieslaw Kapitan
Vice President: Andrzej Smorawinski
Vice President: Andrzej Wach
Vice President: Krzysztof Wojtkowiak.
<< Back to top

AOPA-France Plans Annual Meeting With Fly-In

Alain Levinspuhl, AOPA-France Administrator, advises that their annual meeting to be held 20-22 May 2005 at the Marseille Marignane Airport will feature a fly-in and tour of Eurocopter manufacturing facilities and nearby Aix-en-Provence. Eurocopter is also cosponsoring the meeting. For more information contact Alain.    << Back to top

AOPA-Poland Sponsors International Rally

The National Aviation Association (KTL) - AOPA-Poland cordially invites all pilots to the 2005 International Warsaw-Ketrzyn Air Rally, which will take place 27-29 May 2005.

The fourth time the rally has been held, this aviation and social event anticipates a large turnout from our fellow pilots in Poland and from pilots from abroad. The organizers of the 2005 International Warsaw-Ketrzyn Air Rally have included an exciting number of events during the last weekend of May 2005. For more information visit the Web site or contact Blazej Krupa.   << Back to top

IAOPA eNews is published monthly by the International Council of Aircraft Owner and Pilot Associations for the use of its affiliate members in representing and advocating general aviation and aerial work interests worldwide.

The International Council of Aircraft Owner and Pilot Associations represents the interests of more than 470,000 pilots and aircraft owners in 60 countries. Formed in 1962, IAOPA is dedicated to promoting the peaceful uses of general aviation and aerial work worldwide.

Visit the Web site | Contact IAOPA

IAOPA Headquarters - 421 Aviation Way, Frederick, MD 21701, USA          ::        Tel: +301.695.2220       ::             Fax: +301.695.2375