GA Groups Move To Thwart Privatized ATC Plan

As Congress prepares to debate whether to privatize ATC as part of the upcoming FAA reauthorization process, a number of general aviation groups are asking Congress to allow a full debate of a plan they argue is pushed down the nation’s throat by the airlines.

Specifically, the organizations cited concerns over a proposal introduced by Rep. Bill Shuster (R.-Pa.), chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee to privatize ATC and set up a new oversight and funding model similar to those in Canada and the U.K.

“The general aviation community has very real and long-standing concerns about foreign air traffic control models, which go well beyond the user fee issue,” the letter states. “These concerns are based on our operating experiences in foreign systems, as well as thoughtful analysis about what those systems might look like in the United States.”

The GA groups are asking Congress to slow down and allow for a broad debate of the proposal.

The letter was signed by a long list of aviation organizations, including The Air Care Alliance, Aircraft Electronics Association, Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, Commemorative Air Force, Experimental Aircraft Association, General Aviation Manufacturers Association, Helicopter Association International, International Council of Air Shows, National Agricultural Aviation Association, National Association of State Aviation Officials, National Air Transportation Association, National Business Aviation Association, Recreational Aviation Foundation, Seaplane Pilots Association and Veterans Airlift Command.