FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt hosted an open forum at EAA AirVenture on Thursday, an annual tradition, and addressed the usual questions about bureaucratic tangles, shrinking GA airspace, and fears about user fees. But first, the administrator took some time to express his satisfaction with the sport pilot/light sport aircraft experiment, and reiterated the concerns about homebuilt safety and the update on NextGen he communicated to the press on Wednesday. Regarding LSAs, he said the safety record is “marvelous,” and people in the industry “have done what they said they would do.” The segment has brought in 3,500 new pilots, and 8,700 new sport aircraft have been registered. The administrator also briefly touched on the 100LL fuel issue.
Babbitt said the FAA has a “good working relationship with the EPA” — which has proposed to ban the use of lead in fuel — and said the problems with finding a replacement for 100LL will be worked out over time with no interruption to the fuel supply. In response to a question about user fees, Babbitt said, “This administration does not support it, and it’s not on the horizon right now.” The session also included a brief visit from Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, who said he wanted to assure all AirVenture visitors that the DOT supports and cares about GA.
