In advance of this week’s election, AOPA sent a questionnaire to the two major party candidates, Hillary Clinton and Donald J. Trump, seeking their positions on issues of interest to general aviation pilots. Trump’s campaign did not respond, AOPA says, despite six weeks of “multiple attempts via many communication channels.” Clinton’s campaign, however, sent detailed responses to AOPA’s query. “General aviation is a national asset,” Clinton wrote in one response. “At the highest level, it is responsible for by one measure over 1 million jobs and billions of dollars in revenues.”
Clinton goes on to express admiration for general aviation pilots. “I am reminded every day of how many important and vital communities across our vast nation with little or no commercial airline service are linked to the rest of the nation by general aviation,” she wrote. “General aviation is a national asset.” She cited the use of aircraft in firefighting and rescue, as well as for business and recreation. She noted that local airports provide relief for congested commercial airports, and said federal support for local airports should continue. “My proposed five-year, $275 billion investment in infrastructure includes major new investments in our airports,” she wrote. She also said she supports third-class medical reform for recreational pilots, and is in favor of finding “sensible and efficient methods” to certify new aircraft and upgrade old ones.
