Where The Candidates Stand On GA
With the U.S. presidential election less than two weeks away, AOPA has released the answers it received from candidates John McCain and Barack Obama on topics of interest to general aviation pilots and aircraft owners. AOPA has not endorsed either candidate, but asked about a range of issues including user fees, the next FAA administrator, airports, ATC privatization, and more. Senator McCain, a former naval aviator and former chair of the Senate’s aviation subcommittee, can cite more experience with aviation issues. Senator Obama notes that GA accounts for over a million jobs in the U.S. and says he would “engage the general aviation community in the FAA decision-making process.” As for user fees, Senator McCain doesn’t express any vested interest in any particular funding system, but says it is critical for some kind of system to be put in place as soon as possible. “I fear that it will be very difficult to adequately fund the FAA while the aviation community is in a civil war over funding,” he told AOPA. Senator Obama said simply, “I believe we must continue to use an appropriate mixture of reasonable taxes and fees to fund the FAA.” To read the full text of the candidates’ response to AOPA, click here.
With the U.S. presidential election less than two weeks away, AOPA has released the answers it received from candidates John McCain and Barack Obama on topics of interest to general aviation pilots and aircraft owners. AOPA has not endorsed either candidate, but asked about a range of issues including user fees, the next FAA administrator, airports, ATC privatization, and more. Senator McCain, a former naval aviator and former chair of the Senate's aviation subcommittee, can cite more experience with aviation issues. Senator Obama notes that GA accounts for over a million jobs in the U.S. and says he would "engage the general aviation community in the FAA decision-making process." As for user fees, Senator McCain doesn't express any vested interest in any particular funding system, but says it is critical for some kind of system to be put in place as soon as possible. "I fear that it will be very difficult to adequately fund the FAA while the aviation community is in a civil war over funding," he told AOPA. Senator Obama said simply, "I believe we must continue to use an appropriate mixture of reasonable taxes and fees to fund the FAA." To read the full text of the candidates' response to AOPA, click here.
Two days after the Nov. 4 election, AOPA will host a discussion at AOPA Expo, in San Jose, Calif., among several Washington, D.C., aviation insiders about what the results mean for GA. Also, since laws get made in Congress, those races are also of interest for general aviation. AOPA has posted a list of its allies in the House and Senate who are up for re-election this year.
