Congress Needs Your Informed Input

HAI has sent us an urgent legislative alert, and we're happy to pass it on:

The House version of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Reauthorization Bill (H.R. 2115) will be considered on the floor of the House today (Wednesday). The measure includes many provisions of benefit to the rotorcraft industry. Congressman Jim Matheson (D-Utah) is working to offer an amendment to strip language from the bill pertaining to changes to the Grand Canyon National Park Special Flight Rules Area Operations Curfew. The House Rules Committee at present is blocking the Matheson Amendment from reaching the floor of the House. Helicopter Association International (HAI) strongly supports passage of the FAA Reauthorization Bill with this language left intact.

PLEASE TELEPHONE, FAX, OR EMAIL YOUR ELECTED CONGRESSMAN OR CONGRESSWOMAN THIS AFTERNOON TO ASK THAT THEY NOT SUPPORT ANY AMENDMENT OFFERED BY CONGRESSMAN MATHESON OR OTHERS TO STRIP THIS LANGUAGE FROM THE BILL.

Under the language presently in the bill and approved by the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, the FAA Administrator may not restrict commercial Special Flight Rules Area Operations in the Dragon and Zuni Point corridors of the Grand Canyon National Park during the period beginning 1-hour after sunrise and ending 1-hour before sunset, unless required for aviation safety purposes.

Congresswoman Shelly Berkley (D-Nevada), a member of the House Aviation Subcommittee, Congressman Jon Porter (R-Nevada), a member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, and Congressman Jim Gibbons (R-Nevada) have been approached by HAI and other organizations and asked to help prevent passage of any amendment offered on the floor of the House. Votes are critical and HAI members in Western states near the Grand Canyon are strongly encouraged to contact their elected Member of Congress.

HAI supports the use of quieter aircraft by air tour operators in the Grand Canyon and believes that air tours should not be subject to caps on flights and should be provided with incentive routing. HAI also supports continued testing to set noise standards and redefine the parameters of natural quiet. The FAA has not achieved “reasonable achievable requirements” for quiet technology in the Grand Canyon under Title VIII of the Wendell H. Ford Aviation Investment and Reform Act for the 21st Century (Public Law l06-181) also known as the National Parks Air Tour Management Act of 2000.

The present curfew hours are arbitrary and unrelated to times of sunrise and sunset. The morning and evening hours should be linked to actual sunrise and sunset hours in order to formulate a fair and reasonable curfew. The primary purpose of the curfews was to insure that there are no aircraft in the skies to impair the hiker view of sunrise and sunset at the Canyon.

Most importantly, Congress must take into consideration the post September 11th effects upon the air tour industry and take steps to help air tour businesses reach full economic recovery. The present curfews represent a significant loss of business for the air tour industry in the Grand Canyon.

FMI: www.rotor.com