Group Aims to Strike "Air Tour and Sport Parachuting Safety Act" from FAA Reauth

The United States Parachute Association is asking members to act on proposed Congressional action on the upcoming FAA Reauthorization, specifically the section titled the "Air Tour and Sport Parachuting Safety Act".

They aren't the only ones. Earlier this month a bevy of general aviation manufacturers and interest groups signed a letter opposing the section of the FAA Reauthorization bill, warning of the dangers it poses to small aviation businesses across the country. One friend of the industry, Senator Budd of North Carolina, put out an amendment to strike the offending language from the bill, but it was unsuccessful. With the FAA Authorization ending on March 8th, the House and Senate will convene a Conference Committee to reconcile both their respective drafts of the renewal bill. As such, the Parachute Association, EAA, and others urge aviators as a whole to make their voices heard and draw attention to their “deep concerns” regarding the Air Tour and Sport Parachuting Safety Act.

“In closing, our organizations have deep concerns that the proposed requirements, if enacted, are not scalable and do not support a data-driven approach to enhancing safety for these segments of general aviation. They will result in the closure of small aviation businesses without improving safety, and they will deprive the FAA of the resources and manpower needed to address priority issues. We respectfully request that the Senate’s Section 315 provisions be omitted from any final FAA Reauthorization bill.”

FMI: www.uspa.org