Medical Reform Legislation introduced to House and Senate

Talk about airplanes! At last count, there are 39 (and growing) FAA certificated S-LSA (special light sport aircraft). These are factory-built ready to fly airplanes. If you can't afford a factory-built LSA, consider buying an E-LSA kit (experimental LSA - up to 99% complete).

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Jack Tyler
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Joined: Tue Nov 30, 2010 5:49 pm
Location: Prescott AZ
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Re: Medical Reform Legislation introduced to House and Senat

Post by Jack Tyler »

"Please tell me one instance in the last 25 years, where government reduced regulatory red tape, eliminated or reduced fees or willing ceded authority over anything."

Well, we can all feel that way at times but it's a silly notion on a moment's reflection. Just google 'reduced federal fees', for example. Or consider that the EU holds a popular annual competition for identifying the best ways to cut red tape or - to bring it closer to the thread's topic - the extension of Class 1 and Class 3 medical certificates in 2008 to five years for those under 40. A personal example is that the aviation charity I work for (Recreational Aviation Foundation - www.theraf.org) has now signed MOU's with our two largest public land managers: the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management. These require in part that their district land managers set policies providing access to their lands by aircraft and establishes recreational aviation as a legitimate means of accessing these recreational lands. Those aviation access privileges have never been recognized before by either agency and, to give a perspective on its reach, USFS and BLM manage between them public lands equivalent in size to 23 states.

"I swear it seems that every thing I read says it's either almost a slam dunk or a no way pipe dream."

Boy, is that true! Just google 'third class medical reform' and read the excerpt titles to view how the pendulum swings back 'n forth.

BTW and WRT flying LSA's on something other than auto fuel or 100LL, I listened to the interview with one of the SwiftFuel's principals today; it's available on AVweb if the website is fully functional again. Their distribution plans apparently will focus on where the demand for alternatives to both those fuels is highest, supposedly the SE, NE and Western parts of the country. And for those who fly certified aircraft and are allowed by STC to use auto gas, that STC does not apply to SwiftFuel's 94 octane since it's an aviation fuel. How far this new fuel will reach in the next flying season is anyone's guess, I suspect.
Jack
Flying in/out KBZN, Bozeman MT in a Grumman Tiger
Do you fly for recreational purposes? Please visit http://www.theraf.org
BrianL99
Posts: 314
Joined: Mon Jun 16, 2014 7:23 pm

Re: Medical Reform Legislation introduced to House and Senat

Post by BrianL99 »

Jack Tyler wrote:"Please tell me one instance in the last 25 years, where government reduced regulatory red tape, eliminated or reduced fees or willing ceded authority over anything."

Well, we can all feel that way at times but it's a silly notion on a moment's reflection. Just google 'reduced federal fees', for example. Or consider that the EU holds a popular annual competition for identifying the best ways to cut red tape or - to bring it closer to the thread's topic - the extension of Class 1 and Class 3 medical certificates in 2008 to five years for those under 40. A personal example is that the aviation charity I work for (Recreational Aviation Foundation - http://www.theraf.org) has now signed MOU's with our two largest public land managers: the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management. These require in part that their district land managers set policies providing access to their lands by aircraft and establishes recreational aviation as a legitimate means of accessing these recreational lands. Those aviation access privileges have never been recognized before by either agency and, to give a perspective on its reach, USFS and BLM manage between them public lands equivalent in size to 23 states.

"I swear it seems that every thing I read says it's either almost a slam dunk or a no way pipe dream."

Boy, is that true! Just google 'third class medical reform' and read the excerpt titles to view how the pendulum swings back 'n forth.
I'll stand by my quote, Jack. The U.S. Gov't doesn't generally cede eauthority nor reduce red tape. The USFS & BLM both are required by their enabling legislation, to provide access for recreational pursuits.

& no offense, but you work in the "advocates" sector ... hardly objective.

We've been hearing about 3rd Class Medical reform for 20 years ... where is it?
Last edited by BrianL99 on Tue Jul 28, 2015 6:03 am, edited 1 time in total.
Jack Tyler
Posts: 1380
Joined: Tue Nov 30, 2010 5:49 pm
Location: Prescott AZ
Contact:

Re: Medical Reform Legislation introduced to House and Senat

Post by Jack Tyler »

"The USFS & BLM both are required by their enabling legislation, to provide access for recreational pursuits."

Believe what you will, Brian. But the BLM hadn't created a new airstrip on their public lands in decades until the RAF convinced them to partner on a new one in the Missouri Breaks. And neither the USFS nor BLM acknowledged for decades that aviation access to their public lands was reasonable, despite the existence of their 'enabling legislation'. Now the periodic revisions of their forest & district management plans must reflect those facts. That there are advocates who work such issues doesn't diminish the reality that bureaucracies change unendingly, altho' perhaps where we can agree is that it's like turning the proverbial supertanker.

The RAF was founded 11 years ago when BLM issued a decision to close 10 airstrips in the Missouri Breaks area of Montana. We reversed that decision for 6 of those airstrips and having that impact is what cemented the RAF's purpose. Shift to today and BLM has recently asked us to help them detail the GIS data, health and classification of all their airstrips. And it's that data which will direct their airstrip management. That is a fundamental shift: from adversary to partner. Meanwhile, the USFS senior manager for recreation recently assigned two of its most senior pilots to liaise with the RAF on ways to reopen and improve recreational airstrips their USFS lands.

I know that's a lot of 'inside baseball' in one specific area but I've experienced the same thing WRT coastal marine management and when working with city governments. When folks dive into the fray instead of just reading the blogs and opinion columns, change is actually routine. Even on the big issues of our time - reviewing these is a good reminder: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_a ... nstitution
Jack
Flying in/out KBZN, Bozeman MT in a Grumman Tiger
Do you fly for recreational purposes? Please visit http://www.theraf.org
BrianL99
Posts: 314
Joined: Mon Jun 16, 2014 7:23 pm

Re: Medical Reform Legislation introduced to House and Senat

Post by BrianL99 »

Jack Tyler wrote:"The USFS & BLM both are required by their enabling legislation, to provide access for recreational pursuits."

When folks dive into the fray instead of just reading the blogs and opinion columns, change is actually routine. Even on the big issues of our time - reviewing these is a good reminder: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_a ... nstitution

I do it for a living Jack.
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